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Brad Hood's success on the football field only scratches the surface of what this young man is all about. |
Football is a big part of Brad Hood’s life. He loves the game, maybe not more than anything else in the world, but enough.
“Football drives me. It’s a release and keeps me going each day,” Hood said. “I love having the opportunity to play here and have such great coaches and teammates.”
As much as the junior linebacker at Trinity has succeeded in the game, he’s also successful in the game of life, finding ways to have a positive impact on others. This summer, he was nominated for the AllState American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team.
“I always wanted to be able to leave a place better than I found it,” Hood said. “I have the privilege of playing football and getting a great education at a private school and it’s important that give back to others and make a difference.”
Life is good for Hood. On the field, the Tigers (3-0) are unbeaten, only one win shy of matching their win total of a year ago, and Hood ranks second on the team in tackles (28).
Off the field, Hood, an engineering major, has done everything from helping students at an elementary school design and fabricate solar powered cars and volunteering for the Special Olympics to serving as a youth group leader at a church to being part of Trinity’s Coalition for Respect, which raises awareness about sexual assault.
“He’s a great young man,” Trinity head coach Jerheme Urban said. “He’s a leader, extremely competitive and very smart. He’s also a tireless work and the type of player who can demand accountability from others because of the effort he puts into everything he does.”
Hood’s career started off on a tough note as he missed most of his freshman season because of a fractured foot. He said it bothered him still last year, although he still earned All-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference honors, but he feels as if he’s back to 100 percent this year.
More importantly, the Tigers are winning. They have won five consecutive games dating to last year.
“3-0 is a lot better than 1-3, which is what we started last year,” Hood said. “Things are clicking for us. We’re a lot more disciplined and we’re playing more aggressive.”
In terms of the impact he has made in the community, Hood has enjoyed every minute of it.
At the elementary school, he took part in an after-school program to help students work on their solar-powered cars, and the experience was as rewarding for him as it was for the students.
“It was a lot of fun and neat to see that they were so eager to learn,” Hood said. “They were proud of what they accomplished and it was good for me to be around that setting because the kids had so much energy.”
One of the more serious off-field activities he is involved with is the Coalition for Respect. He was asked to be on it by his RA as a freshman and didn’t hesitate to join.
He not only saw it as an opportunity to help others but to put a positive light on the game of football, which has taken its share of hits with bad publicity.
“Sexual assault is a sensitive topic in our society and with everything the NFL has dealt with on it, I wanted to something positive,” Hood said. “I was able to get some teammates involved, too. It’s a great thing to be a part of because we are raising awareness about it.”
The Tigers want to continue to raise their level of play as well as they take aim at contending for a conference championship.
“We need to keep that one play at a time mentality,” Urban said. “We have a lot of work to do still and we’re excited about the challenges ahead of us.”
Hood is certainly looking forward to it.
“We have big games coming up with Pacific Lutheran and Hardin-Simmons, and we know we have to be at our best to be successful,” Hood said. “If we all do our jobs, we’ll be successful.”
War Hawks thrive off dominant defense
McMurry’s defense turned in another strong performance Saturday, shutting out Texas College 40-0.
The War Hawks (2-1) have blanked the Steers in all three of their meetings and have allowed only 29 points all season.
Chase Franklin paved the way with nine tackles while Marion Jackson made eight. Franklin and Jackson are second (23) and third (20) on the team in tackles.
Franklin made 36 tackles a year ago and is on his way to the best year of his career with the War Hawks. Jackson already has four more tackles than he did all of last season.
Big win for Berry
Berry dominated Rhodes 24-0 Saturday in the Southern Athletic Association opener for both teams, marking the first shutout in its three-year history.
The Vikings (2-1) haven’t given up a point in the last seven quarters and the offense wasn’t bad either against the Lynx (2-1).
Dale Jackson threw two touchdown passes to Trey Ciresi. Jackson completed 12 of his 19 passes for 163 yards and has thrown for 447 yards and four touchdowns. Cerisi has been Jackson’s top target.
He caught six passes for 114 yards in the win over Rhodes and has 16 catches this season.
The Vikings have already matched their win total from the first two years of the program but are still seeking their first road win in program history. They get a shot at it against Sewanee, which is 1-2 after a 21-3 loss to Birmingham Southern.
Saucedo shines for Bulldogs
Everyone knows about Marquis Barrolle, the nation’s leading rusher a year ago, but Texas Lutheran teammate A.J. Saucedo is good in his own right. He proved it again Saturday, rushing for 138 yards and a career-high three touchdowns in a 38-14 win over Louisiana College.
Barrolle still had a big day, too, catching three touchdown passes. But he left early in the third quarter with an apparent injury, and the athletic department said his status is day-to-day.
Saucedo, who rushed for a little over 500 yards and seven touchdowns last year, already has 185 yards and four touchdowns. He and Barrolle have combined for 505 rushing yards and six scores on the year for the Bulldogs (2-1).
Mixed results for Maroons and Bears
Chicago and Washington made their SAA debuts Saturday. The Maroons won at Millsaps 31-27 while the Bears fell 34-24 on the road to defending league champion Centre.
Burke Moser threw three touchdown passes for Chicago (2-0), rolling up a career-best 348 yards along the way. Sam Coleman (3 catches for 126 yards and Nathan Massey (6-111) both had big games in the passing attack to keep the Maroons unbeaten.
The Bears (1-1) played the Colonels tough, trailing by only a touchdown at halftime. But they were limited to only three points in the second half.
J.J. Tomlin turned in a strong performance in defeat, throwing for 301 yards and a touchdown. Tomlin attempted a school-record 57 passes, completing 35. He has thrown for more than 300 yards in both of his starts this year.
In the spotlight
Austin quarterback Cooper Woodyard earned a little national attention earlier this month as he was mentioned in Sports Illustrated’s Faces in the Crowd section.
Woodyard, who switched from wide receiver to quarterback in the offseason, rolled up nearly 400 yards and four touchdowns in his first collegiate start as Austin beat Hendrix 55-41.
In three games this season, Woodyard is 45-of-88 for 575 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 151 yards and two scores.
Contact Me
If you have a great story idea or notable accomplishments that deserve a mention in this column, feel free to reach out to me at brian.lester@d3sports.com. You can also follow on Twitter @BLester1993.
