Riley Stewart and Drew Forest have both had their moments.

Before sustaining a shoulder injury against Curry in the fourth week of the season, Stewart was Cullman High’s leading receiver.

The first half of last season was the exact opposite for Forest.

Forest didn’t have many receptions early in the year, but the Cullman receiver made up for it down the stretch — becoming somewhat of a regular target for quarterback Tyler Caldwell as the Bearcats advanced to the Class 5A North semifinal.

Stewart and Forest have both shown potential during their high school careers. The only problem is that neither player has been able to keep it up for an entire season.

That has to change if the Bearcats are going to duplicate last season’s offensive success.

After losing Gavin Ellis to graduation, Cullman was forced to replace last season’s leading receiver.

Replacing a 6-foot-6 Troy University signee can be tough. But it’s not impossible — especially when you’ve got a pair of experienced receivers waiting in the wings.

“Riley and Drew are our two most experienced receivers,” Cullman head coach Mark Britton said. “Right now, they’re our leaders at the position.”

Having two experienced receivers may be helpful, but it won’t be enough — especially since the Bearcats run the pass-happy spread offense.

That’s why Cullman’s coaching staff have been placing a little extra emphasis on the wide receiver position this fall.

So have any wide receivers stood out?

According to Britton, yes.

“Kyle Johnson has really looked good. He’s had a good fall,” Britton said. “We’ve had a few guys that have done well. Luke Lindsey, Jade Lancaster and Casey Brown have all done a good job. Another guy that I can’t emphasize enough is Tyler Brown. He’s running good routs and doing a lot of things right.

“A lot of different guys have a chance to make plays in our offense. That’s what I like about this system. The players love it because a lot of different people have opportunities to touch the football.”

Finding a new corps of receivers isn’t Cullman’s only concern. The Bearcats have a few more holes to fill.

At first glance, it looks like Cullman lost a ton of talent from an offense that produced over 5,000 yards a year ago.

But sometimes looks can be deceiving.

Cullman may have graduated three All-State players in running back Mike Timmons, offensive tackle Charlie Sanford and Ellis, but the Bearcats still return several key players.

One of those players just happens to be Caldwell, who threw for over 3,000 yards while setting a new Cullman passing record.

“Compared to everyone else in the state, Tyler was on up there in passing yards,” Britton said. “That guy has a lot of potential. When it comes to reading defenses, he knows what to look for.”

So will it be easier for Cullman to break in a new group of receivers with a veteran quarterback?

“I think it will be,” Britton said. “Tyler is constantly working with the receivers. He pretty much works with them all day at practice.

“Having a quarterback like Tyler is going to help everyone.”

From the sound of things, Cullman’s coaching staff has addressed the team’s needs in the passing game. But what about replacing Timmons — a running back who rushed for 2,001 yards a year ago?

That’s where Connor Adams, Johnny Chacon and Ben Moore come into the picture.

“Those guys have looked good in practice,” Britton said. “You can still run the football in this offense. You can run the football with success. I think people are going to see that with Auburn this season.”

Heading into Thursday’s home opener against Hayden, Britton feels good about Cullman’s progress on the offensive side of the ball.

So does that mean the Bearcats coach believes his team will duplicate last year’s success?

“I’m not going to put that type of pressure on these guys,” Britton said. “I will say this, I think this group has the potential to put points on the board. We’ll have to see about the rest.

“Our overall offensive success is going to have a lot to do with our offensive line. And right now, I believe those guys are more than capable of getting the job done.”