Brotherhood and Family Drive the Machine Called the Wall Hawks

WALL, TX-- As you turn off Highway 87 for Loop 570 in Wall, a sense of welcome tends to wash over you as you enter the rural farming community 15 miles east of San Angelo.

Wall Head Coach Houston Guy is the epitome of that, especially when walking out to a Thursday practice and greeting you with a smile and genuine "how are ya?"

Coach Guy has been around Wall High School as a coach since 1996, when he was an assistant. He says that, while football wasn't as consistently good as it is now, the community that surrounds the Hawks has been.

"There hasn't been a whole lot of change," said Guy of the overall landscape of Wall. "When I got here in 1996...we didn't make the playoffs for the first four or five years. That has changed.  The standards that Wall has set have risen considerably."

Guy took the head coaching position at Wall in the spring of 2007. Since then, Wall has gone 99-24 with six consecutive district titles, a state final berth, and seven 10-win seasons. But when you ask Coach Guy about the program's success, he doesn't take all the credit.

"You can't put your finger on one thing that was the defining moment for Wall's program," said Guy. "I think it's an attitude our kids have developed over time. I think it's our coaches. I think it's the expectations from the parents. I think it's our administration that's extremely supportive. There's so many things going into this that I think you can't put it on just one thing."

In small communities like Wall, it's not uncommon for the parents and families to live and die by their team. But why does that seem constant through small towns across the vast Texas landscape?

"Everybody knows everybody or is related to everybody. [Wall] is no different," said Coach Guy with a slight chuckle. "I think that's one of the things that makes it unique. It makes it very special. I think you get that closeness in this community because of that."

The Wall Hawks are enjoying another great start to their season at 5-0 heading in to district play this week. One of the reasons for this start is a trio that have known each other since the third grade. Seniors Brock Rosenquist, Casey Braden, and Tymber Carr have accounted for 1,949 total yards of offense and 23 touchdowns for Wall in 2017.

"We've been playing together forever," said Rosenquist, the Hawk's Quarterback. "We know what each of us bring to the table. We're all in it together because we've known each other for so long."

That cohesion has also played a huge part in Wall's rise to dominance via the triple option offense.

"The team chemistry we have, we have to have to have it so we know where each of us are going to be at all times," said Running-back Tymber Carr.

"It's like we know exactly where each other are going to be every step of the way," Rosenquist said. "It's like I can feel where every guy is on the field even without looking there."

While Wall's record is perfect at the moment, that doesn't mean there aren't mistakes made on the field by the Hawks.

"Our chemistry is so good that if we have to correct someone's mistakes, no one is going to take it personal," said Braden.

The Hawks will look to open up District 2-3A Division 1 on the right foot when they travel to Grape Creek (0-6) this Friday.