Don’t look now, but District 8-5A may have gained another contender.
New-look Plano West is off to a surprising 2-0 start thanks to the play of its defense. The No. 8 Wolves shut down strong running teams in victories against Arlington Martin (16-14) and South Garland (21-7).
The unit’s dominance is somewhat surprising given the Wolves didn’t have much varsity experience returning and they graduated DE Jackson Jeffcoat, considered by many to be the No. 1 recruit in the nation in the 2010 class.
“Sometimes you can have a really good player and not have a whole solid unit,” Plano West coach Mike Hughes said. “This year I think we have a bunch of solid guys. We have some depth. The guys are competing, and they know if they don’t play well then somebody else is going to be in their spot.”
West also made a switch offensively. Last year the Wolves relied on its passing game with QB Michael Pruneau. With converted receiver Carson Smith now under center, Hughes felt like West’s personnel better suited the running game.
Combined with Smith, RBs Jarrett Horan (121 yards, one touchdown) and Kameron Haddock (77 yards, one touchdown) give West a lethal stable of runners.
“We’re going to do what we feel like gives us the best chance to win,” Hughes said.
Smith sat out last week against South Garland with a shoulder injury. Hughes said his absence was precautionary and that Smith would return for Friday’s home game against North Mesquite.
New-look Plano West is off to a surprising 2-0 start thanks to the play of its defense. The No. 8 Wolves shut down strong running teams in victories against Arlington Martin (16-14) and South Garland (21-7).
The unit’s dominance is somewhat surprising given the Wolves didn’t have much varsity experience returning and they graduated DE Jackson Jeffcoat, considered by many to be the No. 1 recruit in the nation in the 2010 class.
“Sometimes you can have a really good player and not have a whole solid unit,” Plano West coach Mike Hughes said. “This year I think we have a bunch of solid guys. We have some depth. The guys are competing, and they know if they don’t play well then somebody else is going to be in their spot.”
West also made a switch offensively. Last year the Wolves relied on its passing game with QB Michael Pruneau. With converted receiver Carson Smith now under center, Hughes felt like West’s personnel better suited the running game.
Combined with Smith, RBs Jarrett Horan (121 yards, one touchdown) and Kameron Haddock (77 yards, one touchdown) give West a lethal stable of runners.
“We’re going to do what we feel like gives us the best chance to win,” Hughes said.
Smith sat out last week against South Garland with a shoulder injury. Hughes said his absence was precautionary and that Smith would return for Friday’s home game against North Mesquite.
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Travis L. Brown
Travis L. Brown covers high schools for ESPNDallas.com. He is a graduate of TCU, where he was sports editor of the student paper, The Daily Skiff.
Randy Jennings
Randy Jennings covers south Metroplex high schools for ESPNDallas.com. His 34-year career as a sports writer includes eight years at the Dallas Morning News. Jennings is a graduate of UT-Arlington.
Jeff Andrews
Jeff Andrews covers north Metroplex high schools for ESPNDallas.com. He covered high school sports for four years at the Denton Record-Chronicle. Andrews is a graduate of UNT.
