Mtn. View football: Lane Chadwick profile

In early February, I interviewed Lane Chadwick. Well, kind of. He's an interesting guy that is incredibly talented in football and wrestling. He was the dominant factor in the Mountain View (Idaho) Mavericks' defense. Here is the article that will appear in the team's 2012 yearbook.

Lane Chadwick:

 
Mavericks’ top tackler let his actions
talk for him – and awards followed
 
By Bruce Smith
Matchup

             Lane Chadwick was an enigma, except perhaps to his friends.

            For the last two years, the 6-foot, 200-pound middle linebacker was a dominant force. He was Mountain View’s leading tackler, but you would never know talking to him.
            Coming into the 2012 season, Mavericks coach Judd Benedick was looking for a defensive leader, and Chadwick did it not by talking, but by example. He anchored the Mavericks’ defense and graduated with six school records. He was named first team all-SIC twice, made second team all-state as a junior and first team as a senior.
            Opposing coaches called him big and physical and honored him this year with the SIC’s Defensive Player of the Year award. Chadwick accomplished all of that without tooting his own horn. It wasn’t his way. Actions, however, speak louder than words and there were plenty of others who did that for him.
            “He is a tackling machine,” described Benedick. “Just really solid and steady. He was a presence for us and I knew he would be there and make a tackle. He’s not a big hitter, just a really sure tackler.”
            Benedick felt Chadwick became that way because he was also a wrestler. Once he grabbed hold of someone, he never let go.
            And as soon as football ended, Chadwick was again on the mat, joining several other football players. Chadwick dropped weight quickly, and was soon down to 170 pounds. He was expected to be a big factor his senior season after taking third place (winning the consolation title) in the A-1 District 3 meet last year and taking sixth at state.
            Chadwick claimed the two sports often went hand-in-hand.
            “I use a lot of my football mentality and apply it to wrestling,” he said, simply.
            Chadwick had 130 tackles as a senior, including three sacks. He spent much of his time in opposing backfields. He said the best games of his career came against Eagle – both this year and in 2011. Not surprisingly, both were Mountain View’s biggest wins of the season.
            It seemed he saved his best efforts for the best opponents.
            “I play at the best when everyone on my team is playing at their best,” Chadwick said. “In last year’s Eagle game, Eagle was suppose to be big giants, but we ended up destroying their team.”
            Those memories helped make up for a disappointing year in 2012. The Mavericks won their last three games, including a 48-22 decision over Eagle, but still missed the postseason.
            “It went really well,” Chadwick recalled. “We all knew everyone wanted a good season, and that’s what we got. Even thought we didn’t get a shot at the playoffs, we still had a great season.”
            What made it great for Chadwick was just playing with his teammates. The long practices and weekly games playing alongside his friends are what he is going to remember most in the future.
            “I just went to practice every day with a good mentality and I was always thinking about football and how I could better.”
            Chadwick said he started playing football in fourth grade because he had been playing in his yard for many years with his dad and his older brother, Brock, who played football and graduated from Mountain View in 2011. He said he grew up playing the game and jumped at the opportunity to play for the Mavericks.
            When it ended, following the Mavericks’ 53-20 victory over Vallivue, it marked the end of an era.
            “I was really sad to see the season come to an end. Even though we didn’t make our goal, I still had the best season of my life with my friends.”