Go Friday Night

Young and Talented

By Lew
December 9, 2005

Freshman pair helps experienced Mustang defense

By Jason Weddle / Reporter-News Staff Writer
December 9, 2005

A year ago, Brandon Bugarin and Rufus McCann were middle school students cheering for the Sweetwater football team as the Mustangs played into the Class 3A Division II state quarterfinals.

Now, the two freshmen are a day away from starting for Sweetwater against Tatum in the state semifinals at 6 p.m. Saturday in Texas Stadium.

No big deal, right?

''It's been incredible,'' Bugarin said. ''Just coming from the eighth grade and getting on varsity and having that kind of atmosphere has just been completely different. It's just wonderful to get this experience and this opportunity.''

Sweetwater had never started a freshman under coach Kent Jackson. In fact, only one freshman has started for Jackson in the coach's entire career, and that fact says as much about the talent of Bugarin and McCann as any statistic could.

Jackson said that he hates nothing more than to bring a freshman up to the varsity team and have him stand and watch every Friday instead of playing every down on the junior varsity or freshman team.

But it was quickly evident that McCann and Bugarin didn't belong anywhere other than varsity.

''Our first day in pads this year, coach Wigington, our defensive coordinator, came in here to my office and told me that he didn't care what else happened, but that Rufus wasn't working out with the freshmen anymore,'' Jackson said. ''He said we were all going to get in trouble because he was going to hurt somebody.''

While McCann was brought to the varsity before the season, Bugarin stayed with the freshmen. But that didn't mean the Sweetwater coaching staff wasn't keeping an eye on him.

But Bugarin stood out over his peers on Thursday nights, and the coaches asked him to start practicing with the varsity team. He more than held his own, and was soon taking the field on Friday nights.

''When they told me I had a chance to play (on varsity), I was like, 'Wow, that's just great,''' Bugarin said. ''And then whenever I figured out that I would be able to start, that was just a feeling you can't think of, especially to be playing on one of these great football teams.''

As hard as it was, the two had managed to impress their coaches, but impressing their new varsity teammates was an even more daunting task. Of the nine other Mustangs starting on defense, five are seniors and four are juniors.

Two wide-eyed freshmen was about the last thing an experienced unit of upperclassmen on a top-10 team wanted to see. But like the coaches, it didn't take long for the young guns to win over their older, skeptical teammates.

''There was an incident the first day Rufus worked out with the varsity where one of the varsity linebackers maybe said something to him like, 'What's he doing out here,' and it wasn't very long after that when Rufus hit one of our upperclassmen and just lit him up,'' Jackson said. ''And then they were like, 'Oh, that's what he's doing up here.'''

A co-district title and four playoff wins later, Sweetwater's upperclassmen are singing the freshmen's praises.

''Those kids are amazing athletes,'' said senior safety Kendall Carrillo. ''They have a lot of heart and a lot of discipline and that's what it takes as a freshman coming up.''

And it isn't just those Sweetwater coaches and upperclassmen that are taking notice of the freshmen's impressive play. District 4-3A opponents are anticipating the headaches Bugarin and McCann will be causing them for the next three years.

''I think my best game so far has been Wylie,'' McCann said. ''I was surprised because after the game I had their coaches come up to me and tell me how great of a player I was and stuff like that, so I thought that was a great compliment.''

Impressive as they may be, Bugarin and McCann are still freshmen. Teams have been designing game plans all season long to attack what they see as the defense's weakest link, and all season long, Bugarin and McCann have risen to the occasion.

If they can continue that trend Saturday, Sweetwater will likely be playing for a state championship next weekend.

Contact sports writer Jason Weddle at weddlej@reporternews.com or 676-6771.

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