That isn’t the case at all, however, for Mary Hardin-Baylor’s interchangeable quartet of tackles.
Juniors James Jenkins, Mark Balderas and Cecil Johnson and freshman David Danforth enjoy being around each other as much they do clogging up the middle of the field for opposing teams.
“We’ve been fortunate to have a number of really good interior defensive linemen come through here,” said UMHB assistant coach Marvin Agnew, who is in charge of the tackles. “These four follow suit with the rest of them.
“They work really hard, are dedicated to the game, do everything we ask of them and they continue to improve. And they’re a great bunch of kids to be around every day.”
While they serve the same purpose on the field, each player has his own role within the group, as Jenkins quickly pointed out.
“Balderas is the comedian. Making people laugh is what he’s there for, and Cecil is the angry guy,” the 5-11, 260-pound Jenkins said amid laughter by all four. “That allows everybody else to be happy because he’s always angry. Danforth is a freshman. So if anybody ever needs to be picked on, it would be David.”
As for Jenkins’ role?
“James is the guy who brings us all back down to reality,” the 6-2, 260-pound Balderas said. “If we’re too mad or too happy or too freshman, then he brings us back down to earth.”
Balderas, whose 21 tackles include five for loss and 1½ sacks, usually starts alongside Jenkins (19 stops, two for loss). But there isn’t much dropoff when Johnson (13 tackles, 3½ for loss) or Danforth (11 stops, 1½ for loss) goes in.
“All of us can get out and run, so we even drop back in coverage some now,” said Johnson, who at 6-2, 230 is the lightest of the group. “Well, we really just zone up in the middle. We’re not going to drop 15 yards down field and try to pick off a pass against a fast receiver. But we’re going to hit a guy coming across the middle and maybe make him drop the ball.”
And there’s always a first time for everything.
“An interception by one of us hasn’t happened yet,” Jenkins added. “But some teams do like to run the middle screen, so anything’s possible.”
At 6-1, 300 pounds, Danforth is the biggest yet least experienced of the bunch. For him, just the chance to play and be part of a team has been a treat.
“It was cool coming in knowing there were three other guys who are good friends that you can hang out with,” Danforth said. “And the other guys on the defense have accepted me, too. It’s cool. I’ve liked it a lot.”
And even though he deferred the final chair in the room to one of his more experienced teammates, it was Danforth who produced a nickname for Jenkins.
“That’s Double D (Danforth), Cecil the Diesel (Johnson) and Baldy (Balderas),” said Jenkins, who until that moment did not have a nickname.
“And he’s Baby Jenks,” Danforth blurted out, “starting right now.”
Each member of the foursome also looks out for the others on the field.
“It’s hard to go through a season and not get nicked up or banged up,” Johnson said. “But we’re holding up pretty good.”
Added Jenkins: “It’s cool that we have four guys and each one is just as good as the other, so we can rotate during the game and not get tired. I hate to be in the game about to die of exhaustion.”
As long they have each other, that will never happen with these guys.
edrennan@temple-telegram.com
