SPRINGDALE -- Logan Brown stood 6-feet tall and weighed 190 pounds when the cast on his left arm was removed in December.
Fast forward to fall camp in August, the Springdale High junior defensive end is now 6-1, 235 pounds.
The Skinny
Position Battle: Defensive Line
Watch Out For: Senior defensive tackle Raul Gonzalez. … Gonzalez is entering his fourth year as a varsity contributor in the 7A-West. He should be tough to contain for opposing offensive lines.
Biggest Strength: Interior line rotation. … Gonzalez and fellow seniors Keyonta West and Caleb Ripple form a solid three-man rotation at the two inside spots. Gonzalez will play most of the snaps, while West will primarily defend against the run and Ripple will play passing downs.
Biggest Question: Young ends. … Juniors Logan Brown and Manuel Martinez are among the better athletes on the team, but have never on played varsity before. How fast they adjust will be critical. Expect to see Ripple play some end, too.
"I'd say about 90 percent of it was muscle," Brown said.
Bulldogs quarterback Fuller Chandler wouldn't argue that. Not after buying a gym membership to AnyTime Fitness so he could work out with Brown.
"He would go home from our football workouts in the morning, drink a protein shake, go to AnyTime and start doing other parts of his body," Chandler said. "So if we did arms, he'd do legs. I was like, 'Man, I can't do this.' And he was like, 'Yes, you can. Come on.'"
Chandler was able to put on eight quick pounds after adopting Brown's workout routine. He was always going to start at quarterback for Springdale this year, but the strict workout regimen played a vital role in Brown elevating himself to a starting role after playing with the junior varsity as a sophomore.
"Coach (Eric) Middleton, back when I first broke my arm, pulled me aside and told me that if I wanted to see playing time this year I needed to gain weight," Brown said. "So I knew once I got my cast off that's what I was going to do."
He hopes it pays off with a big junior year. Brown is one of several new faces on the defensive line entering the season.
He and fellow junior starting defensive end Manuel Martinez (5-9, 222) played JV last year. Martinez won the Iron Dog offseason testing competition in the spring.
Senior starting defensive tackle Keyonta West (5-7, 285) recorded four tackles in limited varsity playing time a year ago. Senior hybrid end-tackle Caleb Ripple (6-1, 212) had 17 stops in a reserve role last season and is the Bulldogs' fifth linemen, but could wind up playing as much as anyone thanks to his versatility.
Ripple, West and senior defensive tackle Raul Gonzalez (5-7, 265), the only returning starter on the line, combine to form a solid three-man rotation in the middle.
"They're doing a great job working together," defensive line coach Robert Johnson said. "Usually Raul will hang in there. And I use Raul and Key West, defending run. If it's more of a pass situation, we try to put Ripple in. And it helps us equalize maybe some speed or strength inside depending on what they're doing offensively."
Gonzalez will be counted on to be a presence on the interior line in his fourth year as a varsity contributor. He finished with 29 tackles and two tackles-for-loss last season.
"Raul has really come along," coach Shane Patrick said. "He's going to be one of the better defensive linemen in the conference this year."
Gonzalez' leadership will be key as the younger linemen get their first chances at playing varsity football this fall. And while they may not have experience, the group doesn't lack for toughness, especially Brown, who played four JV games last fall without any cast or brace after breaking his arm.
"They told me it was a deep bone bruise and I just kept playing with it," Brown said. "After a game, we decided to get it X-rayed and it was cracked all the way through."
But that break led to the motivation fueling the physical transformation and dedication to the weight room that has Brown in position to be a key contributor as a junior.
"I did kind of care, but at the same time I didn't try my hardest like I do now," Brown said. "It's a good thing I guess."
Springdale's coaching staff won't argue with that.
Sports on 08/26/2014