McKinley brings senior-heavy speed, toughness into 2026 football season

Overview

• Brian Davis enters another season leading McKinley after becoming the program's head coach in 2019.
• Davis described McKinley as a senior-heavy team with speed, physicality and players who have spent three or four years in the program.
• The receiving corps is the foundation of the offense, with Tayon Mullen, Marcus Daniels and Braylin Fryer all returning after productive 2025 seasons.
• Kamron Minter recorded 20 sacks in 2025, while Tashawn Henley made 120 tackles and 8.5 sacks.
• McKinley is scheduled to open Sept. 5 at Lackawanna, then visit Amherst on Sept. 10 before its home opener Sept. 17 against Lewiston Porter.

McKinley 2026 Football Preview

Brian Davis sees a McKinley team with plenty of older players, plenty of speed and a clear expectation for how it wants to play.

"Where a senior heavy football team with a lot of experience were very explosive very fast very physical," Davis said.

Davis, who said he started coaching at McKinley in 2015, coached at Tolleson High School in Arizona and Bennett before becoming McKinley's head coach in 2019. He said this year's group brings back players who have been in the program for three or four years. The foundation starts with the receiving corps, and the overall identity is built around toughness, togetherness and tempo.

McKinley plans to run a spread read-option, up-tempo offense. Defensively, Davis said the team will use a 4-2-5 structure.

The goal is direct: Davis said McKinley wants to win a sectional championship and make a deep run in the state playoffs. The growth point is just as clear. Davis said the team needs to become more disciplined as the season moves along.

Receivers Set The Tone

Davis pointed to the receiving corps as McKinley's strongest foundation, and the roster gives the team several experienced options there.

Tayon Mullen, a senior WR/FS, is the breakout player Davis named, the special-teams player he believes can make a difference and one of McKinley's primary leaders. Mullen caught eight passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns in 2025, and he also had 16 tackles and one interception.

Marcus Daniels, a senior WR/DB, added 11 catches for 155 yards and three touchdowns in 2025, while also recording 19 tackles, three interceptions, one fumble recovery and one pass defended.

Braylin Fryer, another senior WR/DB, caught 12 passes for 353 yards and three touchdowns in 2025. Fryer also completed five passes for 132 yards and a touchdown.

That group gives McKinley proven skill production around its quarterback room. Davis said senior Catrell Rhoads, listed as a QB/LB, is part of the quarterback picture, with freshman Kyion Minter also expected to be seen at quarterback.

Two-Way Experience

McKinley also has returning production in the backfield and on defense.

Kyler Monterro, a senior RB/LB and the new contributor Davis wants readers to know, ran for 496 yards and eight touchdowns in 2025. He also caught nine passes for 74 yards and a touchdown, and defensively had 83 tackles, seven sacks and one fumble recovery.

Kylin Williams, a senior RB/LB, is one of the players Davis named among McKinley's anchors. In 2025, Williams ran for 396 yards and three touchdowns and had 73 tackles, three tackles for loss and one pass defended.

Kamron Minter and Tashawn Henley give McKinley major returning defensive production. Minter, a senior TE/DE and one of the team's primary leaders, had 98 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, 20 sacks and one forced fumble in 2025. Henley, a senior OL/DL, had 120 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.

Davis also listed Antonio Gonzolez as one of the team's primary leaders.

Schedule Landmarks

McKinley is scheduled to open Sept. 5 at Lackawanna at Iroquois Central High School's Turf Field #1a, then visit Amherst on Sept. 10.

The home opener is scheduled for Sept. 17 against Lewiston Porter at All High Stadium. McKinley is also scheduled to host West Seneca East on Sept. 25 before an Oct. 2 trip to Williamsville South.

October continues with home games against Lake Shore on Oct. 9 and Maryvale on Oct. 16, both at Riverside High School's Stadium. The regular-season schedule closes Oct. 23 at Albion.

For McKinley, the season comes down to matching its experience and speed with the discipline Davis wants to see grow. If the receiving corps drives the offense and the defensive front produces around Minter and Henley, McKinley has the core pieces Davis believes can make a sectional run.