Prep football preview: Hawks looking to mix things up

Aug. 3, 2007

By Jeremiah Bartz/ Frontiersman

HOUSTON - In 2006, the Houston Hawks boasted one of their strongest senior classes in program history.

Players such as Donovan Parker, Ryan Thamm, Karl Thistle, Quintin Veit and Seth Grove brought both talent and experience to the field.

Facing the prospects of replacing the members of that 15-player class, most would figure fourth-year head coach Norm Bouchard will spend the first two weeks of practicing agonizing over the number of wholes to fill. But as he looks at the 2007 edition of the Hawks, Bouchard is not seeing as many question marks as one might think.

Offensively, Bouchard and the Houston coaching staff have a host of running backs who can carry the ball. They have a few who can catch the ball, and one in particular who can throw the ball.

Plus there's some sturdy linemen up front to pave the way for those ball carriers.

&#8220We're planning on spreading the field, putting the ball in the hands of as many athletes as we can,” Bouchard said. &#8220Teams are going to have to cover the whole field against us.”

Jordan Webb will move in to the spot under center, taking over for Thamm, a three-year starter who graduated in May.

&#8220He's a very solid quarterback, potentially one of the best quarterbacks we've had,” Bouchard said of his junior signal caller.

Behind Webb, will be a variety of running backs to take the ball.

Among those is junior Israel Morales, who led the Hawks with six rushing touchdowns as a sophomore. He also finished the season second on the squad with 383 yards on the ground.

&#8220He's definitely going to be a big part of what we are doing,” Bouchard said of Morales.

Joining Morales in the backfield are a pair of runners who also made a splash as sophomores.

Kyle Sumner ran for 283 yards and three touchdowns against Delta during the first game of the season, but a broken leg sidelined Sumner early in the season.

After Sumner was lost for the year, Brandon Parks emerged as a threat. He topped the 100-yard mark in a week six win over Delta.

Bouchard said he also expects CoCo Fredericks, a player who sat out last season, to find his role in the running game, and Ryan Contreras to see time as well.

Among those who could be involved in the passing game are receivers Bryan Mason, Chase Brinker, Porter Whitear, Danny Munoz and Anthony Oringer.

Up front the Hawks will likely be led by the Crowley brothers - Ben is a senior guard and Justin is a junior center - and senior tackle Garrett Mooney.

Bouchard said the other tackle and guard positions are still not spoken for.

&#8220Those positions are up for grabs,” Bouchard said.

Like their offensive game plan, Bouchard said the Hawks will try to mix things up on defense.

&#8220We're going to try to throw some different things at (teams),” Bouchard said. &#8220Keep them guessing.”

Morales is expected to be the man in the middle for Houston, and anchor the crew of linebackers.

In the defensive backfield will be many of the players Bouchard mentioned as parts of the offensive backfield - players such as Contreras, Munoz, Parks, Sumner and Mason.

Leading the way on the defensive line is senior Lucas Castle.

&#8220He's been a solid kid for a couple years,” Bouchard said of the big defensive tackle.

Another key player on defense is Casey Marre, a Houston High hockey standout.

&#8220He works his tail off,” Bouchard said. &#8220He's a kid you can put in a lot of different positions.”

The Hawks, a team that finished 5-4 and advanced to the postseason last year, start the 2007 season on the road, traveling to Kenai to face the Kardinals Aug. 11 at 2 p.m.

The following week, the Hawks head north to face Eielson.

Despite the two, very tough early road games, Bouchard said he loves his team's schedule.

&#8220With Kenai right off the bat, it's a good indicator,” Bouchard said. &#8220We'll know where we stand after week one.”

The Hawks have three consecutive home games in the heart of the schedule, and host Valdez in the final week of the regular

season.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.