High School Sports

By CHRIS PARRY Staff Writer Each player on a football roster is important, some more than others.

But when asking Grace Community head coach Mike Maddox or T.K. Gorman head man Reggie Wilson about the importance of Kyle Childress for the Cougars and Kevin Navetta for the Crusaders, the word indispensable is used.

Both seniors are expected to play both ways. Childress will line up at receiver and defensive back while Navetta will be at tailback and linebacker.

They also are penciled in as their teams' main kick and punt returners.

Childress returns after being the main weapon last year in the Grace passing game. The junior caught 32 passes for 576 yards and seven touchdowns. He finished the season with 10 total touchdowns.

"He's just a playmaker," Maddox said of Childress. "He's real good and precise running his routes. To me that's a key to him. When he breaks, he's got some separation."

Navetta was used as a runner and receiver out of the backfield in TKG's spread offense last year. He rushed for 869 yards and seven touchdowns and caught 32 passes for 506 yards receiving and three scores.

"You have some players that give that extra effort and some that won't. Kevin goes overboard (with the extra effort)," said Wilson of his all-everything senior.

Both coaches point to certain games last season that showcased the two players.

For Childress, it was Grace's win over Muenster Sacred Heart when Childress scored twice, catching a 24-yard touchdown pass and racing 12 yards on an end-around for the eventual game winner.

Navetta rushed for 222 yards, caught three passes for 74 yards and scored two touchdowns in TKG's lone win of the season against Dallas Shelton. He displayed even more prowess in Gorman's narrow loss to Dallas Lutheran, rushing for 173 yards and two touchdowns while also catching five passes for 74 yards and another score.

But neither of those is coach Wilson's favorite. He points to a touchdown Navetta scored against Mineola. TKG was man-handled 38-12 in the game, but Wilson remembers a play where Navetta caught a pass between five Mineola tacklers and split them, breaking tackles for a 45-yard touchdown.

"It was awesome. It was something I haven't seen before," Wilson said. "The Mineola coaches were impressed and I told them I was impressed as well."

Both players have high expectations for this season.

"We want to win a state championship, but being our first chance (to be a playoff team), we want (to first accomplish that)," said Childress about Grace.

Navetta is setting team and personal goals.

"This is something I've been working toward for 10 years (since I started playing)," said Navetta, who is in contact with Ivy League schools Penn, Princeton, Harvard and Brown about a scholarship. "I've always wanted to have a 2,000-plus yard season with 20 touchdowns. I also want to go deep in the playoffs and have fun."

Childress echoes Navetta feelings about having fun as he knows his role as a receiver, defensive back and return guy is important to Grace Community's success.

"I may need a break every now and then," Childress said. "It's going to be a lot of fun."

GRACE COMMUNITY'S Kyle Childress
(Staff Photo By Herb Nygren Jr.)