New defensive unit hasn’t disappointed at Texas High
Texas High's only returning starter on defense (James Tarantino) was moved to offense at the beginning of the 2016 season. That left the Tigers with no returners from the 2015 team.
That obviously left the Tigers' coaching staff with a lot of questions to be answered.
“We knew going in that it was going to be a growing process on defense,” said THS coach Barry Norton, who has led the Tigers to 15 straight postseason appearances and a state championship in 2002. “When everyone is new you can hide two or three players on defense, but all eleven have to be on the same page and doing the same thing.
“Our kids have progressed and gotten better. We're fortunate to be 8-0, and we're real happy to be where we're at. We have avoided major injuries, that's something you hope to do every year, but rarely do. We've had some bumps and bruises, but nobody has missed significant time so far. It's a good year when you avoid injuries and the ball bounces your way. It has been that way so far.”
One thing that possibly catches the eyes of a Tiger opponent is the fact Texas High's defense is only allowing 14.9 points per game. That ranks second in the Texarkana Gazette's coverage area. THS also ranks second in total defensive yardage, allowing only 272 yards per game.
“Looking at the numbers, our scoring defense is not bad,” Norton said. “You look at when they scored and how they scored. What we haven't done is dominate defensively like we're use to doing. We're keeping the ball in front of us, and not giving up a lot of big plays. The kids have played hard, we've just got to get better and better as we go through it.”
Norton emphasized prior to the season that defensive coordinator Josh Rankin would be working with an inexperienced group.
“You can replace talent and athletic ability, but you can't replace experience,” Norton said. “We've given up time on the field more than anything. Several teams have been able to control the clock on us. We haven't played well enough on first and third downs.”
When the Tigers have been challenged this season, it's the Tigers' run defense being tested. It could be because THS is not real big up front, but they're not small either. Junior Jaylin Franklin (5-9, 255) is the biggest player at tackle. Defensive ends Leonard Parks (6-3, 225) and Dejonta Harper (6-2, 220) provide a lot of speed, with senior Jonathan Allen (5-11, 215) and junior Marquis Alexander (5-9, 250) sharing time at nose guard.
Texas High has allowed 102 yards per game via the airways, but most of those yards came in three games.
“It seems nobody is throwing the foot-
ball right now,” Norton said. “We got to the point where we were playing the tempo of our opposition. That's the reason we went to the no-huddle last week and tried to speed up against Greenville. We'll do more of that as the season progresses. If somebody is playing from behind it changes how they're going to attack us.
“The strength of our defense is our resiliency, and the way we keep fighting. We've been overmatched size-wise at times, but again, we're not giving up a bunch of points.”
The coaching staff was disappointed with the defense despite an impressive win over rival LibertyEylau.
“We played so poorly on defense against Liberty-Eylau; but we came back with a really good game the next week against a good Kilgore team (44-0 win),” Norton said. “I think we've played better since that week. There's been some carryover and we're getting better every week.”
It comes as no surprise that linebackers Xzavier Hopkins and Davon Williams are leading the Tigers in tackles with 77 and 68, respectively. Juniors Tim Noble and Darrell Webster have split time at sam linebacker, both pleasing Norton, who has kind words for all of his defenders.
If one player has exceeded expectations it's senior free safety Javel Jones (6-1, 180).
“Javel is a guy you're always rooting for to play; he's been a really good player and leader for us,” the veteran coach said. “He had to wait his turn, and I'm really proud of where he has come.”
Cornerbacks Jaqualen Brown and Deteryon Hunter have been consistent performers, and Norton has the luxury of having seniors Quan Hampton and Teshun Richardson as their backups. Hampton has played few snaps on defense, but is still second on the team with two interceptions.
Senior Eric Sutton started the season in spectacular fashion with three fumble recoveries and four interceptions during the first half of the 2016 campaign.
“Eric Sutton is such a great kid and good player,” Norton said. “He played for the varsity last year as a nickel back, and some at safety. He recognizes where the ball is going, putting himself in the right position.
“There's a standard that our kids believe in here at Texas High. They don't want to be the group that didn't do it right. We not going to be happy with what we've accomplished so far. We want to win the district championship, and then reset our goals for the playoffs.”