Bearkat O-line competition

[blackfordpu]

Friendly Competition

Two friends having fun while battling for starting spot on Bearkats offensive line
By Cody Stark
Assistant Sports Editor

It’s not hard to see that one of Sam Houston State’s strengths heading into the 2007 season is the offensive line.

The Bearkats return four starters from last year’s squad, and three of them, including preseason All-American Brandon Hale, are seniors. The unit helped open holes for D.D. Terry, the Southland Conference’s leading rusher last season, and only allowed 10 sacks.

But there is one spot on the line left to be filled — the weak side tackle. Ironically, the battle is between a pair of friends and roommates, who followed pretty much the same path to SHSU.

Juniors John Dirk and Aaron Saunders were both a part of the University of Missouri’s freshman recruiting class in 2004. After the pair redshirted their freshman seasons, they decided a change of scenery was in order.

Dirk’s father, Duane, had just been hired as the defensive coordinator at SHSU, following head coach Todd Whitten from Tarleton State in 2005. It was a dream of the younger Dirk to play for his dad, so he wasted no time transferring.

http://www.itemonline.com/sports/local_ ... d=topstory