Friends competing for starting spot in offensive line
8/16/2007 1:00:00 AM | Football
From The Huntsville Item
By Cody Stark, Assistant Sports Editor
It's not hard to see that one of Sam Houston State's strengths heading into the 2007 season is the offensive line.
The Bearkats return four starters from last year's squad, and three of
them, including preseason All-American Brandon Hale, are seniors. The
unit helped open holes for D.D. Terry, the Southland Conference's
leading rusher last season, and only allowed 10 sacks.
But there is one spot on the line left to be filled ? the weak side
tackle. Ironically, the battle is between a pair of friends and
roommates, who followed pretty much the same path to SHSU.
Juniors John Dirk and Aaron Saunders were both a part of the University
of Missouri's freshman recruiting class in 2004. After the pair
redshirted their freshman seasons, they decided a change of scenery was
in order.
Dirk's father, Duane, had just been hired as the defensive coordinator
at SHSU, following head coach Todd Whitten from Tarleton State in 2005.
It was a dream of the younger Dirk to play for his dad, so he wasted no
time transferring.
“I came here because my dad was coaching here, and I always wanted to
play under him,” John Dirk said. “Another thing, I wanted to play and I
felt like I had a good chance to play here.”
Saunders didn't have any ties to the Bearkats, but he was unhappy in
Columbia, Mo. It was a long way from his hometown of San Antonio, so
Saunders talked it over with Dirk and his buddy pointed him toward
Huntsville.
“I just didn't really like it up north, and I missed home,” Saunders
said. “One day when I finally got the chance, John told me to call his
dad and here we are.”
Dirk and Saunders have the ideal size and athleticism to play tackle.
Dirk is 6-3, 280 pounds, while Saunders towers in at 6-7, 305. The fact
that neither one has moved ahead of the other isn't a bad thing. They
both performed well in the spring and picked up the pace when summer
workouts began a week ago.
It helps that they got to learn behind Lance Hancock the past two
seasons, a former All-Southland selection who anchored the offensive
line.
“Lance was technically one of the best football players I have ever
played with,” Saunders said. “That guy could ball. Whenever you got
down he would pick you up, and he would help you with your sets. We
miss Lance being here.”
No matter who eventually gets the starting nod, the Bearkats should be
in good shape when the season begins at home Aug. 30. It won't be
because one is that much better than the other. It's just that someone
has to start.
“It's a good competition, and it has been back and forth since the
spring,” Whitten said. “I think they are both working hard and doing a
good job. But sometimes it isn't until game time before you can
evaluate who will be the starter.
“Both are good football players, and they will contribute to our
offensive line, which is one of our strengths. I think however this
thing unfolds, we will have a good football player in there.”
Even though they are both fighting for the same position, the
competition hasn't hurt the relationship between Dirk and Saunders.
They still ride together to and from practice, and most importantly,
they are still friends.
After all, they are both just happy to be having fun on a team in position to win a conference championship.
“We both pretty much root for each other,” Dirk said. “Being roommates,
we pretty much just laugh about it at home. We have a chance to have a
big season, and we are pretty excited about that.”
Camp notes and quotes
Another new arrival ? Sam Houston State got another transfer this week
from a Football Bowl Subdivision program. Former Texas Tech offensive
lineman Andrew Johnson practiced for the first time in full pads
Tuesday morning. Johnson played his high school ball at Aldine
Eisenhower and is listed at 6-4, 308 pounds.
Running out of his shoes ? During team drills Tuesday morning,
cornerback Hendrix Otalor was moving so fast the insole of one of his
shoes came out without his shoe actually coming off. Upon further
inspection on the sideline, his shoe actually ripped away from the
sole.
“Man, I was just running and I felt something weird,” the junior said. “I looked down and my shoe was all over the place.”
Not to worry, Otalor received a new pair once practice was over. Just
goes to show how hard the Bearkats are working when they are already
wearing out their new cleats.
