Football Preview - Wise County Messenger

WISE COUNTY MESSENGER, Decatur, Texas, Thursday, August 28, 2008 35NORTHWEST RIVALSFriends or foesAdjusting to Class 5A includes shopping for rivalsBy TRAVIS MEASLEYFor Wise County, highschool football is a living,breathing entity, especiallywhen the county teams gohead to head in the classicrivalry battles. Decatur versusBridgeport; Chico againstAlvord; Boyd and Paradise— these are more than justfootball games — they arecity bragging rights for an entireyear, and nobody wantsto lose.For Northwest High School,the only 5A high school inthe county, a heated rivalryis something the team is stillsearching for.“Probably our biggest rivalright now is Colleyville Heritage,or at least that’s who Isee as our biggest rival,” saidNorthwest senior linebackerand defensive leader JacobKnickerbocker. “We haven’tbeaten them since I startedplaying on the varsity twoyears ago and I really want tobeat them my senior year.”The previous two timesNorthwest and Colleyvillehave faced each other, Northwesthas held a lead late inthe game only to see it lost inthe fi nal minutes.“I think that’s extra motivationfor us this year,” Knickerbockersaid. “We weren’t supposedto be able to hang withthem at all, and the fact thatwe did shows us that we areclose and can win.”For Northwest, preparationfor a rivalry game againsta team they have a little extrafootball hatred for helpssharpen their minds on thepractice field.“That’s the week [before theColleyville Heritage game]that I really watch the smallthings,” said Northwest seniorLars Huizenga. “I don’t takeany reps off during practice.I focus hard while watchingfi lm, watching their footworkand studying their moves withextra focus. When you wantto beat a team that badly, youdo those things to step upyour game.”Also, with the schools inrelatively close proximity toeach other, rivalries are oftencultivated off the fi eld, as thestudents interact with eachother after school hours.“We see these people allthe time at hangouts, so weknow them,” Knickerbockersaid. “That’s an extra littlepush to want to just stompthem on the football field. I’llnotice small things about theplayers that may bug me orannoy me, and use that asfuel to the fi re.”“Southlake Town Square iskind of a middle ground betweenall the schools, andthat’s where most of the kidshang out, so just seeing anyof those guys outside of thepractice fi eld creates thattense environment that transfersover to the game.”Regardless of who surfacesas Northwest’s main rivalin District 5-5A, arguably thetoughest 5A district in thestate, Northwest will havetheir hands full with teamssuch as 2007 Div. I StateChampion Euless Trinity, Colleyville,Grapevine and KellerFossil Ridge as the teamscollide week in and week outfor a coveted spot in the playoffs.NORTHWEST PREVIEWNorthwest hopes surprises are enough to keep pace in 5ABy TRAVIS MEASLEYIn 2007, Northwest High Schoolplayed in quite possibly the toughest5A district in the state. In 2008, withthe addition of Euless Trinity, KellerFossil Ridge and Hurst Bell, District5-5A only got tougher. For NorthwestHead Coach Leonard McAngus, thejob of getting his Texans, who returnnine starters, only two on offense, tothe playoffs is as hard as ever.“This district has been tough beforeand now its even tougher,” McAngussaid. “The teams that moved in areall playoff teams. We are just goingto have to play the cards we are dealtand focus on executing our game planand getting Northwest better.”Senior Bryson Curb leads the Texans’spread attack as the starting quarterback.Last year as the main starter,Curb threw for almost 2,000 yards and12 touchdowns, and has been solid inpreseason practice thus far.“Curb has looked very good so farat quarterback,” McAngus said. “Heis one of the two starters we have returningon offense, and he will be thekey player in keeping our offense onthe field.”The Texans will be extremely inexperiencedat receiver, with no returningvarsity lettermen, but McAngusbelieves that the juniors and seniorsthat spent last season on the juniorvarsity team will surprise people.“With seniors graduating, we areexpecting juniors that played on JV tostep in right away as seniors on thevarsity team, and so far they have donejust that. Our two inside receivers, juniorsChris Bain and Cole Edwards,are playing very well right now.”Bain is the Texans’ most legitimatethreat at wide receiver, and he is atough, physical player who makesup for his lack of size with speed andtenacity. Eric Clinton and CameronLanger will add depth at the outsidereceiver position as well as TaylorBarnhill and Kevin Meek. Barnhill andClinton, who are also quarterbacks,have good size at 6-feet-3-inches.The offensive line should be solid,with returning varsity linemen BenCollins, Bruce David and Aaron Leal.Seniors Patrick Lee, Rocky Hernandez,Reed Ryan and Stephen Borcikshould add depth and experience tothe front four.On defense, the Texans return sevenstarters and look to have a verytough, solid unit this year. The Texanswill play a 3-3 stack, mixing in a 4-2-5,which could highlight the speed theyhave in the secondary.“Our main focus on defense is toswarm the ball and be as fast as wecan be on every play,” McAngus said.“If our guys run a 4.8 (40-yard-dash),then we are going to run that 4.8 onevery single down.”Seniors Jacob Knickerbocker andLars Huizenga, both in their third yearstarting on varsity, will anchor the defense.Knickerbocker is a possible alldistrictpick at linebacker, as is Huizenga,who had 119 tackles last year,at free safety. Senior cornerbacksThomas Swift and Tanner Young, whoalso have varsity experience, will addeven more depth to the secondary.Seniors Fernando Arroyo and RodneyNobles look to anchor the defensiveline in the 4-2-5. Matt Sanderson,Bo Nix, Roberto Salazar and JasonBramow will also challenge for playingtime.Linebackers Lee Taylor and DylanPounds will create toughness in themiddle, along with Knickerbocker.