Newsome Football Preview Part 3 – Defense

The Newsome High football team's defense may have when Joe Worth graduated, but his younger brother will be stepping up to replace his production.

Worth led last year's team with 99 total tackles, 71 solo. Now, younger brother Will Worth, already the fulcrum of the offense, will line up as linebacker and call in the defensive as well as the offensive plays.

Will Worth was second on the team in tackles last year with 32 solo and third in total tackles (45). He is about 5-foot-11 and tips the scale at 200 pounds, so he’s a physical force on the inside. His acumen for the game could make or break the team’s success this year.

The Wolves run a 4-4 defense, using four down linemen with four linebackers. Helping out Worth in the middle will be junior Noah Schealer. While he's not the physical force that Worth is, Schealer should add some speed to the position.

On the outside are sophomore Ramsey Bennet and junior Dalton “Hero” Nichols. Bennet is still very young, but coaches are hoping he will progress quickly. Nichols, according to coach Kenneth Hiscock, is “smart, a leader and knows the defense." It is Nichols’ second year starting at the position. He put together 41 total tackles last season.

Defensive backs coach Jason McCarty is pretty excited about his young group. Starting corners Aaron Wade and Austin Shear are just sophomores. According to McCarty, Wade developed a great deal in his freshman year and ran track to ramp up his speed. Wade was on the district champion 4x100 relay team this spring and is 6-foot-2, so he should have a height advantage on the outside. According to McCarty, Shear has amazing footwork and is a “go-getter."

At safety in Hiscock’s 4-4 scheme will likely be junior Legion Rhodes. He started last year as the lone safety, and the Wolves are hoping he’ll be back this season.

“He’s fast, explosive and a great open field tackler,” Hiscock said.

If Rhodes does not make it out this year, the Wolves will have to go with juniors Ricardo Rodriguez or Mark Clifton, neither of whom possess much experience at the position, so hopes are high for Rhodes this year.

Most of the question marks on defense — and on the whole team, for that matter — rest on the defensive line. Hiscock calls it a “work in progress." He’s caught in the typical high school coach’s problem: He has talented big men that he could use, but he needs them on the offensive line. No doubt you will see some of the offensive linemen cross over to defense, but Hiscock would like to find some bona fide defensive linemen that he can us exclusively on the defensive front.

Right now he’s trying out junior Bentley Easley and senior Cody Summerlin at defensive tackle. Easley is 5-foot-10 and 220 pounds, while Summerlin is 6-foot-2 and 215. Both have good size to jam up running lanes and pressure the quarterback, but they are untested.

At end, junior Cody Rector and senior Dylan Dippold have chances to start and flank the interior tackles. According to Hiscock, Rector "has the talent to be great" and might be one of the most athletic guys on the team.