HIGH SCHOOL

Alcoa's Warwick a model of toughness

Chris Thomas
USA TODAY Network - Tennessee

Gary Rankin sees Jack Warwick as a model for toughness.

Throw in dedication, too.

Warwick, Alcoa High School’s budding junior middle linebacker, fractured his hand during a preseason scrimmage against West in August; a routine tackle gone awry.

Jack Warwick, Alcoa High School, PrepXtra football defensive player of the year.

He lost feeling in the hand, but shrugged it off.

“I’ll get my hands bruised up when I play, but the next day it will go away,” Warwick said. “The following Monday, I wrapped it, and then finally Tuesday I went and got an X-ray and it was fractured.”

No harm. The cast placed over his hand and wrist were a tangible reminder of the injury, but it didn’t slow his pace on the field.

The 6-foot, 205-pounder didn’t miss a game – much less a practice. Instead, he asserted himself as the unquestioned leader of a revamped Tornadoes defense, helping them repeat as Class 3A state champions and capping his junior year with PrepXtra Defensive Player of the Year honors.

“There’s a certain number of kids that are just born football players,” said Alcoa coach Rankin, the state’s all-time winningest coach at 397-72. “He’s just one of them. He’s one of the toughest kids I’ve ever coached.

“A leader – not a vocal leader – but a working leader. He leads by example. He loves to compete and has turned himself into one of the area’s best linebackers.”

Warwick shifted inside from outside linebacker this year in a season of transition for Alcoa’s defense. The unit was tasked with replacing two Mr. Football finalists and another semifinalist from 2015.

Liberty Tech's Corey Newble is a player Murray State head coach Mitch Stewart said they can "put anywhere in the field."

The personnel changes forced Rankin to put less emphasis on power along the line of scrimmage and more on quickness and athleticism on the back end.

It started with Warwick, who joined his predecessors by contending as a semifinalist for the state's top individual honor.

He was Alcoa’s runaway leader with 174.5 tackles, including nine in the Tornadoes 45-12 BlueCross Bowl victory over Liberty Tech. He also had 8.5 tackles for loss and five sacks this season.

“I didn’t really know what to expect this year because we lost so many good players,” Warwick said. “It just kind of fell in place and our guys did a great job. Everybody stepped up and did their part.”

Chris Thomas covers high school sports. Follow him at twitter.com/christhomaskns

Past PrepXtra defensive players of the year

2015: Jonathan Decker (Alcoa)
2014: Brant Mitchell (Webb)
2013: Cody Underwood (West)
2012: Todd Kelly Jr. (Webb)
2011: Terrell Rollins (Greeneville)
2010: Darrell Warren (Alcoa)
2009: Darrell Warren (Alcoa)
2008: Tyler Robinson (Alcoa)
2007: Matt Williamson (Bearden)
2006: Tyler Maples (Maryville)
2005: Brandon Warren (Alcoa)
2004: Anthony McAlister (Austin-East)
2003: Demarcus Stevens (Fulton)

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