MERKEL — A year ago, Merkel’s Isaac “Ike” Sebastian was lost in the shuffle, happy whenever he got a chance to touch the football and contribute something — anything in a dreary 2-8 campaign.

What a difference a year can make. 

Sebastian, now a senior, has emerged as one of the fastest athletes in the Big Country, with legitimate sub-4.6 speed in the 40, good hands and improving field vision. And, in a possible stroke of good fortune, Sebastian will be perfect fit in Merkel’s new wing-T hybrid offense introduced by first-year coach Britt Hart. 

The combination could (in the hopes of the Merkel staff) create something very explosive.