Houston program making smooth transition
Strake Jesuit successfully made the jump from the private school league to Class 5A Texas football. Their early success could be attributed to the play of prospects Stephen Tyree, Grant Jefferson, Scott Coffman and Carlos Garcia.
"We lost some games we should have won but we were competitive in all of them," Strake coach Ron Counter said. "A couple of years ago we had three Division I prospects and I thought that was a lot. This year I think we may have up to five."
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Leading the bunch is Tyree, a 6-3, 185-pound safety/wide receiver, who had nearly 350 yards in receptions. Tyree also excels on the basketball court as a point guard for the Crusaders.
"I played AAU this summer but would love to play both sports in college," the second-team all-district selection said. "Stanford would be my dream college to do both. Northwestern, TCU and Iowa are recruiting me the heaviest right now."
The athletic Tyree considers himself a big cover corner and a slashing point guard. Not a bad combination.
Running back Grant Johnson missed a few games early in his junior season but still managed to rush for nearly 800 yards and nine touchdowns. He combines good size (5-11, 205-pounds) with good speed (4.5-second 40-yard dash), and the tenacity to double as a defensive end for Strake.
"My idol is Walter Payton and I just try and play like him," Johnson said. "While I haven't thought that far as a favorite, I did camp at Stanford and Northwestern this summer."
"Grant is tough, runs hard and runs big for us," Counter said. "He's a can't miss first-team, all-district selection this year."
Opening holes for Johnson is Carlos Garcia (6-foot-4, 275-pounds) who favors the Ivy League to Division I programs.
"Arkansas and Indiana are recruiting me but I'm very interest in Harvard, Yale and Princeton," he said. "I'm looking for the great education. Even being recruited only started sinking in at the end of last season."
Linebacker Scott Hoffman (6-2, 205-pounds) looks to lead the Crusaders in tackles for the second consecutive season. For his efforts, Iowa State, SMU and Northwestern have been recruiting Hoffman since the spring.
"I'm going to wait on making a decision and see what happens this year," he said. "All the schools recruiting me are about equal right now."
Hoffman attended SMU and Northwestern and has played basketball for Strake the past three seasons.