Denton RC High School

The sports staff here at the DR-C voted for our Preseason All-Area Football Team yesterday, and about five minutes into talking about defensive players it became obvious that our area is loaded at linebacker.

I'm not going to reveal who made our select list. You'll have to wait until Aug. 27 when our preview sections come out, but take a look at all the talent at this position.

We'll start with District 5-4A players. Ryan's Jake Strickland is a returning starter who had 90 tackles and two blocked field goals in 2007. He was an all-district player who will be a force in the middle.

One guy I'm excited about seeing is Guyer's Cody Marley. He was a wrecking ball in the Wildcats' spring game and will likely be a Division I recruit. Look for him to help turn around Guyer's defense this year.

As I forgot to mention last night, and as a fan pointed out in the comments, Guyer incumbent quarterback J.W. Walsh hasn't thrown one pass in the first two days of practice.

The sophomore hurt his elbow in a 7-on-7 state tournament game last month and is sporting a Barry Bonds-esque armor on his throwing elbow that appears to seriously limit his arm's mobility.

However, I did speak with his dad and head coach John Walsh and he said J.W.'s been fully released by doctors and will begin throwing next week. He's fully set to be under center on Aug. 28 against Newman Smith.