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| Preview Guide 2007 |
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By Christopher Lyke
Texas HS Football Chief Editor
Last year was the year of the Longhorns. The Cedar Hill Longhorns that is. After going through the regular season and playoffs facing five head coaches with prior state championship resumes and a pair of rematches enroute to a state championship of their own, the Longhorns cleaned house with several key contributors going on to DIvision I schools including William Cole. Last year also saw the rise of a struggling program in Arlington Bowie fight their way into the playoffs for the first time in school history. DeSoto also made headlines with their own run deep in the playoffs before running into Cedar Hill a second time. Now as we enter the 2007 season, all three teams will be looking to carry over huge amounts of momentum. Who will emerge at the top of the district this season? And who will emerge as the team to claim the four spot?
First should be a tug of war this season between the Arlington Bowie Volunteers and the Cedar Hill Longhorns. The Bowie Volunteers will be looking to improve in a very big way with a majority of its offense back and a defense that should see plenty of improvment. The return of quarterback Christian Matthews, running back Jeremy Davis and wide receiver Roddy Maginotshould give the offense plenty of options and balance. Matthews and Davis combined for over 2,700 yards in the air and the ground. Defensively, the Vols will be counting on LB Marcus McGraw, CB Kip Edwards and DL Javayle Fields to continue to exceed their expectations.The bottom line for Bowie is the defense. If the defense can build on last year's momentum, then they should have unlimited potential to serve a deep run.
Despite losing all-world player William Cole, the Cedar Hill Longhorns should be in the mix to be just as dangerous as they were last season. Defensively, the Longhorns return two of the state's top defensive players in Jarvis Humphrey and Greg Brown. Hiumphrey and Brown will be looking to give players such as Corwin Hicks, Howard Hodge and Elijah Olabode a big boost. On the offense side , James Hamilton will be taking over the duties of quarterback and filling in some mighty big shoes. Hamilton's supporting cast includes the return of Imari Thompson, lineman Thomas Ashcraft, Osaze Idumwonyi and reciever Montrel Green. One key player to watch this season in Longhorn camp will be sophomore Ben Malena. Malena has the make of a William Cole-like back.
DeSoto comes back in 2007 with revenge on their mind after dropping not one but two games to the Cedar Hill Longhorns. Only this time, the Eagles have the best rusher in the district in Cyrus Gray. Gray in 2006 scored 31 touchdowns with a 1,510 yard rushing performance. But the offense as a whole, even with Gray, is a relatively young offense to boot. Gray's heir apparent Adrian White comes into picture as a sophomore just like WR Darius Terrell and junior Chris Atchison on the offensive lines. The Eagles should excel rather smoothly on the defensive side of the ball withe the return of defensive lineman Tony Jerod. Jerod, a Texas A&M commit, will be joined by LB R.J. Young, DB Kendrick McMullen, DB Adrian Bushell and DL Jeff Clemond. DeSOto just may have one of the top front lines in the state before the season is all said and done. On special teams, the key player to watch is Oraine Linton. Linton is one of the state's top kicking prospects.
Fourth place should be a battle between Lamar and Martin with Duncanville holding on to possible run. For Lamar, it willnbe important that they find a way to mature offensively. Incoming quarterback Ben Sherrard will have his work cut out for him but he will have plenty of size and speed to work with in the wideout and backfield areas. Junior WR David Acker, if given plenty of opportunity and time to develope, will turn into a very solid prospect overnight. And speaking of prospects, you can't talk Lamar football without mention the name Chandler Spence. A key contributor on both sides of the ball, Spence will be heard from as he is a very agressive and passionate leader. Expect Chandler to see action at tight end, linebacker and punter. Tevin Canty, another solid player on the defensive side will be opposite of Spence in the lineup. The key for Lamar is in the defensive backfield. If they can hold their own when it comes to passing situations, ths team could be a sleeper and find their way back near the top of the district.
Martin is probably the team that is to be considered as the ultimate sleeper. With a solid running back and linebacking core, the Warriors have the key ingredients to make a decent run towards a second straight playoff berth. The offense features a solid rusher in Jeremi Mathis and dual-threat at quarterback in Chase Brown. On top of Mathis and Brown, the Warriors should see the benefits of a solid offensive line led by Graham Whinery and Lane Taylor. After a year in Wager's system, Martin could actually be more dangerous this season than they were last year. Over on the defensive side of the ball, safety Jake Sharum is the featured back in the field but Sharum isn't only key workorse on the defensive side. Christian Hibbs and Hayden Steele combined for 198 tackles last season and find no sign of slowing down for an improving program. Martin will will also be turning the hopes on punter Ben Follis.Follis, is an emerging star and is one of the area's top punters.
Duncanville, may have an outside shot at making a playoff run if they can use the ground game to their advanctage. DaJon Leto and Darien Haynes will be splitting the time in the backfield and will be relying on an offensive line that has yet to prove itself as a battle-tested unit. The work for the Panthers will be on the defensive side of the ball. They do have solid depth in backfield but will need to be firm and fundamentally sound if they intend to make a run into the playoff picture. |
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3759.5 |
2-8 |
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Team Radio |
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Pos |
Name |
HT |
WT |
40 |
YR |
RB |
DaJon Leto |
6'2 |
215 |
4.6 |
Sr |
OT |
Servell Dandridge |
6'3 |
240 |
4.7 |
Sr |
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3386 |
4-7 |
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Team Radio |
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Pos |
Name |
HT |
WT |
40 |
YR |
QB |
Chase Brown |
6'4 |
190 |
4.5 |
Sr |
RB |
Jeremi Mathis |
6'0 |
195 |
4.5 |
Sr |
OT |
Graham Whinery |
6'3 |
245 |
5.0 |
Sr |
OG |
Lane Taylor |
6'3 |
305 |
5.2 |
Sr |
LB |
Christian Hibbs |
6'1 |
195 |
4.6 |
Sr |
LB |
Hayden Steele |
6'1 |
190 |
4.6 |
Sr |
S |
Jake Sharum |
5'10 |
190 |
4.4 |
Sr |
P |
Ben Follis |
6'0 |
190 |
4.6 |
Sr |
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3102 |
2-8 |
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Team Radio |
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Pos |
Name |
HT |
WT |
40 |
YR |
RB |
Eric Stephens |
5'9 |
180 |
4.6 |
Jr |
TE/LB |
Brandon Morris |
6'0 |
230 |
4.7 |
Sr |
OT |
Jerry Salas |
6'3 |
245 |
5.1 |
Sr |
DE |
Carl Jones |
6'0 |
235 |
4.9 |
Jr |
WR/S |
Ramon Smith |
5'10 |
180 |
4.5 |
Sr |
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3067 |
5-5 |
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Team Radio |
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Pos |
Name |
HT |
WT |
40 |
YR |
QB |
Ben Sherrard |
6'4 |
210 |
4.8 |
Sr |
RB |
Robert Bradford |
6'1 |
205 |
4.5 |
Sr |
WR |
Shawn Harrison |
6'2 |
195 |
4.5 |
Sr |
WR |
Lazarus Thompson |
6'1 |
175 |
4.4 |
Sr |
WR |
David Acker |
6'5 |
180 |
4.6 |
Jr |
OL |
Doug Levi |
6'3 |
315 |
5.7 |
Sr |
DE |
Chandler Spence |
6'4 |
245 |
4.7 |
Sr |
DE |
Tevin Cantly |
6'4 |
260 |
4.9 |
Sr |
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2740.5 |
4-6 |
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Team Radio |
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Pos |
Name |
HT |
WT |
40 |
YR |
QB |
Brandon Kelsey |
6'2 |
185 |
4.5 |
Sr |
WR |
Rob Ekwerekwu |
6'5 |
185 |
4.8 |
Sr |
TE |
Zach Parker |
6'2 |
210 |
4.9 |
Sr |
OL/DL |
Brian Phillips |
6'0 |
321 |
5.8 |
Jr |
DL |
Khris Hughes |
6'1 |
242 |
4.7 |
Sr |
DE |
Patrick Blackwell |
6'0 |
206 |
4.6 |
Sr |
DE |
Humphrey Musita |
5'10 |
200 |
4.9 |
Jr |
LB |
Kevin Alinyo |
5'8 |
208 |
4.7 |
Sr |
S |
Junior Osinde |
6'0 |
190 |
4.7 |
Sr |
S |
Keighen Thetford |
5'10 |
185 |
4.6 |
So |
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2709 |
7-4 |
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Team Radio |
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Pos |
Name |
HT |
WT |
40 |
YR |
QB |
Christian Matthews |
6'3 |
180 |
4.5 |
Jr |
RB |
Jeremy Davis |
5'10 |
175 |
4.5 |
Sr |
WR |
Roddy Maginot |
5'11 |
175 |
4.5 |
Sr |
WR |
Andree McGee |
5'10 |
165 |
4.6 |
Sr |
C |
Quinnon Criss |
6'0 |
260 |
5.0 |
Sr |
DL |
Javayle Fields |
5'9 |
235 |
--- |
Sr |
LB |
Marcus McGraw |
5'11 |
205 |
4.5 |
Sr |
CB |
Kip Edwards |
6'1 |
170 |
4.5 |
Sr |
S |
Dexter Linton |
6'1 |
165 |
4.5 |
Jr |
RB/LB |
Quentin Sargent |
5'11 |
158 |
4.7 |
Fr |
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2612 |
10-4 |
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Team Radio |
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Pos |
Name |
HT |
WT |
40 |
YR |
RB |
Cyrus Gray |
5'11 |
190 |
4.3 |
Sr |
RB/S |
Adrian White |
5'10 |
166 |
--- |
So |
WR |
Vincent Dotson |
5'8 |
170 |
--- |
Sr |
WR |
Darius Terrell |
6'3 |
200 |
--- |
So |
OG |
Charles Phillips |
6'1 |
315 |
--- |
Sr |
OL |
Chris Atchison |
6'3 |
285 |
--- |
Jr |
DL |
Tony Jerod |
6'4 |
240 |
4.7 |
Sr |
LB |
R.J. Young |
6'0 |
220 |
--- |
Sr |
S |
Kendrick McMullen |
5'11 |
190 |
--- |
Sr |
K |
Oraine Linton |
5'9 |
170 |
--- |
Sr |
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2446.5 |
16-0 |
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Team Radio |
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Pos |
Name |
HT |
WT |
40 |
YR |
RB |
Imari Thompson |
5'11 |
190 |
4.5 |
Sr |
RB |
Ben Malena |
5'10 |
185 |
4.4 |
So |
WR |
Montrel Green |
5'9 |
165 |
4.4 |
Sr |
WR |
Jordan Young |
6'1 |
180 |
4.5 |
Sr |
OG |
Thomas Ashcraft |
6'5 |
275 |
5.0 |
Jr |
OG |
Osaze Idumwonyi |
6'2 |
265 |
5.0 |
Sr |
OT |
Michael Washington |
6'2 |
245 |
4.9 |
Sr |
DT |
Jarvis Humphrey |
6'2 |
285 |
4.9 |
Sr |
LB |
Corwin Hicks |
5'11 |
190 |
4.6 |
Sr |
CB |
Greg Brown |
5'11 |
175 |
4.5 |
Sr |
S |
Howard Hodge |
6'0 |
175 |
4.5 |
Sr |
S |
Elijah Olabode |
5'10 |
185 |
4.4 |
Sr |
K |
Eduardo Camara |
5'11 |
165 |
4.8 |
So |
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| Arlington Colts |
Maverick Stadium
1309 W. Mitchell St.
Arlington, TX 76013 |
Surface: Artificial Turf
Capacity: 15,000 (approx.)
Directions To Stadium |
| Arlington Bowie Volunteers |
Maverick Stadium
1309 W. Mitchell St.
Arlington, TX 76013 |
Surface: Artificial Turf
Capacity: 15,000 (approx.)
Directions To Stadium |
| Arlington Houston Texans |
Wilemon Stadium
2000 Sam Houston Dr.
Arlington, TX 76014 |
Surface: Grass
Capacity: 8,500 (approx.)
Directions To Stadium |
| Arlington Lamar Vikings |
Cravens Field
1400 W. Lamar Blvd.
Arlington, TX 76012 |
Surface: Grass
Capacity: 8,500 (approx.)
Directions To Stadium |
| Arlington Martin Warriors |
Cravens Field
1400 W. Lamar Blvd.
Arlington, TX 76012 |
Surface: Grass
Capacity: 8,500 (approx.)
Directions To Stadium |
| Cedar Hill Longhorns |
Longhorn Stadium
1 Longhorn Blvd.
Cedar Hill, TX 75104 |
Surface: Artificial Turf
Capacity: 7,500 (approx.)
Directions To Stadium |
| DeSoto Eagles |
Ben Dial Stadium
600 Eagle Dr.
DeSoto, TX 75115 |
Surface: Artificial Turf
Capacity: 12,000 (approx.)
Directions To Stadium |
| Duncanville Panthers |
Panther Stadium
900 W. Camp Wisdom Rd.
Duncanville, TX 75116 |
Surface: Artificial Turf
Capacity: 13,000 (approx.)
Directions To Stadium |
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Preview Guide Line Up |
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| Projected Finish |
1 |
Arlington Bowie |
2 |
Cedar Hill |
3 |
DeSoto |
4 |
Arlington Lamar |
5 |
Arlington Martin |
6 |
Duncanville |
7 |
Arlington |
8 |
Arlington Houston |
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| Pre-Season Awards |
District Darkhorse |
Arlington Martin |
District MVP |
Cyrus Gray
DeSoto |
Offensive MVP |
Christian Matthews
Arlington Bowie |
Defensive MVP
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Jarvis Humphrey
Cedar Hill |
Diamond In The Rough |
Ben Malena
Cedar Hill |
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| 2006 Records |
| Duncanville |
2-8 |
| Arlington Martin |
4-7 |
| Arl. Houston |
2-8 |
| Arlington Lamar |
5-5 |
| Arlington |
4-6 |
| Arlington Bowie |
7-4 |
| DeSoto |
10-4 |
| Cedar Hill |
16-0 |
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| Recruiting Key |
THSF Top 200 Player |
Top 2008 Prospect |
Top 2009 Prospect |
Top 2010 Prospect |
Top 2011 Prospect |
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