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Under Pressure: Breaking through line of scrimmage a habit for Eagles' defensive line
BY Kevin Hageland, khageland@starlocalnews.com
The Allen defensive line has no problem bringing pressure.
Need a testimonial, simply ask DeSoto quarterback Desmon White, who was sacked five times in the first half alone Saturday as Allen defeated the No. 1 team in the nation, 51-36, to move on the Class 5A Division I State Championship (8 p.m. Saturday vs. Houston Lamar at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington).
"Disruption is the whole thing and the defensive line is the key to our front seven as they keep the linemen off our linebackers," said Tom Westerberg, Allen head coach. "We have a lot of quickness there and tenacious guys that just go, go, go."
That's because the Allen line, which is led by positional coach Ty Henderson, will switch from a three- to four-man front depending on game situations. Add in the Eagles heavy rotation pattern and seniors Byron Bonds (Baylor commit), Stone Drulman, juniors Jordan Radcliffe (first team all-district), Mason Bartke, Lance Williams (first team), Marcus Davis (second team) and sophomore Camrin Manning all see time up front. Junior linebackers Christian Sam and Tay Evans do as well when Allen goes to a four-man front.
Despite the number of players, there is only one train of thought.
"We all have the same mentality," said Bonds, the District 10-5A Defensive Player of the Year. "We all have the same goal in mind."
That goal may be worded differently depending on the player asked, but the idea is clearly the same.
"Always go hard on every play," Davis said.
"Line up on every play and be fearless," Bonds said.
That sense of unity is useful considering Allen's defensive linemen are frequently asked to switch positions, with a nose guard moving to end being the norm.
"It all depends on the matchups," Davis said. "If we have a guy that isn't fast enough for a certain player, we get someone that is, if we have a guy that isn't strong enough for a certain player, we get one that is. We want to find the guys that will help us create mismatches."
That philosophy could lead to hurt feelings, but instead it has led to further unity.
"It's a close knit group, a lot like we had in 2008 (Allen's lone state football title) where everyone was playing for each other," Westerberg said. "They have fun when the other guys enjoy success."
"When one guy gets a sack, we all get a sack," Bonds added.
Sacks, as well as tackles for loss, have been plentiful this season with Allen registering more than 80 tackles for loss as well as 61 sacks heading into the finals despite Bonds being the only defensive lineman that exceeds 6-foot.
"We know that we're small, but we still pack a big punch," Davis said. "And our coaches always have a great game plan for us."
That game plan frequently includes a variety of stunts and pressures from different points as the Eagles have received a tackle for loss from 23 players and a sack from 16 this season.
That, however, doesn't mean the defensive line has perfected its craft.
"There are always things you can do better," Bonds said, "like getting off the line even quicker, that's something we are still working on."
Bonds noted that he isn't satisfied just yet for a very simple reason.
"We haven't played our best game," he said. "That will only come if we're able to win a state championship."
Only then will the Eagles feel like they've arrived.
"We still feel like we're the underdogs," Davis said. "We were the underdogs against Skyline, we were the underdogs against DeSoto and we're keeping that same mentality against Lamar ... and we're excited to show everyone again what we can do."
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