One year after winning the program’s first-ever district championship in 2024, the Tioga Bulldogs football team battled through an injury-riddled 2025 season.
Two of the biggest names bitten by the injury bug were senior quarterback Cole Boyd and senior wide receiver/linebacker Jake David, and with the injuries now behind them, both players look to cap their final season in Tioga with a bang.
“From a coach's standpoint and even as a parent, I hated it for them last year because you don’t ever want to see an injury to any of the kids, but those two are some of the hardest-working kids,” said Zach Birdwell, Tioga athletic director and head football coach. “Watching them do everything to get back, whether it was in the weight room or out on the field, speaks volumes about who they are, and I’m just excited to get to see them do what they love again.”
Boyd was on track to be the Bulldogs' starting quarterback last season before a knee injury during a scrimmage game against the Pilot Point Bearcats cost him his junior season.
“That was a rough time, especially the first couple of weeks after surgery,” he said. “I did physical therapy three times a week, trying to get range of motion back and get my strength back, and the recovery was pretty tough, especially walking again, but the goal was to get back to football and be able to throw routes with my guys again.”
Once he was released by doctors, Boyd said rebuilding his confidence in his surgically repaired knee was one of the biggest hurdles on his journey back.
“I was definitely a little timid the first time I stepped back on the field,” he said. “I don’t think I was 100%, but I just started doing my drops and throwing routes, and it felt good to move around again after being on crutches.”
Now that he’s fully recovered, Boyd said the biggest thing for him is making sure he’s mentally prepared to help his team win.
“I like to say quarterbacks get too much blame and too much fame, so I have to keep my mind steady and not get too much of a big head when things are going well or too down if I throw a pick or incompletion, but it feels great to be back,” he said. “I am definitely a little nervous because I’ve never played a full season, but I can’t wait to experience that.”
David, who has been a key contributor for the Bulldogs on both sides of the ball, suffered a lower leg injury during practice in Week 3 that followed him for the rest of the season.
“We were running routes the day before the game, and I felt something tweak in my ankle or foot, but I didn’t really think much of it after that, but as the season went on it got worse and worse, and finally during one Tuesday morning practice it just gave out, and I couldn’t walk on it anymore,” he said.
David said being forced to watch his team from the sidelines gave him a deeper appreciation for playing the game of football.
“I learned not to take any of this for granted and to cherish these moments with my teammates,” he said.
Not long after football season concluded, David contracted a severe staph infection that required him to be hospitalized and caused him to miss the entirety of basketball season.
“I was in the hospital for two and a half weeks, and even when I got out, I had a PICC line for about a month, and I was given IVs at home,” he said. “… There were a lot of long physical therapy sessions, and I was afraid that I was going to have a limp for the rest of my life, [but], around the end of April, I started to get back into the groove of things and was finally getting back where I wanted to be physically.”
David, who is a multi-sport athlete, said his physical therapist told him he may miss track and field season as well, but he recovered in enough time to help the Bulldogs capture their second 2A State Championship in track and field.
“It was wild and was something I did not picture getting to do, but it was one of the best moments of my life,” he said. “… Getting to go back-to-back with my teammates was awesome.”
After a solid offseason and fall camp, David said he’s ready to make the 2026 season special.
“I feel faster and stronger than ever, and I’m just ready to get out there and do whatever I need to do to help our team,” he said. “Our goal is to win a state championship, and to do that, we have to execute and play to the standard we know we’re capable of.”
