Jimmy Ivey
August 30, 2006 07:26 pm
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The Aledo Bearcats will feature 18 different linemen, on both sides of the ball, which stand six feet or taller. But one stands over them all: 6-6, 300 pound senior, Kyle Hix.
Hix, a two-year letterman, has orally committed to play offensive line for the University of Texas next fall. The recruiting experience is not one Hix will soon forget.
“It was crazy,” Hix said. “I had text messages and mail and stuff. I was overwhelmed by it all. It is crazy I got to experience all that. I would walk into restaurants and stuff and people would be, ‘Hook ‘em Horns’ and stuff like that. I had never seen these people in my life. It is just overwhelming how people know you and you never met them in your life.”
Hix started watching Aledo football when he was very young.
“I watched my brother play,” Hix said. “He was in high school when I was a little kid. It was the sixth grade when I started playing.
“I like being on a team with my friends and getting to go out on Friday nights and see all the people at the games. It is just a really cool atmosphere.”
With his height comes a long arm span and Hix uses it to the best of his ability in one area in particular.
“My pass blocking because I have really long arms and I am pretty quick,” Hix said. “I usually have an edge pass blocking.”
Hix said his run blocking is not bad, it is just not as good as his pass blocking.
Because of his size and height, Hix has enjoyed great success on the Aledo football team, but Hix is the first to tell anyone that he is not the only reason for the success Aledo enjoys on the line of scrimmage.
“It is not just one person,” Hix said. “It takes all five of us to have a good offensive line.”
The success the offensive line has enjoyed has carried through the rest of the team. Since moving to 4A, Aledo has made it to the playoffs every year. And success breeds success, a philosophy Hix agrees with and could be a theme for the entire season. Building on past successes can lead toward achieving a team goal.
“First of all, we want to play more games this year than last year,” Hix said. “We made it to the fourth round. I hope we make it to the sixth round. We just want to make it to state.
“You get to play more games and the more experience you gain the further you go. You get more knowledge. You feel more prepared.”
Hix is wanting to help his team in whatever way he can. At the same time, he has personal goals for this season.
“I want to get better at my run blocking and get stronger, faster and get ready for college,” Hix said.
Hix is not the only one traveling down I-35 to play football at the University of Texas as defensive lineman Michael Wilcoxon has also committed to play for the Longhorns.
“I was really excited [when I heard about Wilcoxon],” Hix said. “Michael and I have been playing football together forever and we are going to the same college and will continue playing.”
This season has a lot of promise for both the Bearcats and Hix. The success Aledo enjoyed was unexpected by some and the fact Aledo went so deep in the playoffs is a testament to the character of the team and its players, like Hix. With an increasingly difficult district schedule, and knowing players are going to give him their best because he agreed to play at UT, Hix will have many interesting match-ups. Hix said he doesn’t often see linemen with his size on the field, but size is not everything. Hix promises there are plenty of good players he will face throughout the schedule.
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