ROGERS -- Rogers Heritage football coach Perry Escalante likes what he's seen from his linebackers in practice thus far, but only one has been a regular on Friday night.
Senior mike linebacker Damian Gonzalez (5-10, 219 pounds) has a season in the 7A-West under his belt and doesn't shy away from contact. The War Eagles are looking to replace a pair of three-year starters at the two outside linebacker positions.
The Skinny
Position Battle: Linebackers
Biggest Strength: Atheticism. … They all run pretty well, so they should excel against spread offenses.
Biggest Question Mark: Inexperience. … Only senior Damian Gonzalez has started before on a Friday night, so the War Eagles will be learning on the fly.
Watch Out For: Garrett Sheetz. … The junior saw some action as a backup last season, but showed well in 7-on-7 over the summer.
Forrest Ward and Brandon White racked up plenty of tackles over the past three seasons. They ranked 1-2 on the tackle chart with Ward leading the way at 101. Senior Tim Cole (5-10, 178) and junior Garrett Sheetz (6-0, 182) will look to replace those two this season.
"I'm really pleased with our linebackers," Escalante said. "We're in good shape there. Damian's real physical and Sheetz got some time on Friday night last year. Sheetz has been kind of rising. He looked really good toward the end of 7-on-7."
Sheetz said the group gets along well and is starting to come together.
"We did lose some strong guys, but it's not going to kill us," Sheetz said. "We started last week off a little shaky, but as it's gone on it looks like we've done pretty well. I felt like we did great in 7-on-7, a lot better than I thought we would."
Heritage linebackers coach Willie Johnson said the group is inexperienced, but they will adapt.
"We're fine athletically," Johnson said. "As far as skill, our two outside guys are mobile, fast, and they are not afraid to be physical. Damian is a returning starter. The problem with them is they've never played together.
"I figure around week three or four they will start to find themselves. I can see the first three weeks them just trying to figure out which way to go. I don't doubt their skill though. Defense is a little different from offense. You can't tell them where to go. You just tell them where to line up and the rest is on them."
A lack of size overall could also be an issue, Johnson said.
"We'll be the kind of guys who have to get in gaps and go make plays," Johnson said. "Pass coverage should be a strong point. We should make up well against a spread type team. I feel decent about our depth."
Seniors Jason Martinez (5-9, 169) and MacKenzy Patterson (5-7, 156) could provide solid depth as Gonzalez could see a few snaps on offense if the War Eagles go to a two-back set.
Sports on 08/22/2014