By Blake Seitz
Sports Editor
District 6-5A opener: Coppell (5-0) vs. Southlake Carroll (4-1), 7:30 p.m. Friday at Dragon Stadium
Defensive linemen are the wild cards on most teams. They’re the hit-and-run artists, the insurgents, slipping behind enemy lines for rib-cracking sacks one moment, then filtering quietly back for run defense the next.
The best line, though, maintains a presence throughout. It is capable of—and executes—big plays, but can also leave its mark when the flow of sacks and turnovers dries up; it digs in against the rush, its message to the opposing offense short and to the point: thou shall not pass.
Coppell’s defense is thriving under first-year head coach Joe McBride, former defensive coordinator for the Hebron Hawks, where he won a state championship.
And it’s the men up front that are paving the way to success.
Last spring after McBride’s hiring, the defense changed its scheme from a mixture of dime, nickel and four-man front formations to 3-4 and dime packages. Senior nose tackle Naveed Amirhermat describes the transition.
“Ever since spring [the line] didn’t have much of an impact because of the new scheme,” Amirhermat said. “Since then we’ve been in great shape, with the addition of Jared Parham and a rock solid Tanner Rice on the other end.”
The change in defensive scheme seems to have had a positive impact if anything.
Five games into the season, the defensive line has held two of its opponents, Jesuit (2-3) and Highland Park (4-1), to negative rushing yards. They’ve given up 278 total rushing yards through the six games, an average of 55.6 yards per game.
These strong statistics can be attributed to a strong defensive line, comprised of seniors Amirhermat and Parham at nose tackle and right end and junior Rice at left end.
Parham, who switched positions from linebacker to end just this season, is confident in his fellow linemen.
“We’re thug—top defense in the area,” Parham said. “We stop the run well, get a lot of turnovers and make all the big stops.”
Like the change in defensive scheme, Parham’s transition hasn’t seemed to affect his play—the end, who recently committed to play at Missouri, has a pair of sacks on the season.
The three linemen are looking forward to Friday’s game against Southlake Carroll, whose offensive line might be the best Coppell will face all season.
“Southlake’s offensive line is nasty, physical and bigger than us,” Rice said.
He expects Coppell to be ready for what will face them at Dragon Stadium.
“We’ve been watching film all week,” Rice said. “We know where they’re slow and how their center doesn’t come off the ball quick enough.”
Amirhermat agrees.
“Our mindset is to be the best, get some sacks and stop the run,” Amirhermat said. “We’re looking forward to Friday.”
