DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — When Sharyland ISD introduced Pioneer High School in the fall of 2014, there were repercussions for Sharyland High.
The primary consequence was a dip in numbers for the Rattlers’ football team. So development at the lower levels was accelerated, and because of that the Rattlers have been able to stay steady on the field.
An example of that is the linebacking corps on defense. Coming into this season, Sharyland High had just one returning starter there. Of the Rattlers’ four starting linebackers, two are seniors who played on JV last year and another is a sophomore who played on the freshman team.
That group, so essential to coordinator Craig Krell’s 3-4 scheme, has transitioned seamlessly because of the work put in during the previous few years.
It starts with the middle school, where varsity coaches spend mornings overseeing a program that runs the same schemes as the high school. It goes on to the freshman and JV teams, where kids play a lot of snaps running the exact schemes the varsity employs.
“We haven’t had many returning starters the last few years, but our kids rise,” Sharyland High coach Ron Adame said. “A big part is the development. They’re running our schemes and they’re comfortable in it by the time they reach varsity. In January every year, you start to see those juniors about to be seniors who start to rise in their roles as leaders because they’re so entrenched in what we do and what we’re about.”
So the Rattlers’ linebackers have not missed a beat, though their responsibilities are extensive. They have to be as comfortable turning the edge on the blitz as they are dropping back into coverage. They have to do it fast.
They are the anchors of a defense allowing 14.8 points on 256 yards per game.
“The expectations are always the same,” said junior captain Tyger Brigmon, the lone returning starter. “Coaches don’t expect anything less than success. We play with what we have and make the most of it. We have a lot of guys stepping in, filling their roles and doing what’s asked of them.”
Brigmon’s athleticism and quickness allow Adame to mix and match on defense. His skill and experience take pressure off precocious sophomore Javo Lopez, whom Adame said he knew would be special since seeing him as a middle schooler, and seniors Cesar Zecca and James Harris.
Zecca averages a team-best 10.8 tackles per game and has 3.0 sacks. Harris, too, compiles 7.8 tackles per game to go with 3.0 sacks. Lopez averages 7.5 tackles.
Brigmon has two fumble recoveries and two fumbles caused.
“Right now, we couldn’t ask for anything more,” Harris said. “Everybody’s doing their job, everybody’s responsible in their coverages and everybody is finishing tackles. We’re doing pretty good for a young group.”
Krell keeps his players’ job descriptions simple: don’t overstep your boundaries, tackle, tackle, tackle, and play hard.
“The main thing is that you’ve got your space to cover and you’re accountable for it,” Harris said. “If someone else happens to get the tackle, that’s great. It’s a team effort. It’s not necessarily about being an individual and you getting the tackle yourself.”
Adame calls it “coming together.” It’s always been the team’s M.O., but more so since enrollment started splitting two years ago. This year, it’s definitive in the linebackers, a position group that had some uncertainty coming in. That especially bode true when Brigmon initially left the Valley to Georgia because of family reasons, but ended up returning.
“They’ve taken it upon themselves to step up,” Adame said. “You look at someone like Tyger, he was selected by his peers as a captain and he’s a junior. James is someone who stopped playing in the band to concentrate more on football. Cesar invested a lot of time in the summer in the weight room and strength and conditioning.
“You can see the time they’ve invested surfacing in their play on the field.”
During practice Wednesday afternoon, Adame watched as the junior varsity competed with the varsity. This is typical for the Rattlers (3-1, 2-0 District 31-5A), with the exception of Mondays, when the varsity goes “good on good” during practice.
Otherwise, however, Zecca, Harris and Brigmon, among other stalwarts on the varsity team, compete with tomorrow’s Rattler playmakers.
Like Zecca and Harris last year, those junior varsity kids are just a year away. And come next season, they will be ready to assume their spot, just like Zecca and Harris were this year.
“By the time teams get to us at the varsity level, they know what success is, they know what past teams have done and they’re familiar with what we do,” Adame said. “I think all those things factor in as far as overcoming a low number of returners year in and year out.”