Sweetwater Red
11-06-2008, 01:46 PM
...or am I mistaken.:thinking:
Light a bright spot for Wylie
By Daniel Youngblood
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Since being asked to switch from tight end to offensive tackle in the spring, Wylie senior Josh Light has made an impact on coaches and teammates for his willingness to do what was best for his team.
Already a mainstay for the Bulldogs at defensive end, Light added offensive lineman to his list of roles in the offseason and happily went about his business.
"When I approached him in the spring about moving to the offensive line, he never even asked why," Wylie coach Hugh Sandifer said. "We just said 'We feel like you can help us in this position,' and he just embraced it wholeheartedly and immediately started developing the mentality of an offensive lineman."
Through nine games this season, Light has been a two-way starter for the Bulldogs, and he's excelled on both sides of the ball. As the starting right tackle on offense, Light's helped anchor a line that's provided solid protection all year. And on defense he's been a big part of what may be the best pass rush in the Big Country.
With his academic background, though, it shouldn't surprise anyone that Light -- the son of Wylie superintendent Joey Light -- is so well equipped to succeed in multiple capacities. After all, he has been juggling several different roles since he started high school.
Aside from being a standout on the football field, Josh has the second best grade-point average in the Wylie senior class, he's the president of the school's student council and he's been a varsity soccer player since his sophomore year.
But if you ask him, he's not doing anything extraordinary. It's just all about priorities.
"I've always put academics first, but there's always plenty of time for everything else," Light said. "You just got to make sure to make time for it. Prioritizing has always been the main thing."
Sandifer said Light has shown a maturity uncommon for people his age, and that maturity is a big reason for Light's success on and off the football field.
"He understands time management and he's a pretty attention-to-detail type guy," Sandifer said. "There's not a lot of nonsense; he just gets it done."
Whether on offense or defense, Light's been getting the job done all year. While his contributions on the offensive line are often overlooked, he's put up big stats from his defensive end position.
Playing across from fellow senior Braden Collum, Light has tallied 32 total tackles, four sacks, 12 hurries, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
In Wylie's 34-7 win over Graham last week, Light was rewarded for that success with the 30th annual Don Mouser Award -- a yearly award given to a Wylie player that best displays desire, determination and dedication.
Bryce Nichols, who plays with Light on the offensive and defensive lines, used another adjective to describe Light.
"He's pretty goofy," Nichols said. "He's one of those people that makes you laugh no matter what. He picks up everybody's spirits no matter what the situation is."
Light couldn't disagree.
"I guess it's part of my personality to act goofy every once in awhile," he said.
But when it's time to get to work, on the field or in the classroom, Light knows when to get serious.
Described by Sandifer as "a tireless worker," Light's work in the weight room was one of several reasons he was able to make the transition to the offensive line in less than a year.
Being one of the more intelligent people on the team didn't hurt either.
"On the O-line, you have to be a little intelligent to think real quick about where you go on each play," Nichols said. "But with him being extremely intelligent, I think that's helped him make the switch to the O-line without any notice. He's learned real quick what we need to do and how we need to accomplish everything."
For Light, it's all about doing what he can to help the team, whether that means making a position change or just being a good teammate.
"One thing Josh is good at is he's always encouraging people on the field and off the field," Nichols said. "In the classroom he's always helping people and on the field he's just one of those people that picks everybody up.
"He's not really one of those vocal leaders that's always yelling, but he still makes a big impact on the team. He definitely leads by example."
http://reporternews.com/news/2008/nov/05/light-a-bright-spot-for-wylie/?partner=RSS
Light a bright spot for Wylie
By Daniel Youngblood
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Since being asked to switch from tight end to offensive tackle in the spring, Wylie senior Josh Light has made an impact on coaches and teammates for his willingness to do what was best for his team.
Already a mainstay for the Bulldogs at defensive end, Light added offensive lineman to his list of roles in the offseason and happily went about his business.
"When I approached him in the spring about moving to the offensive line, he never even asked why," Wylie coach Hugh Sandifer said. "We just said 'We feel like you can help us in this position,' and he just embraced it wholeheartedly and immediately started developing the mentality of an offensive lineman."
Through nine games this season, Light has been a two-way starter for the Bulldogs, and he's excelled on both sides of the ball. As the starting right tackle on offense, Light's helped anchor a line that's provided solid protection all year. And on defense he's been a big part of what may be the best pass rush in the Big Country.
With his academic background, though, it shouldn't surprise anyone that Light -- the son of Wylie superintendent Joey Light -- is so well equipped to succeed in multiple capacities. After all, he has been juggling several different roles since he started high school.
Aside from being a standout on the football field, Josh has the second best grade-point average in the Wylie senior class, he's the president of the school's student council and he's been a varsity soccer player since his sophomore year.
But if you ask him, he's not doing anything extraordinary. It's just all about priorities.
"I've always put academics first, but there's always plenty of time for everything else," Light said. "You just got to make sure to make time for it. Prioritizing has always been the main thing."
Sandifer said Light has shown a maturity uncommon for people his age, and that maturity is a big reason for Light's success on and off the football field.
"He understands time management and he's a pretty attention-to-detail type guy," Sandifer said. "There's not a lot of nonsense; he just gets it done."
Whether on offense or defense, Light's been getting the job done all year. While his contributions on the offensive line are often overlooked, he's put up big stats from his defensive end position.
Playing across from fellow senior Braden Collum, Light has tallied 32 total tackles, four sacks, 12 hurries, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
In Wylie's 34-7 win over Graham last week, Light was rewarded for that success with the 30th annual Don Mouser Award -- a yearly award given to a Wylie player that best displays desire, determination and dedication.
Bryce Nichols, who plays with Light on the offensive and defensive lines, used another adjective to describe Light.
"He's pretty goofy," Nichols said. "He's one of those people that makes you laugh no matter what. He picks up everybody's spirits no matter what the situation is."
Light couldn't disagree.
"I guess it's part of my personality to act goofy every once in awhile," he said.
But when it's time to get to work, on the field or in the classroom, Light knows when to get serious.
Described by Sandifer as "a tireless worker," Light's work in the weight room was one of several reasons he was able to make the transition to the offensive line in less than a year.
Being one of the more intelligent people on the team didn't hurt either.
"On the O-line, you have to be a little intelligent to think real quick about where you go on each play," Nichols said. "But with him being extremely intelligent, I think that's helped him make the switch to the O-line without any notice. He's learned real quick what we need to do and how we need to accomplish everything."
For Light, it's all about doing what he can to help the team, whether that means making a position change or just being a good teammate.
"One thing Josh is good at is he's always encouraging people on the field and off the field," Nichols said. "In the classroom he's always helping people and on the field he's just one of those people that picks everybody up.
"He's not really one of those vocal leaders that's always yelling, but he still makes a big impact on the team. He definitely leads by example."
http://reporternews.com/news/2008/nov/05/light-a-bright-spot-for-wylie/?partner=RSS