Whsdogs
10-14-2005, 12:47 PM
Wylie's 3-Headed Beast
Trio of linemen puts years of comradeship into Bulldogs' success
By Jason Weddle / Reporter-News Staff Writer
October 13, 2005
They aren't the Three Amigos, the Three Musketeers or the Three Stooges. But Wylie has a trio of its own that has made quite a name for itself.
Britton Barbee, Sam Eidson and Jared Robertson are battle tested, to say the least. The three-headed monster of linemen - all three play prominent roles on both sides of the ball - have been teammates since taking up football as fourth-graders.
''Ever since Pop Warner, we've been a trio, I guess you could say,'' Barbee said. ''We played defense and offense together throughout Pop Warner and middle school.''
None of the three light-hearted linemen takes himself too seriously. Get them together, and the mood switches from football to comedy, with each trying to outdo the others' stories.
It goes without saying that after nine years as teammates and friends, there is no shortage of stories within the group.
''In second grade, me and Jared got matching bikes because riding your bike around the neighborhood was the cool thing to do,'' Barbee said. ''We thought we were so cool.''
Barbee has grown into a 250-pound frame, but is still an avid biker who sometimes pedals more than 10 miles a day and warms up for each practice by climbing on a stationary bike. The topic of biking gives Eidson and Robertson the opportunity to razz their teammate about Spandex biking uniforms, which Barbee may or may not wear.
On the field, the triplets pose an imposing threat to opponents. Their play on defense has even earned them a nickname.
''On defense they call us 'The Beast' whenever we're in together.'' Robertson said. ''They don't usually get a first down ever when the three of us are in the game.''
With the trio leading the way, Wylie has started the season with a 6-1 record while holding opponents to just 14.5 points per contest. Last week, Sweetwater, which came into the game averaging 41 points per game, could manage only three points against the Wylie defense.
''Jared's the intense guy and the motivator,'' the 6-foot-2-inch Eidson said of their on-the-field roles. ''Britton's probably the guy who knows the most about the game, and I'm just the big one.''
Offensively, the Bulldogs have been even more impressive, averaging more than 31 points per game behind a balanced attack. The linemen have paved the way for Wylie to gain more than 208 yards per game while giving quarterback Case Keenum enough protection to throw for more than 204 yards per contest.
''We've got a chemistry and we all know each other and we all know what we're gonna do and that makes it a lot easier,'' Eidson said. ''I know I don't have to worry about them not doing their jobs.''
Eidson, whom Robertson and Barbee jokingly refer to as ''the jealous type,'' is the only one of the three to have gone the entire nine years in the anonymity that playing on the line typically ensures. Barbee played some running back - or rumbling back - during Pop Warner, and he and Robertson both lined up in the backfield as sixth-graders.
''I can remember the first year Britton played, Jared and I were lineman and Britton was a tailback and probably weighed 10 pounds less than he does right now,'' Eidson said. ''I remember him getting the ball and slowly breaking into the secondary and that (PA announcer) saying, 'He barrels,' and little 8-year-old kids just bouncing off him.''
The group eventually found its niche on the line and hasn't looked back since.
''We just know what to expect from each other since we've been playing together for so long,'' Barbee said. ''We can always talk to each other during the game in a calm tone, and I don't think there is ever any confusion.''
Like all good things, this partnership will soon come to a close as the end of football season, and then high school, is steadily approaching. But instead of worrying about their paths inevitably heading in different directions, the trio prefers to enjoy their final ride together and instead focus on their goal of leaving Wylie as champions - though they can't help but let some sentimentality slip into their mindsets.
''They're like family,'' Robertson said. ''We get in little skirmishes sometimes, but what brothers don't?''
Trio of linemen puts years of comradeship into Bulldogs' success
By Jason Weddle / Reporter-News Staff Writer
October 13, 2005
They aren't the Three Amigos, the Three Musketeers or the Three Stooges. But Wylie has a trio of its own that has made quite a name for itself.
Britton Barbee, Sam Eidson and Jared Robertson are battle tested, to say the least. The three-headed monster of linemen - all three play prominent roles on both sides of the ball - have been teammates since taking up football as fourth-graders.
''Ever since Pop Warner, we've been a trio, I guess you could say,'' Barbee said. ''We played defense and offense together throughout Pop Warner and middle school.''
None of the three light-hearted linemen takes himself too seriously. Get them together, and the mood switches from football to comedy, with each trying to outdo the others' stories.
It goes without saying that after nine years as teammates and friends, there is no shortage of stories within the group.
''In second grade, me and Jared got matching bikes because riding your bike around the neighborhood was the cool thing to do,'' Barbee said. ''We thought we were so cool.''
Barbee has grown into a 250-pound frame, but is still an avid biker who sometimes pedals more than 10 miles a day and warms up for each practice by climbing on a stationary bike. The topic of biking gives Eidson and Robertson the opportunity to razz their teammate about Spandex biking uniforms, which Barbee may or may not wear.
On the field, the triplets pose an imposing threat to opponents. Their play on defense has even earned them a nickname.
''On defense they call us 'The Beast' whenever we're in together.'' Robertson said. ''They don't usually get a first down ever when the three of us are in the game.''
With the trio leading the way, Wylie has started the season with a 6-1 record while holding opponents to just 14.5 points per contest. Last week, Sweetwater, which came into the game averaging 41 points per game, could manage only three points against the Wylie defense.
''Jared's the intense guy and the motivator,'' the 6-foot-2-inch Eidson said of their on-the-field roles. ''Britton's probably the guy who knows the most about the game, and I'm just the big one.''
Offensively, the Bulldogs have been even more impressive, averaging more than 31 points per game behind a balanced attack. The linemen have paved the way for Wylie to gain more than 208 yards per game while giving quarterback Case Keenum enough protection to throw for more than 204 yards per contest.
''We've got a chemistry and we all know each other and we all know what we're gonna do and that makes it a lot easier,'' Eidson said. ''I know I don't have to worry about them not doing their jobs.''
Eidson, whom Robertson and Barbee jokingly refer to as ''the jealous type,'' is the only one of the three to have gone the entire nine years in the anonymity that playing on the line typically ensures. Barbee played some running back - or rumbling back - during Pop Warner, and he and Robertson both lined up in the backfield as sixth-graders.
''I can remember the first year Britton played, Jared and I were lineman and Britton was a tailback and probably weighed 10 pounds less than he does right now,'' Eidson said. ''I remember him getting the ball and slowly breaking into the secondary and that (PA announcer) saying, 'He barrels,' and little 8-year-old kids just bouncing off him.''
The group eventually found its niche on the line and hasn't looked back since.
''We just know what to expect from each other since we've been playing together for so long,'' Barbee said. ''We can always talk to each other during the game in a calm tone, and I don't think there is ever any confusion.''
Like all good things, this partnership will soon come to a close as the end of football season, and then high school, is steadily approaching. But instead of worrying about their paths inevitably heading in different directions, the trio prefers to enjoy their final ride together and instead focus on their goal of leaving Wylie as champions - though they can't help but let some sentimentality slip into their mindsets.
''They're like family,'' Robertson said. ''We get in little skirmishes sometimes, but what brothers don't?''