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Thomas Buckmiller and Lyrik Smith have put the state on notice with their performance through the first four games of the season.
The Coronado quarterback and wide receiver duo spent countless hours together during the off-season, and now, they are seeing the fruits of their labor as they lead the state in passing and receiving yards.
"We spent hours on the field after no one was here. Late at night. It just gives us that feeling that, yeah it feels good to make a statement out of where we are," said Buckmiller.
"It feels good. Just knowing that Thomas has the trust in me to give me all these yards and put the ball on the money every time. It's a good feeling," said Smith.
The numbers tell the story of their remarkable improvement.
Buckmiller's junior year stats show 148 completions for more than 2,100 yards and 22 touchdowns. This year, he's already completed 80 passes for over 1,600 yards and is just two touchdowns shy of last year's total with most of the season remaining.
Smith has well surpassed his 2024 numbers. Last year he finished with 26 receptions, 321 yards and four touchdowns. He's already up to 27 catches, almost 700 yards, and has found the end zone on seven different occasions.
"There's been twice this season where I went up to the line and I saw a kid that couldn't guard him so I just checked to a fade and we got a touchdown on it. It's just that confidence that I have in him and our ability to play together. It impacts the game for sure because I'm just able to go up to the line and I know my guy is going to get open so I'm going to toss him the rock," said Buckmiller.
"Especially if there's a smaller defender on me and we got trips to the right side and (I'm) playing on the left side. If the safety rolls over the top I let Thomas know that I got a mismatch," said Smith.
Their success has had a positive impact on the rest of the team.
"I think it gives the team confidence that we can play fun and we can play confident. We have lots of ability to go score whenever and we're very explosive. It just gives everyone on our team the fact that we are never out of games," said Buckmiller.
With the help of this explosive offense, the Cougars are on pace to have their best season the program has seen since 2014.
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About Athlete of the Week
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