High school football teams still playing are doing so because week to week they’ve been getting big performances from reliably good athletes. On the defensive side, that’s often the middle linebacker.
Baylor senior David Helton, Boyd-Buchanan senior Ross Keasler and Calhoun junior Alex Kirby are each deserving of all-state consideration for their play in helping their teams get to and remain alive in the state playoffs.
To some it may seem like playing middle linebacker takes nothing more than reckless abandonment and a nasty disposition. There’s a little more to it than that.
“First of all, you can’t be afraid of contact,” Baylor coach Phillip Massey said. “You’ve got to love contact. Secondly, you’ve got to be able to see the game well, especially from guard to guard. The other part I think you have to have is great hands, feet and hips. You need to be able to explode, shed blocks and make tackles.”
The 6-foot-4, 220 pound Helton, who’s made more than 80 tackles despite missing two games, also wrestles for the Red Raiders. Massey said that has helped him learn about gaining leverage and he’s able to link that with his football aptitude.
“I like the feeling of making a few tackles in a row,” said Helton, who began playing linebacker at Baylor in seventh grade and has been a three-year starter there in high school. “You know you’re influencing the game. Getting the crowd into it with a big hit, there’s no better feeling.”
Massey said Helton has a variety of duties, beginning with calling the defensive signals. He could then be required to anything from mirror the quarterback to key on a running back to drop into pass coverage.
“David is definitely like a quarterback on the field,” Massey said.
Boyd-Buchanan coach Grant Reynolds and Calhoun coach Hal Lamb also use the term “quarterback” when describing their guys. Keasler, who has 115 tackles, 20 for loss, and Kirby, who has 110 stops, 18 in the backfield, also have duties that emulate Helton’s.
“First and foremost he has to get us lined up properly, which he does well,” Reynolds said of the 6-1, 190-pound Keasler, who’s an inside linebacker along with Hayden Meadows in the Bucs’ 4-4 set. “The next thing he does well is he has a nose for the ball. He makes quick reads. He gets to the ball well, and when he gets there he finishes the play.”
Although it isn’t permitted, Lamb makes it known he wouldn’t trade the current “Mike” linebacker in the Yellow Jackets’ 3-3 stack for anybody’s.
“We go as Alex Kirby goes,” Lamb said of the 6-foot, 205-pounder. “He’s our leader on the defensive side, which goes for most Mike linebackers. I like ours a whole lot. He’s got good speed, not great speed, but what sets him apart is his instincts. He’s good about reading what’s going on, on an offensive play. He has a knack for getting to the ball.”
Each of the three teams this week is taking on an opponent that’s at least sufficient at passing, if not proficient. Calhoun (11-0) is hosting Westminster (8-3), which features a balanced attack, in a Georgia Class AA game at 7:30 p.m.
Boyd-Buchanan (8-4) is playing at Wartburg Central (9-2) in TSSAA’s Class 2A. Bulldogs quarterback Rusty Phillips completed 61 percent of his passes in the regular season for 1,829 yards and 22 touchdowns. The most comparable team on the Bucs’ schedule was Division II-AA’s Pope John Paul II, which beat them 31-14 on Oct. 15.
“They’re a passing team with good receivers and a good quarterback,” Keasler, who has two interceptions, said of the Bulldogs. “Obviously to be in the third round of the playoffs you’ve got to be good at what you do. Pope John Paul was a good passing team also. We learned a lot that game about what we can do. We’re acclimated now to the pass. Our defensive backs are young, but I think they can do the job.”
Baylor (9-1) is hosting Battle Ground Academy (7-5) in a Division II-AA rematch of a 33-21 Red Raiders victory Sept. 3. The Wildcats are led by quarterback C.J. Beathard, who has completed 145 of 266 passes for 2,207 yards and 15 touchdowns.
“They’ve got a very good quarterback that can throw the ball,” Helton said. “Offense is definitely their strength. We’ve watched them on film and they’ve improved. It will be a different game. They’ve gotten better. We’ve gotten better.”
If defense wins championships, and middle linebackers are the defensive leaders, it’s easy to figure the keys to success for high school teams playing in late November. Keasler has been a linebacker since he started playing football at 7 years old, so his teammates needn’t worry about him.
“We have to play fundamental football,” Keasler said. “We stress playing your position. Do your job. If everybody does their responsibility, we’re going to do fine.”