HICKS FITTING IN NICELY WITH BEARCATS

With a final of 55-21 might lead you to believe there wasn’t a key moment in Friday’s win over Greenland.

However, with 1:04 to play in the opening quarter, the Bearcats led only 19-14 but had just punted the ball away to the Pirates.

On first down Dax Goff forced a fumble that David Hicks pounced on for the Bearcats and any momentum Greenland might be building vanished.

Hicks, a senior, has made a habit of being in the right place at the right time lately. The turnover in Greenland follows a game in which he blocked an extra point against West Fork.

Hicks’ fumble recovery was actually the first defensive fumble take-away of the season, but he also recovered an onside kick by Hackett to start that game and he had a 17-yard sack (shown) against the Hornets as well.

For the year Hicks has 17 total tackles with three for a loss, including five tackles against West Fork.

None of that would have been possible a year ago because Hicks was attending Canutillo High School near El Paso, Texas and not even playing football for the 5A school.

His parents, both (Joe and Deanne) law enforcement officers in El Paso, got an opportunity to move home but it meant Hicks would be leaving the school district he and a brother had called home their entire lives.

“We’ve wanted to be back here since I was little, to be near family and stuff,” said Hicks. “We finally got the opportunity.”

Part of that family is actually in the locker room with Hicks as Brooks Herrera is a cousin.

Hicks says the move has gone “pretty smoothly,” though the culture is obviously much different than that of west Texas.

That is despite it, taking him away from a position as a veterinarian tech, which he thoroughly enjoyed.

“I played football all the way up until my sophomore year when I took a year off to go work at that clinic,” said Hicks.

Defensive and offensive line coach Jacob Hattabaugh is glad to have Hicks and his attitude who sometimes comes off as mild-mannered away from the field, but isn’t so much once it’s time for football.

“He has a worker’s mentality and doesn’t take garbage from anybody,” said Hattabaugh.

While playing in Texas Hicks played in a scheme similar to the one he is in here, playing defensive tackle or defensive end.

“It’s not that much different. It’s pretty much universal. The offensive side I’m not that much in tune with,” Hick said.

There was no warming up period for the newcomer.

“From the first day here they were all really nice,” Hicks said of his teammates.

There was one thing that didn't work. Initially issued number 28, Hicks found out it didn't fit and switched to the more traditional lineman number of 66.

Hicks also came on track to graduate so his schedule includes a veterinarian science class he said he “took just for fun.”

“One class I did need was civics. We didn’t have that in Texas. We didn’t have to take a civics exam or anything like that,” said Hicks.

He also needed a math class so he opted for statistics over calculus.

Hicks expects to follow the plan to become a veterinarian with a bachelors in pre-vet followed by a masters.

“When I first started working at the vet clinic, I wasn’t too sure about it but after about two months I decided this is what I want to end up doing (as a career),” said Hicks.

After football Hicks expects to make his way to the Bearcat baseball team.