La Porte ATH on verge of offer
BEAUMONT, Texas - On Saturday night, La Porte, Texas wrapped up the regular season with a 38-20 victory over Beaumont West Brook, bringing its record to 9-1 on the year and giving the Bulldogs an outright district championship.
It is not something many people, if any, expected from La Porte. In a district containing powerhouses such as North Shore, Port Arthur Memorial and West Brook, the Bulldogs were expected to finish no better than fourth place. Instead they ran the table in district play.
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Aaron Nance-Garrett has been a big part of the team's success. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound senior plays both wide receiver and safety and made quite a few plays on both sides of the ball in the win.
"I think I did well," Nance-Garrett said after the game. "I played defense well. I practiced hard for it and just came out ready to play."
Nance-Garrett has yet to pick up his first offer but an in-state program could be close to extending one.
"UTEP is the one right now (that seems closest to offering)," he said. "They call me once a week or something like that. They talk to me to see how I'm doing and how my season is going and tell me how they are doing.
"They said I'm pretty high on their radar. The said they're going to be watching me my senior year and see how I do."
Though he plays both ways for La Porte, Nance-Garrett says he has a definite preference as to which side of the ball he likes.
"Defense, I like defense," he said. "I like to hit people. I've always liked to hit and my coaches know that so they make plays for me to go after the QB."
UTEP is looking at Nance-Garrett for the defensive side of the ball but it is actually for a position unfamiliar to him.
"They want me to play linebacker - I guess like a rover linebacker," he said. "I've never done it before so I wouldn't know (if I'm comfortable there). I like free safety but I'm willing to play anywhere."
La Porte plays Pasadena Memorial this Friday in the first round of the Class 5A state playoffs.