Frazier to the defense

Now that he's a senior, Sam Frazier wants to leave his mark on McCook's football dynasty.

These are his formative years and football has left a pretty definite impression on Sam Frazier. Not just football, but McCook football, a program which has reached elite status over the past five or six years, all while young Sam has watched, savoring his turn to be a senior, to be top dog, in the red and black.

Frazier's older brother, Stuart, was an all-stater who helped launch the Bison program onto the football stratosphere, includlng a stretch of four years in a row when McCook reached the Class B playoff finals. Sam was riveted by it all, the winning, the hitting, the championships.

Now a senior, Sam Frazier is one of the most highly regarded high school football players in the state, an all-state linebacker last fall who doubles as a sledge hammer fullback in the Bison offense.

Though McCook's string of state finals appearances was snapped last year -- the Bison lost in the west finals to eventual champ Crete -- Frazier believes a new streak will begin this November.

"Watching Stuart play during his career, as they were starting the McCook football dynasty is was like a revolution," says Frazier, who stands 6-2, 220 pounds. "I wanted to be a part of the next state championship team -- it's a driving force for all of us."

McCook coach Jeff Gross believes Sam is only scratching his potential as a football player, especially when comparing his progress to that of his older brother.

"You don't want to get into a lot of brother comparisons but with Stuart you knew what you had stepped on the field. He was bigger and stronger and what you see is what you got, all the way through his career. With Sam, his best days of football are still ahead of him, he's still developing. In terms of football maturity, he's still a baby with a lot of room for growth."

Gross also points out that Frazier exhibits great leadership, a trait he's developed throughout his career.

"He's the ultimate leader on the field and in the weight room, both by example and verbally. He realIy sets the tone for what we get done as a team."

Many of Frazier's days are now filled with recruiting matters, including a lot of attention from Division I programs ranging from Nebraska to Kansas, Kansas State and Wyoming along with a slew of Division I-A and Division II College teams. It's a pretty hectic time in his life. but Frazier is reveling in it.

"The whole recruiting process has been pretty cool. I really like Wyoming right now because they have a coach (Lincoln Pius X graduate Joe Glenn) that I could see myself playing for -- we just clicked. He reminds me of Coach Gross more than any of the other coaches I have dealt with."

As the 2007 season approaches, Frazier sees the team's defense as a true strength, in part because there are a number of key senior starters returning, including himself and tackle J.D. Stone, another all-state candidate.

Junior end Tyrone Sellers is also projected as one of the best defensive player in Class B, and the secondary has the look of being a one, says Frazier.

A linebacker with excellent speed and the size and strength to cause a sudden stop by most running backs, Frazier is at his best roaming the field, looking for that next big trophy hit.

"I love to fly around and make plays, and in our defense I have some freedom to do that, but I still need to make my reads and not get too undisciplined," he says. "I am as hungry as anybody to make the play, but sometimes you have to trust your teammates and I have some great guys around me."

In the McCook offense, the fullback is often an effective weapon, and many former Bison at that position have rushed for more than a thousand yards in a season. That could be in the cards for Frazier, as well, but he's just as happy clearing a swath for his running backs.

"It's a physical game and when its your job to block somebody in the hole it's a matter of will and explosion. I really like the chance to challenge my opponent in a situation like that."

Gulp.

Frazier carries a 3.7 GPA and is also an outstanding wrestler, finishing fourth in the Class B 189-pound division last February.

At the state track meet in May, he bettered his career best by seven feet, throwing 161-2 to finish second to Cozad's Luke Pinkelman. He is also a member of the local chapters of the National Honor Society and Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

When he gets to college he'd like to study biology or another science field.

It's hard for most football programs to look at an 11-1season as a disappointment, but at McCook seasons are not measured by state finals appearances and championships, not just wins and losses. As much as a competitor as Frazier is he's still got a healthy attitude about the whole thing.

"I'd give last season a nine on a scale of 10. We were beaten by the state champs, it was our only loss of the year, and we played a lot of great football. It was just on that one day we were second-best, it happens.

"But we don't want it to happen again."