AREA FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT: LINDEN-KILDARE AND PRESCOTT,
LINDEN, Texas—Linden-Kildare's football team is on the rise.
After five regular season football games, the Tigers are undefeated at 5-0.
Linden- Kildare, under head coach Derek Simmons, have victories over Harleton, Clarksville, Queen City, DeKalb, and Maud.
“I think the biggest thing for us is maturity,” Simmons said. “We had a lot of kids play last year that may or may not have been ready. The kids are stronger and have a good understanding of the game.”
Senior Ja'Kevian Rose leads the team in receiving with 17 grabs for 400 yards and five scores. Quarterback Marty Johnson, a senior, has thrown for 531 yards and six touchdowns.
The Tigers have on of the
strongest running backs in the area in Ladavian Johnson, who has amassed 947 yards on 99 totes for an average of 9.6 yards per touch and 13 touchdowns. Johnson's longest run so far was an 80-yard TD scamper.
“Ladavian is a different kind of running back,” Simmons said. “He is not big but pound for pound he is strong. Ladavian has exceeded all expectations, including his own. He has great vision, a knack for finding openings, and is hard to tackle.”
The star running back runs owes some success to his offensive line. Anchoring the line is senior right tackle Dre'shawn Williams, sophomore left tackle Nic Kunze, junior center Draydon Delese, junior left guard Jaylen Lee, and sophomore right guard Caleb Taylor.
Ty Patterson, a middle linebacker, spearheads the defense and has 94 tackles so far this season.
“Patterson has picked up where he left off last year,” Simmons said. “He makes plays sideline to sideline.”
Simmons said that the defensive line helps the Tiger linebackers make plays. Williams is a defensive tackle, Kunze plays defensive end, Jeremy Hankins is a defensive tackle, and Caleb Cunningham and Hunter Minor rotate in at the other end.
Jacob Owen plays free safety and is second on the squad in tackles with 64. Owen recently moved to Linden and has been a helpful addition to the team. Ladavian Johnson plays strong safety.
“Our defense is getting better every week,” Simmons said. “We have made a lot of changes to our scheme, and we are more physical than we were last year. We are creating turnovers, and the secondary doesn't give up a lot of yards.
“Owen helps get our secondary lined up and has stood out,” the L-K head coach said. “With Ladavian at safety, it's like having another linebacker on defense.”
The Tigers (5-0) are on a bye week, and will host Honey Grove (3-2) in its District 9-2A opener on Oct.13 at 7:30 p.m.