Chandler Green
When seniors make up the majority of starters on one or both sides of the ball, finding suitable replacements can be a difficult process the following year.
MacArthur experienced that to begin this season, losing eight defensive starters from last season to graduation. Needless to say, Mac coach Brett Manning and his coaching staff were hard-pressed to find and develop the necessary experience among the available players.
Luckily for the Highlanders, one of the returners was linebacker Chandler Green.
Green is no stranger to the high-speed action of high school varsity football, taking over a starting role on both sides of the ball for the Highlanders in only his second year at the school.
"He started every game his sophomore year at fullback for us, and ended up playing a lot of linebacker. He might've started five or six games at linebacker, also.
"Last year, Tre Currin kind of took over the fullback spot because we thought it was a good idea to have (Green) on only one side of the ball, so he's played all linebacker. But the past two years, we've used him in our "Big" package, where we have two fullbacks in the game."
Green has done more than his fair share racking up stops for the defense, accumulating 50 tackles during the regular season — five per contest.
Green said though he doubted his abilities at first, Manning's belief in him allowed him to exceed expectations and become a staple in the defensive backfield for the Highlanders.
"It meant a lot that he had that trust in me when I was young, inexperienced and immature," Green said. "It gave me a confidence boost that I could actually do it."
In addition to his playing ability, Green's athleticism is unquestioned, thanks in large part to his work in the weightroom.
Standing 6-0 and weighing 230 pounds, Green's personal bests on the bench press and squat are among the best on the team.
According to his Hudl profile, Green benches 260 pounds and squats an impressive 400 pounds. Further more, he can perform 18 reps at 185 pounds on the bench.
His 40-yard dash is listed as 4.9 seconds, and he has a 26-inch vertical.
"He's a really good kid who has worked hard every offseason," Manning said. "He's here every day with a smile on his face, and he has a good attitude, he's good to be around and he's done a lot of good things for us on the field."
When he's not causing chaos on opposing teams' offenses, Green enjoys hunting and fishing with his friend and fellow linebacker, Rylan Webb.
"I go with Rylan all the time," Green said. "I have a little pond in my backyard that we go fishing in, and sometimes I take him hunting with me."
Of course, spending time with friends provides for many memories and jokes, and one in particular sticks out in Green's mind.
Last spring when the two pals went fishing together, Green managed to rail in some fairly hefty scaly creatures. Webb, on the other hand, wasn't as lucky, and his performance with the fishing rod earned him an embarrassing nickname.
"We always make fun of him because he has this nickname called the 'Dink Master'," Green said. "He's known for catching small fish."
Although Green enjoys all the outdoor activities at his disposal, his main focus is the upcoming matchup with No. 1 Carl Albert and the playoffs.
The contest will mark the fourth-straight year the teams have met in the postseason. Green was on the varsity team for two of those games, which were split between the Highlanders and the Titans.
Green said Friday's contest serves as a rubber match for the seniors, who haven't forgotten how CA sent them out with a loss in the semifinals last season.
"It means a lot to us because we came up short last year," Green said. "We're all going crazy over here working on them. We're excited for this game and just ready for it.
"I expect the atmosphere there to be really good and a lot of people there watching them. It's going to be a tough game."