Wheeler’s Bryce Compton has been meeting the exacting standards at wide receiver.
That’s no small feat.
The 6-foot junior and his teammates have a new coach, Nick Testa, a 1999 Lake Central graduate who starred at receiver and had a record-setting career at Tri-State.
“He played the same position as me, and I’ve learned a lot,” Compton said. “He breaks down all the stuff in the position. He’s helped me a lot.”
Compton, who also plays defensive back for the Bearcats, impressed Testa from the outset.
“He’s definitely a kid who showed us throughout the summer he can make plays,” Testa said. “We really challenged ourselves this summer. We went against Hobart, Portage, Lake Central, Lowell, Highland. So we went against some big teams, and he always was a standout who was able to make plays against those guys.
“He’s earned my trust that come Friday nights, I can put the ball in his hands and he’s going to make a play for us. Being a former receiver myself, I’m tougher on my receivers. Him and a couple of the other guys, they’ve proven all summer they can make plays.”
Compton showed glimpses of his ability last season. Starting on both sides of the ball, he had 13 catches for 237 yards on offense, and he had 28 tackles and four interceptions on defense. He also returned a punt for a touchdown.
Compton has gotten faster and stronger, bulking up to 180 pounds from 155.
“I was a little bit jittery my first game,” he said. “I was still processing that I was starting because I couldn’t believe it.”
But Testa believes in Compton.
Testa began his post-playing career as the receivers coach at Tri-State before shifting to the high school ranks. He had two stints at Lake Central, including the last two seasons as the receivers coach. He also was an assistant at Wheeler and later at Calumet, where he was part of the program’s lone sectional championship team in 2020 with head coach Rick Good. Testa was Clark’s head coach from 2017 to 2019.
So Testa has a pretty good eye for talent, particularly among receivers.
“I’ve challenged him,” Testa said of Compton. “I’ve told him he can be the best player in our conference. He’s not there yet. A lot of that will be on him, on how he answers and how hard he works. I have no doubts he’s going to work hard.
“We’re really excited about him. I’m expecting him to have a breakout season, big things from him.”
Junior quarterback Caleb Klimczak expects that too. He and Compton have spent a lot of time working together to get in sync.
“He’s a high-pointer,” Klimczak said. “He has mad hops. He’s the fastest dude on the team. He’s a more quiet guy, but he leads by example. He’s fast, he’s athletic, he’s a team player.
“He’s a guy who will be like, ‘Hey, man, you missed a throw, but that’s all right. You’ll get them next time.’ It goes both ways. I’m a big fan of Bryce. We’ve really started clicking this year. We’ve kept getting better and better. He’s just a really good overall player.”
That includes defensively. Compton, a sprinter on Wheeler’s boys track team, played cornerback last year. He could play there again this season, but it’s more likely he will shift to safety.
“I like hitting, but I like scoring touchdowns just as much,” he said.
Compton wasn’t shy about detailing his lofty goals, which include 800 yards and 15 touchdowns.
He said he hopes to be a centerpiece of a resurgent season for the Bearcats (3-7), who start with a nonconference home game against Hanover Central on Friday. They were winless in their division of the Greater South Shore Conference last season.
“I’m feeling good about this season,” Compton said. “We have a young group and a lot of potential. We’re going to get better throughout the season.”
