HEART OF A CHAMPION
Man in the middle of state’s most dominant defense won three titles in four years
Kent Battle is a part of the most successful class in North Shore history.
Since his freshman season, the program has gone 60-3, won four district titles and four regional titles, and captured three state championships under head coach Jon Kay.
Battle’s legacy was cemented in December with a 17-10 victory over Duncanville in the Class 6A Division I state title game at AT&T Stadium. The defense was lights-out in that contest, and he had a strong performance individually with eight tackles, 1½ sacks and two quarterback hits.
The 5-foot-10, 200-pound linebacker finished his final prep campaign with 101 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, two interceptions, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and a defensive touchdown. He was the undisputed leader of a defense filled with playmakers.
North Shore allowed just 14 points per game and held 15 of 16 opponents to 21 points or less.
For his efforts, Battle is the All-Greater Houston Defensive Player of the Year.
Battle intends to play college football and is weighing several offers. Whatever program lands him will be getting a proven winner.
Q: How would you describe the journey you guys went through as a team this season?
Battle:
“We were just working on getting better, day by day, week by week. We worked on maturity and getting better. … We weren’t even focused on the state championship. We were just focused on working together as a team and getting better day by day.”
Q: You guys had an experienced defense this year. What was that like to be a part of ?
Battle:
“It was very physical and very exciting and very competitive. We were all trying to get to the ball and make some money. It was fun, and I’m going to miss playing with those guys, but we’re all going to better ourselves going into the future. I’m going to miss my guys.”
Q: How did you feel like the defense got better throughout the season and in the playoffs?
Battle: “We were working on maturity the whole way through the season, and we had a lot of senior leadership. We had to better ourselves through attitude, maturity on the field and off the field and in the classroom, too. Just improving week by week.”
Q: What was the key for you guys against a talented Duncanville team in the state title game?
Battle: “We knew they were going to attack with the running game with No. 5 (Malachi Medlock). Their O-line was the biggest and most physical that we played the whole season. Our front seven had to come harder than they were. Everybody thought they were just going to run through us, but as everyone saw, that didn’t happen.”
Q: For you individually, what were your goals and aspirations coming into the season?
Battle:
“My senior season, I just wanted to get better. I played really well my junior year and made a lot of tackles and all that, but I knew I had to make more plays than that. I wanted to get stronger, get bigger, and I was just working on self-improvement.”
Q: What do you feel your biggest strengths as a player are?
Battle:
“One of my biggest strengths as a player is patience, and I worked on that a lot this year. But I feel like I do a good job of using my athleticism and my speed. Most linebackers don’t have as much speed as I’ve got. I really compare it to (Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker) Devin White. I can get to the ball really fast, and he’s got a lot of speed, too, and is really elusive.”
Q: What are you most looking forward to about playing college football?
Battle:
“Just better competition. Playing at the college level, it’s a different type of feel for the game. I can’t wait to play college football. It’s really exciting.”