RISON - Rison Coach Chris Vereen said he expects his Wildcats to have a much more diverse offense heading into the 2026 season with some new pieces being put in play at quarterback, running back and other skill positions.
The ‘Cats wrapped up their final team camp of the summer Tuesday by hosting Sheridan, Smackover and Star City at George Walker Field of Champions. Vereen said they will now be hitting the weight room in preparation for opening pre-season camp on Aug. 3.
Vereen said the emphasis this summer has been on diversifying the offense. He admitted that situations last year left the Wildcats one-dimensional, and every opponent knew they simply had to shut down the run to stop the Rison offense. Vereen pointed out that quarterback Kyson Walker, who rushed for a team-high 1,444 yards last season, picked up nearly everything on the inside since the struggled to get much going outside.
“He (Walker) was basically a running back playing quarterback,” Vereen said.
Rison will have some new skill sets to work with on offense this year. Logan McGarity, who was the starting quarterback for last year’s 7-1 Junior Wildcat team that finished as co-champions of the 8-3A, will be seeing a lot of playing time at quarterback as Vereen finds ways to use Walker in his more natural position at runing back.
Vereen described McGarity as a solid quarterback who can run the ball and has good passing skills. McGarity was behind center during Tuesday’s camp, and Vereen said he will be getting at least 50 percent of the snaps this season.
By having McGarity behind center, Vereen said is now able free up Walker to finds ways to get him out in space to use his elusiveness and speed.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats will have a new weapon at running back this year with the addition of White Hall transfer Aidan Bitely. Listed as 5-9, 185 -pound wide receiver/defensive back last year for the Bulldogs, Vereen said Bitely arrived on the Rison campus in January and has been a great addition to the team.