‘I was really skeptical about doing this,’ says Richland standout defender

Ged Kates’ big idea drew blank looks instead of rousing endorsements.

He was doing what?

As Richland’s head coach and his staff evaluated possibilities for the 2017 defense, defensive end was a need. At the high school level, if an end is about 6-0 or 6-1 and around 200 pounds, that’s perfect.

But the solutions were found with the atypical choices of 5-10 Lethaniel Bouie and 5-10 Matthew Quenichet. Each weighs about 180.

“I was really skeptical about doing this because of my height and weight with what the position demands,” Quenichet said. “I just trusted my coaches to make the best decision for me.”

They’re not model defensive ends. But they are staples for this historic playoff run. The Rebels (10-2) play their first ever December playoff game when they meet El Paso Parkland (10-2) in the Class 5A Division II Region I semifinals at 1 p.m. Saturday at AT&T Jones Stadium in Lubbock.

Kates researched this move before he made it. Quenichet and Bouie were considered to be the best options. Ordinarily, they would be linebackers in Richland’s 4-2-5 configuration. Both are physical. Both play with leverage. Both are explosive with their first step.

However, the Rebels have two Division I standouts in DaShaun White (committed to Texas A&M) and Larry Nixon (committed to North Texas) at linebacker, so Quenichet and Bouie weren’t going there.

Richland needed a place to put them. In this alignment, defensive ends stand up. Kates and his staff visited with TCU’s staff in the offseason about how it uses its ends, especially in today’s game where most offenses do not use a tight end.

He then sold the idea Quenichet and Bouie, and later, their parents, when Kates went on senior summer in-home meetings.

“A lot of standing up is the same technique with the feet,” Kates said. “There are some things to account for in the zone read with the quarterback run game. Because these two played in the secondary and at linebacker before, they were used to diagnosing a lot in the backfield. They could still do it and play the block.”

Each week, they are yielding size to the opposing offensive tackle. Quenichet is usually on the left side. Bouie is on the right. However, that first step has been a difference-maker. The two have combined for 11 ½ sacks and 28 hurries. A hurry is equal to a sack because it drains a down and puts more pressure on the quarterback.

Quenichet and Bouie aren’t tall enough to impair outside throwing windows. They make up for it by closing the timing of those windows quickly. Richland defensive numbers show Quenichet has caused the opposing offense to commit nine holding penalties and had his jersey repaired three different times. Bouie has forced eight.

“I was ready and excited to do it,” Bouie said. “I just learned the speed and skills off the edge. I really worked on that first step. When the ball is snapped, you go hard.”

Their speed accounts for them being able to string perimeter plays wider than designed to go, especially screens. But they must also account for the running game if the tackle doesn’t oppose them and goes up field.

In some respects Richland could look like a 3-4 defensive look with these two. The difference is that they’re standing at the line of scrimmage, not five yards behind it. They have thrived, and that’s partly why Richland is trying to advance to its first state quarterfinal game.

“It’s been far beyond my expectations,” Kates said. “I told Matthew’s parents he could be an all-district player. I told Bouie, if keeps playing like this, he won’t be coming off the field.”

This story was originally published December 1, 2017 at 3:07 PM with the headline "‘I was really skeptical about doing this,’ says Richland standout defender."