Aldine ISD schools have seen many student-athletes go on to play at the next level, especially in football.
This year alone, you have Nimitz DB Cory Huff Jr. (Baylor), MacArthur WR Justin Williams Jr. (Rice) and Eisenhower WR Ryan Niblett (Texas). The talent in Aldine ISD is always there, but the question is -- who will be next?
The next star athlete has emerged at Eisenhower, following his breakout sophomore campaign.
Eisenhower sophomore Joseph Albright has gained the attention of many DI programs. The recently rated 4-star played safety and RB for the Eagles making plays all over the field.
"It all started with my cousin. I use to look up to him when I was younger," Albright said. "He was the rising star of the family and I used to want to be like him, so my parents finally decided to let me play at age five."
Playing at such a young age, Albright gained a passion for the game. He now dreams of where football can take him.
"It's been a blessing for me," he said. I’m looking forward to becoming the first in my family to play college football."
Albright saw most of his varsity action on the defensive side of the ball, where he had 52 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 7 pass breakups and two Interceptions. One was a 102-yard pick-six. The sophomore also got some playing time on offense and in the kick-return game accounting for 220 total yards, two rushing touchdowns and a kick return touchdown.
"This season was great for me. Coming in last year as a freshman and starting on varsity for four games was great, but an injury set me back," he said. "This year was the year to redeem myself and show everyone why I should take my talents to the next level. I really enjoyed it."
Albright had a great mentor in WR and teammate Ryan Niblett -- the 4-star Texas-commit.
"He’s a very humble, smart and hard-working person," he said. "He really showed me that it doesn’t matter what school you're at, if you put the work in, you’ll be successful anywhere. He’s like a big brother to me. If there’s anything he can help me with, he would be more than happy to help me. I appreciate him so much for leading the way for me."
While he has made his presence known on the recruiting landscape, Albright is ready for the offseason -- when legends are made.
"I plan to get in the weight room and gain more weight to build my body up," Albright said. "Also, I plan to do a lot of conditioning to help build my endurance."
The future of Eisenhower mentioned he will be hitting some college camps this summer and will run track in the spring.
All in a day's work for Aldine ISD's "Next Big Thing".
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Lake Creek has had amazing run under direction of Pat Kennedy
It’s crazy how things work out sometimes.
When long-time Woodlands coach Mark Schmid resigned as the Highlanders' lead man in 2018, offensive coordinator Jim Rapp slid in as the new coach of the red and green.
Defensive coordinator Pat Kennedy was primed for a head coaching job himself and was a finalist for Conroe ISD’s newest school Grand Oak. It seemed like a perfect fit, however, the job was awarded to La Marque’s Dr. Mike Jackson.
That left Kennedy on the coaching market. He was hired at Montgomery’s new school, Lake Creek.
Grand Oaks has yet to reach the postseason and coach Jackson resigned during the season.
Lake Creek was in the postseason in its third year and currently 12-0 State-ranked going into this Friday’s third-round game against Fort Bend Marshall at 1 pm at Delmar Stadium.
“Pat came in as a young coach on our staff and grew immensely,” Oak Ridge and former Woodlands coach Mark Schmid said. “He worked through our system and took on a leadership role when I named him our defensive coordinator. He learned how to delegate and run a staff, so he was prepared when he got the Lake Creek job.
“Five years later, look at the culture at that school. Every sport has had great success and that is a tribute to Pat. He’s in the right place.”
At 6-foot-8, Kennedy is an intimidating presence. He always has been. He’s had a rough exterior at times, but he’s softening up. But keep that on the down low.
“That hat he used to wear is long gone,” Schmid laughed. “He can celebrate the great moments and work through the tough ones. He does a great job coaching his coaches up and he’s having fun.”
“They play the song, ‘All I do is Win’, around here a lot,” Kennedy laughed. “From softball, basketball, baseball and volleyball, our programs have been really successful. Football is on the way as we build out this program with depth. But this school is really amazing. We just have great kids, parents, and administrators who want to win and are willing to do what it takes to win.”
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Leading the way for Kennedy and the Lions is an explosive offense directed by QB Cade Tessier, who has thrown for 1,700 yards and run for 1,000 more. Sophomore RB Ty Ty Byars has exploded for 2,300 yards and 37 scores, and Sam Lee is the leading receiver.
“Cade is 16-0 as a starting QB. We were on our way last season before he got hurt,” Kennedy said. “Byars is a difference-maker. I’ve seen five great backs at The Woodlands, who all played Division I, and he’s a mix of all of them. I compare him to Ezekiel Elliott – he can run over people, make you miss, catch out of the backfield, and block.”
Kennedy, who made his living coaching defense prior to his head coaching stint, has morphed into an offensive guy.
“The different between Class 6A and 5A football are the offensive and defensive lines,” he said. “Everyone puts their dudes on offense and that’s why Class 5A games are shootouts. We have a really good defense that plays hard, but they are going up against every team’s best players.”
Marshall also follows that trend with elite skill athletes on offense and solid fronts on both sides of the ball.
“They are really well-coached and will be very athletic,” he said. “We are going to see how our kids perform in a game like this. If we can hang around with them until late in the game and not hurt ourselves with penalties and turnovers, we should be ok.”
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