CORTEZ – A few years ago on a late August day, then-freshman Tay Wheat set foot on the field in Aztec, lining up behind senior quarterback Aca Dennison and an upperclassmen-led line. On one of his first career carries, Wheat sidestepped a pursuing lineman, then spun out of a linebacker tackle before being knocked to the turf. He bounced back up and headed back to the huddle.
Welcome to high school football, Tay.
It might have been better said, “High school football, meet Tay Wheat.” While the young dynamo quietly made his first impressions during his do-everything freshman season, the rest of the region couldn’t fully grasp the torrent that Montezuma-Cortez High School had unleashed. Over the next three seasons, Wheat continued to develop into the focal point of every opposing defensive coordinator – and they still couldn’t stop him.
“I remember it was scary,” Wheat said of his first days on the high school gridiron. “I was thrown out there with grown men.”
Under the Panthers coaching staff led by Ivan Mack, along with coordinators Jarrett Watkins and Tyler Worley (now the Panthers head coach), Wheat knew he was going to learn on the fly. “They (the coaching staff) didn’t baby me, and I was able to figure out the pace of the game,” Wheat said.
Along the way, the yards and touchdowns piled up, so now as he reaches the middle of his senior season, Wheat has amassed numbers that few have touched in the century that CHSAA has recorded statistics.
Wheat plowed past 3,000 rushing yards late in his junior year, and required just six games into his final season for the Panthers to up the total to 4,000 and counting. Add to the mix, Wheat has nearly 1,500 yards receiving, and enough highlight-reel punt and kickoff returns to fill a Ken Burns-length documentary.
Over the years, the Panthers have switched offensive styles, with Wheat as the focal point of both ground-and-pound as well as pass-happy offenses. “I like to catch the ball – I’ve got hands,” said Wheat, “but I’m happy to be used in whatever ways that the team needs me.”
Fittingly on Homecoming night, Wheat broke the 4,000-yard plateau in front of another large crowd of alumni on a 65-yard second quarter touchdown sprint against Salida.
Wheat, who models himself after former NFL standout running back Marshawn Lynch, enjoys his opportunity to take over games just like Lynch did while in “Beast Mode” for the Seattle Seahawks. “When I was a kid, I liked his (Lynch’s) mentality – that no one was going to stop him.”
Not coincidentally, Wheat’s rise to prominence coincided with the Panthers turning into a postseason aspirant and league title threat. Wheat crossed 1,000 yards on the ground in the Panthers’ state semifinal run in his sophomore 2022 campaign, and after narrowly missing the playoffs last year, Wheat and a stout senior class want to make sure that this year they aren’t on the wrong end of another close call.
He relishes the memories of that 2022 run, including their upset win over Elizabeth in the round of 16. “That might have been my best game,” he reflected on the 21-7 victory. “We had to go on that long bus ride, but we got their and smacked them right in the mouth.”
While his teammates have looked to him for leadership since his days as an underclassman, Wheat will be the first to tell others that his success leans on the shoulders of his offensive line, blocking receivers, and special teams return units.
“Over all four years, we’ve had some dogs on that front line,” he said. “Even as that group has gotten younger, they’ve made it work.”
His durability to battle back from injuries throughout his first couple high school seasons demonstrated his grit, even when faced with consistent collisions with linebackers who outweigh him by more than 50 pounds. Yet, Wheat likes to dole out the contact as much as he receives it, including playing a prominent role in the Panthers secondary and linebacking corps over his four years.
Wheat points to his strong bond with defensive coordinator Jarrett Watkins, especially when he’s fallen on harder times. “He (Coach Watkins) is there to keep me going,” said Wheat. “There’s a lot of tough love, but I need that.”
Wheat’s speed and agility make him hard to contain on the basketball court as well, which suits the Panthers track meet-style offense on the hardwood. Coupled with his explosiveness, Wheat also enjoyed state qualification in track and field – and the Panthers have benefited from his leadership in all three sports.
Football remains the closest to his heart, however, and where he’d like to see himself playing beyond his graduation from M-CHS this spring.
“I like my other sports, but I’ve always loved football,” said Wheat, still undecided on where his next playing days will be. “I’m doing what I know I’m capable of doing – and I’ve learned that not everything is going to be given to you, that you have to go get it.”
