Benson: Defense will be the key to PG’s success
Out of hard work springs skill, character and success.
Xavier Benson is one of the hardest working football players in Northeast Texas. Benson is most concerned with the best ways he can help Pleasant Grove win football games.
“I feel like our team can go to state,” Benson said. “I feel like we can win a state championship; it’s up to us. … Just us.”
Benson (6-3, 200) is a standout senior outside linebacker and receiver who has Division I football talent. He is highly coachable and has a great work ethic.
Ideals, manners, a positive attitude, talent and leadership are solidified within Benson.
Benson was selected as one of the Hawks’ captains. He has played football since a young age and has always had a knack for it.
The Pleasant Grove star believes that defense will be the key to a deep playoff run.
“The success of the season depends on our defense,” Benson said. “Our defense is what helps us a lot.”
Benson’s thoughts about the importance of defense brings back memories of the 2000 Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens held opponents to 165 points during a 16-game season, an NFL record. Their outstanding defense earned them a Super Bowl ring.
The Division I recruit has set personal football goals.
“I would like to get all-state, get district honors, have over 100 tackles, and get five interceptions,” Benson said. “I want to be a 4-star recruit and feel like I should be one.”
Benson has tremendous knowledge of the game and is a cerebral player. He is good at anticipating where the ball is going to be and getting to that spot.
Over the summer, Benson did many drills and worked on his zone coverage.
“I am an aggressive player, and I have worked hard on my hip turns,” Benson said. “A lot of a player’s power comes from the hips.”
He has also lifted weights and has stuck to a protein-rich diet. The Hawks’ star has honed his talent through hard work and staying in shape.
“I think the true meaning of in shape is that a player can play offense and defense and go as hard as he can without getting tired.”
Benson and teammates go to Subway to eat as part of a pregame ritual. In the locker room, he focuses on how he is going to play hard and ways in which he will impact the game.
Benson primarily listens to Drake and 21 Savage before a game. He listens to it to get pumped up and has been a fan of Drake since he was little.
The highly talented Benson tries to be a good teammate.
“I feel like confidence comes from all of the hard work you put into something,” he said.
“If I see someone who is cocky or out of control, I will calm him down and tell him that it is getting out of hand. The team tries to stay humble.”