Feb 07, 2012
Dawson expected to reload in 2010
August 3, 2010
PEARLAND — Dawson head coach Eric Wells has seen his teams answer a lot of questions - one season at a time.
When the Eagles entered their first year of varsity competition in 2008, though they barely missed the playoffs, they finished a respectable 4-4 while the season was interrupted by a hurricane that canceled two games on the schedule.
But their second varsity season in 2009 saw the young Eagles soar to a first-ever Region III Division I championship while advancing to the 4A Division I state semifinals where they fell to three-time state champion Lake Travis. Dawson finished with a 12-3 overall record and 5-2 in District 24-4A action.
Now, Wells is faced with replacing some outstanding players that have been in the fold since the day he became head coach in 2007. That first season, Dawson's Junior Varsity posted a sparkling 9-1 season to let teams know they would be someone to deal with once they began varsity competition.
This past May saw Dawson graduate their first senior class and 2010 will be the first time that Wells and his coaching staff will be replacing players for the upcoming season. But, based on the success of the sub-varsity teams, it appears that Dawson will take advantage of some returning varsity players while gaining some new talent that should be enough to keep them in contention for the District 24-4A championship and another deep run in the post-season.
"I feel real good about the upcoming season," Wells recently said. "We have some solid returning players while we have some new talent that should make an immediate impact to begin the season."
One of the first questions Wells is asked is who is going to replace QB Darian Lazard (UH)?
It appears and junior Garry Kimble has the insided track and he has already proven he can guide the offense after seeing the Eagles advance to the state semifinals at the 7-on-7 tournament last month in College Station.
Of course there is a big difference in that setting and having a defense putting pressure on you each play, but the leadership and skills are there for Kimble.
Everyone agrees that you don't really replace a quarterback like Lazard, but the coaching staff is hoping that Kimble will mold himself into another offensive leader that will continue the successful foundation that has been laid over the first three years.
But there are many other pieces that will need to be replaced for the Eagles this year while Wells has a nucleus of returning starters and lettermen that should have Dawson on the radar for great success this season.
Dawson returns four offensive and four defensive starters with 20 lettermen on the roster.
One of the highly recruited players will be senior wide receiver Marcus Vaughn (6-2, 205, 4.4) who had 53 catches for 945 yards and 9 TDs. Vaughn had 15 catches for 333 yards and three TDs as a sophomore giving him a two-year total of 1,278 yards and 12 scores. Vaughn is already on the radar of major college recruiters for his speed, incredible ability to catch the ball, and picking up additional yards after the catch. Needless to say, in Dawson's young history, Vaughn is setting the standard as the top receiver in school history to date.
Players to watch include: WR Randall Weeks (5-9, 170, 4.5; 34 catches, 412 yards, 2 TDs), RB Payton Jones, K/WR Stuart Watkins, OL Max Brown (6-4, 245, 4.7), TE junior Neiman Gilbert (6-0, 225), and WR Devin Killpatrick.
Defensively, the Eagles will rely on the experience and leadership of senior defensive end Robert Seals (6-5, 220, 6.5 sacks), LB Steve Orisakwe (6-0, 190, 58 tackles), junior LB Tre' Oliver (5-9, 180, 66 tackles).
While the defensive front will be more experienced, the Eagles will need to come up with some players in the defensive secondary to complete their aggressive, go-to-the ball defensive mindset.
The early pre-season prognosticators have the Eagles finishing second in District 24-4A while advancing to the playoffs.
"We don't worry too much about pre-season polls," Wells said. "All of that will take care of itself if we take care of our own business of working hard on the field."
