It’s all smiles in New Waverly. Despite facing some talented teams prior to district play, the Bulldogs have tasted victory in all three of their games and their hard-hitting defense is one of the biggest reasons why.
In all three of its games this season, New Waverly led late with the opposing team threatening to score. The team’s aggressive defense stood tall in each of those moments to help the amped up Bulldogs march off the field to celebratory shouts that show the team’s growing confidence.
Much of the fiery nature of the Dogs defense can be traced back to the competitiveness of practices.
The Bulldogs (3-0) took a page out of the Nebraska Cornhuskers’ book, incorporating the use of black practice jerseys for the defense.
After strategizing for the next game, the coaching staff hands out black jerseys to the defensive starters each week.
“It’s a reward system that we use,” New Waverly defensive coordinator Paul Donelson said. “The kids take pride in wearing the black shirts. It makes them work even harder.”
Along with being a motivating tool, the black jerseys also help keep the defense on its toes. The starters know there is always someone waiting, someone more than willing to take their spot.
“It’s a competition,” senior Michael Keller said. “We just compete every day for who’s going to wear that black jersey. It makes us real hungry come Friday night because we know we’ve worked real hard to keep the jersey all week.”
“You get the hardest hits, you keep the jersey,” junior Justin Ward said. “If you don’t want to practice, you’re not going to get it.”
Printed across the front of the jersey in big letters is the word Maddog.
“It’s just something coach Paul told us about,” Keller said of his defensive coordinator, who played quarterback at New Waverly High before becoming a hard-hitting safety at Sam Houston State. “It’s how we should play defense. We’re going to come hard every snap until the end of the whistle.”
“We’re the ones that are going to lay some good licks on people,” Ward added.
Maddog has become more than just a logo. It has become a philosophy in how the Bulldogs practice and play on Friday nights.
“You don’t see many teams winning championships unless they play very good defense,” head coach Ken Craig said. “Defense is definitely an emphasis of what we do. I’m real proud of the way they’ve played thus far.
“Anybody that’s any good tries to have some sort of identity with different aspects of the game. As a defense, it’s how they identity themselves. They want to fly to the ball and be all over the opponent. They never let up and never quit.”
While the Bulldogs are undefeated, this group doesn’t take that for granted. The players admit that hard work and conditioning is the reason they are winning.
“It’s long days of practice and running that have helped us,” Keller said. “We do a lot of running. All 11 of us. We don’t take it easy. We have to be out there busting it every practice snap we go through.”
“We practice like it’s a game,” Ward added. “The whole goal at practice is for our defense to stop our offense.
“We’re very talented and we know we got a special team here. We got three linebackers that are just beasts. Our corners are good. We got hard-hitting safeties. Matt Gray is 110 percent man. Dadrian (Powell) comes to try and knock your block off. Ethan (Abbott) isn’t scared to hit you. Cole (Bohannon) has really stepped up. Kyren (Watts) also goes hard every play.”
The Bulldogs are looking to step up the intensity even more now that district play is set to begin. Centerville comes to town tonight for a showdown that starts at 7:30.
Sports
Getting Defensive
New Waverly breaks out own version of black-shirt defense
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OUTGUNNED: First-place Mavericks shoot down Sam Houston, run winning streak to 14
Texas-Arlington had an answer for every Sam Houston run Wednesday night on the way to a 75-63 victory over the Bearkats. It was the Mavericks’ 14th consecutive win and improved their Southland Conference record to 10-0.
The last team to start league action with such perfection was Sam Houston in 2010, a team which won the conference’s regular season as well as the postseason tournament championship. -
Championship salute
The Southland Conference champs from Sam Houston State received special recognition on Wednesday night for the most successful football season in school history.
Huntsville Mayor Mac Woodward, SHSU President Dana Gibson and Walker County Judge Danny Pierce were among those who honored the Bearkats during halftime of the Bearkats’ basketball game against Texas-Arlington.
Woodward declared Feb. 8 Bearkat Pride Day. -
Bearkat women win again, 61-45
Britni Martin scored 18 points, including four 3-pointers, to lead Sam Houston State to a 61-45 Southland Conference women’s basketball victory over UT-Arlington on Wednesday at the new UTA College Park Center in Arlington.
All four of Martin’s field goals were 3-pointers and the junior forward from Conroe went 6-of-6 from the foul line to post her 17th double-figure scoring performance of the season. -
Alive and kicking
For the third consecutive game, the Hornets played like a team that does not want basketball season to end anytime soon.
Desperate to notch another victory over Willis, the Huntsville boys jumped on the Wildkats early. The Hornets used their muscle and started pulling away in the second half, then when Willis made a late rally, Huntsville’s hungry bunch had enough energy left to hold off the Wildkats in a wild 76-63 victory at the Paul Bohan Hornet Gym. -
Lady Hornets roll through district undefeated again
The Lady Hornets did it again. For the second consecutive season, the Huntsville girls basketball team rolled through District 18-4A play without a loss.
On Tuesday night in Willis, the Lady Hornets closed out another perfect 14-0 district campaign with an 86-33 win over the LadyKats. -
New Waverly seniors close out regular season in style
In their final game of the regular season, the Lady Bulldogs just enjoyed themselves in a 60-46 win over Anderson-Shiro.
This was a team New Waverly beat on the road earlier in the season and a win in “Bulldog Country” would be the appropriate way to send out seniors Myeisha Williams, Morgan Eastland, Whitney McCullough and Alex Abbott. -
Streak stoppers?
The hottest team in the Southland Conference visits Johnson Coliseum tonight, riding a 13-game winning streak and sporting a perfect 9-0 league record.
Sam Houston State has a difficult task on its hands facing Texas-Arlington, a team which had its way with the Bearkats on Jan. 11 at Texas Hall. The Mavericks rolled to a 66-40 that night in what was Sam Houston’s worst loss in conference action all season. -
Bearkats to hold celebration befitting a championship team
A championship celebration unlike any in Bearkat history will take place tonight at Johnson Coliseum as part of the festivities for the Bearkats’ basketball game against Texas-Arlingon.
Walker County, the city of Huntsville and university officials will join with SHSU alumni, students, faculty-staff and fans in saluting the 2011 Southland Conference champion and NCAA Division I football national finalist Bearkat football team. -
Big week ahead for Bulldogs, Lady Bulldogs
To say that this is an important week for the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs basketball team would be a big understatement. With the regular season winding down, much is at stake for the New Waverly boys and girls.
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Bulldog lifters gain experience at Shepherd meet
Looking back on his lifters’ performance at last Saturday’s meet in Shepherd, New Waverly powerlifting coach Mike Carolan lauded his team’s efforts. Senior Tucker Saxton won the 220-pound classification and freshman Dillon Silvis took fifth in the 114-pound division.
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