Lawliss brings Division I attention to Northwest

At first, Draze Lawliss didn’t think too much about the college campus he was visiting. He went to Commerce on Feb. 2 and toured Texas A&M-Commerce, realizing a new coaching staff was in place and it needed a bunch of new players to turn around the program.

“It rubbed me the wrong way,” the former Northwest quarterback said. “I didn’t see any students because I heard they left every weekend. The weight room wasn’t too much to look at. But I also had a major headache that day. So I’m sure that had something to do with it.”

However, new A&M-Commerce head coach Colby Carthel wouldn’t take no for an answer. He told Lawliss one of their first goals was to get the weight room renovated and updated and told him he would have a chance at quarterback but could also play wide receiver if things changed. Regardless, Carthel wanted him.

Lawliss returned with his father to Commerce the following Monday, saw an entirely different campus, verbally committed to the Lions and signed with them on National Signing Day, Feb. 6.

Now, Lawliss never saw the same spotlight as Colleyville Heritage’s Cody Thomas or Carroll’s Kenny Hill. Those two were arguably the top two quarterbacks to ever come out of our coverage area.

But everything is relative. Northwest has always struggled in its history to put a quality program on the field. It’s only been to the playoffs seven times. But Lawliss did something no other quarterback did. He directed the Texans to an 8-3 record – the best mark Northwest has enjoyed as a Class 5A school – and a second-place showing in District 4-5A.

So it’s only fitting that the quarterback finds a place to play at the next level. It’s not going to be in College Station. It’s not going to be in Norman, Okla. But it’s a chance. From there, Lawliss controls his fate.

“We had a motto this year: all in,” Lawliss said. “And it’s kind of gone into every sport. We’ve been told what we did really impacted the school and that we’re changing the culture. It’s kind of cool to be thought that way. But we determined to get something done.”

Lawliss effectively managed this team last season. He completed 59 percent of his passes, finishing with 1,633 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also rushed for 631 yards and two scores.

When you go through his two-year stint at Northwest, it’s a mark that few prior signal callers could match. He won 12 games, completed 59 percent of his passes, threw for 24 touchdowns against only nine interceptions, rushed for 943 yards and eight scores.

Best of all, he emerged as the leader coach Bill Patterson really needed.

Lawliss didn’t beat himself. He rarely put his team in a difficult position. Maybe he would have wanted to throw the ball more. Every quarterback does. But he stayed loyal to the philosophy and produced a program-defining season.

Like its history, Northwest has never been known for being a haven for college recruiters. Maybe what the Lawliss signing does is give more Division I programs a reason to start coming out toward the school located behind the Texas Motor Speedway.

There are some players coming through who may have a chance, including running back Dakota Chavis. Someone has to be the first and blaze the trail. It is a process.

Then maybe Northwest won’t just be known as the school behind the Texas Motor Speedway.

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