6B CLINTON DAILY NEWS

 SATURDAY, AUGUST 25, 2018

Defense heavy with game experience

BY COLLIN WIEDER
Clinton Daily News
One luxury the Clinton
football defense has this
year is an abundance of
in-game experience. Two
starters are returning for
their third year of varsity
football, while a host of
others are back after see-
ing playing time in 2017.
The whole unit is led
by third-year starter and
senior Reed Lindsey. Clin-
ton’s cornerstone tackle
has put many a ballcarrier
and quarterback on their
backs. He leads the three
down linemen, while fel-
low third-year player and
senior Holden Powell com-
mands the middle four.
In the back end, the
secondary is one of the
fastest in the whole state.
As a unit, this group has
unmatched speed. It’s led
by seniors Gage Gaunt,
DayDay Simpkins and
junior A.T. Bryson, who
all have extensive work in
the secondary.
DEFENSIVE LINE
The defensive line
features a lot of starters
that are backups in other
positions at the moment.
Head coach John Higbee
said he hasn’t fully figured
out who will be where, but
he’ll have a better idea as
the season goes on.
The most important
position of the 50 defense
starts in the middle at
nose guard. It’s going to
feature a jack-of-all-trades
in senior Juan Guzman.
The veteran player is set
for a breakout year in 2018.
Despite being just 5-foot-9,
180 pounds, he routinely
takes double teams and
holds his ground.
“We moved one of our
best athletes to nose
guard in Juan Guzman,”
Higbee said. “My gosh,
he’s a tailback/fullback,
and I could probably use
him at tight end. At one
point and time earlier in
his career, he was in the
secondary as a safety –
what an odd combination.
He’s extremely athletic,
hard-nosed and strong.”
Lindsey fills in at the
“tornado” tackle, as Hig-
bee calls it. It’s the more
physical of the two tackle
positions. Lindsey is a
physical and productive
monster on defense. He’s
the team’s active leading
tackler with 124 career
tackles and 10 sacks. He
collected all that while on
the defensive line, which
is elite production from a
3-4/5-2 tackle.
Senior Valek Cisneros
rounds out the front three
at “viper” tackle. He is
the quicker tackle on the
defensive line. Cisneros
played at the outside line-
backer spot in each of the
last two seasons, but he’s
moving down and putting
his hand in the dirt.
Cisneros rolled up 48
tackles and seven tackles
for loss last year alone.
Higbee is excited with the
length of his two tackles.
Their height can get into
passing lanes forcing tip
passes or even intercep-
tions off plays at the line
of scrimmage.
Reid Butcher, Ruben
Gutierrez, Bryce Isaac,
Andrew Roque and Mala- CDN | John Kinsey

Once a Red Tornado ... chi Scarlett provide depth

on the D-Line. Scarlett is a
rotational starting player
on this D-Line. His speed
makes him an added force
at viper tackle.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS/
DEFENSIVE ENDS
As is common in the
50 defense, it boasts two
standing defensive ends
or linebackers depending
on how people look at it.
For Clinton, it carries an

Senior defensive end Reed Lindsey is the expe-
rienced leader of the defense. The third-year
starter has 124 career tackles and 10 sacks in
the two prior seasons.
start on the outside if he’s off the line of scrimmage,
back fully from injury. so he doesn’t accidentally
The junior backer might overrun plays.
not look the part of a Powell, Gonzalez and
traditional linebacker, but Zach Campbell give the
he can cover ground and LBs some depth. Camp-
deliver a punch when he bell battled back from a
gets to the ball. If he has to knee injury last year.
drop into coverage, Gon-

Always a Red Tornado!

old face in a new place this
year in Powell. The former
inside linebacker moved
to the outside after Higbee
said he was a natural at
the position.
Powell is one of the most
productive players return-
ing to the team. He re-
corded the second-highest
tackle total last year as
a junior with 79. He also
zalez has running back
speed that can go the other
way in a hurry should he
pick off a pass.
If he is unable to go in
week one, senior Nolan
Tisdale could cover his
spot. Backups at the posi-
tion are fellow starters
Cisneros and Guzman.
Cisneros played on the
outside his first two years
SECONDARY
Although it’s overstated,
speed, speed and more
speed classify the back-
end. Gaunt, last year’s
starting safety will move
out to corner. The senior
two-way player will not
make business decisions
because he’s a QB, he
racked up 45 tackles last
year and made the hit of

815 Frisco Avenue • Clinton, OK 73601 started during the 2016

playoff run when injuries
before moving to viper
tackle. Senior Matthew
the year at Altus.
DayDay Simpkins starts
(580) 323-1244 forced him into the lineup,
so he’s an experienced
Mann can cover this posi-
tion as well. Mann came
opposite of Gaunt. He can
break on the ball quickly

Greg Adams
player at the position. over from Corn Bible as well. Zade Cisneros,
Conley Adams Colten Adams Eddi Gonzalez, the Academy in the 2017-2018 Ty Newcomb and Khyri
Class of 1987 Class of 2016 Class of 2019 team’s leading tackler in
2017 (91 total stops), will
school year. He was a
starter on the Crusaders’
Hood back up the corners.
Atrel Bryson is at free
2016 quarterfinals team. safety, while his brother

The Pride of Clinton

INSIDE LINEBACKERS
First-year starter, junior
Dalton Denney will get the
nod at Sam linebacker for
the Reds. Denney has been
praised throughout the
offseason for his multi-
A.T. is at strong safety/
rover. Both have world-
class speed that would
make the strongest-armed
quarterbacks scared to
throw it. Gaunt, Tyson
Miller and Aaron Seabolt
will backup safety.

Red Tornado Band

purposed talents. He can
play almost anywhere on
offense or defense. His ath-
leticism and high football
I.Q. will come in handy
at one of the game’s most
important positions.
Speeding bullet Aus-
tyn Brown starts at Will
linebacker. The senior can
react within a split second
and be in the backfield.
Although it’s his first year
to start, he’s got second-
ary speed. Once he reads
run or pass, he can get to
the play in a hurry. Higbee
said he’s so fast, he joked
about playing him deeper
KICKING/PUNTING
Junior Marco Rodriguez
takes over both kick-
ing duties this year. He’s
played two years of varsity
ball as the team’s kickoff
man. Senior kicker Jorge
Gomez is recovering from
complications from a
surgery. He was perfect on
kicks last year (20-for-20
on extra points, two-for-
two on field goals).
Punter has yet to be
decided. The Reds are
having a three-man battle
between Powell, Bryson
and Rodriguez.

709 Frisco - Clinton, OK

580.323.1733