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RANKINGS
GCCISD Magazine Feature: Sand to Turf
IN JULY, WHEN MOST HIGH SCHOOLERS WOULD JUST BE RELAXING ON THE BEACH, BRICE LANE WAS STILL PUTTING IN WORK.
With the caption "I'm So Focused", Lane posted a video to his personal Twitter account of him running a route, kicking up the white sand into the air as he reached out and made the eventual catch. "Really the mentality is if I can run in the sand it's going to be way easier on the field," Lane said. "It was me just staying prepared for the season so I know when I look back, I wouldn't have any regrets knowing I worked as hard as I could for my senior year."
It is a senior year that Lane is grateful for. Over the summer, the six-foot, 190-pound back picked up offers from East Texas Baptist University and Louisiana College. "It was exciting because it was the first time I've gotten offers," Lane said. "It just made me thirsty for more and not to be satisfied."
Last year for Goose Creek Memorial, which went 3-7 under first-year coach Shannon Carter, Lane finished as the sixth-best running back in District 9-5A-DI. Lane rushed for 573 yards and six scores in his junior season and has lofty goals for his final campaign on the high school field. "In my sophomore and junior year, I didn't really do that well," Lane said. "This is my senior year, so I want to go out with a bang. So, 1,500 yards, that's what I'm going to go for. "That's what I'm going to get."
Carter admits that Lane is one of their key returners on the offensive side of the ball and when you turn on his film you can tell why. "The kid had a great offseason," Carter said. "He's extremely strong, about a 200-pound running back. He's a very good football player, he's going to be our workhorse and we're looking for him to take us to the next level."
Football is something that has been in Lane's life since he can remember. The senior reflected and said since he was born, he has walked around with a football. He has been playing the game since he was 10-years-old. Now, getting just the opportunity to have a season – when he sat back and watched spring athletes in the Class of 2020 have theirs taken away due to COVID-19 – Lane is not about to waste it. "Now that we have the opportunity to have a season, I'm going to make sure I give it my all for me and my team," Lane said.
To see the entire Goose Creek CISD publication, CLICK HERE
GCCISD Magazine Feature: Goose Creek Memorial Football
ENTERING THE SECOND YEAR OF RUNNING A PROGRAM IS VASTLY DIFFERENT THAN THE FIRST ONE. SHANNON CARTER ADMITS THERE ARE SOME MAJOR DIFFERENCES, BUT THEY MOSTLY BOIL DOWN TO HIM KNOWING THE PLAYERS AND VICE VERSA.
"I think the kids know the system," Carter said. "You know you always talk about culture and how you do things. They know how we do things now from offseason to offense to defense to special teams. I'm excited to have some familiarity with a lot of experience coming back."
Goose Creek Memorial is still one of the younger programs in the district. The district they get thrust into include GCCISD counterparts Baytown Sterling and Lee but also add in Beaumont United, Friendswood, La Porte, Galveston Ball and Port Arthur Memorial. "It's a good district," Carter said. "There's a lot of parity in our district. Every Friday you have to come to play."
Offensively, Brice Lane is back as a key piece for his senior year and will dictate the game out of the backfield at the running back. Dylan Pitre is back at quarterback, Ethan Dyson and Riley Banks will anchor the O-Line and Jaylon Thompson and Jalen Davis will be X-factors at receiver. Defensively, Bryce Johnson will set the tone at middle linebacker, Jaden Gilbert and Richie Rodney will be forces on the defensive line and Auriel Hector will lead the secondary.
Looking back at last year, the Patriots went 3-7 overall – losing three of those games by one score – which Carter said if those would have flipped then the record could have easily been 6-4 and potentially with a playoff berth. "Our motto in the offseason was 'Sow your seed, reap the harvest'," Carter said. "So, we're going to try and do the little things right so those one-score games turn in our favor. We're going to try and improve this year."
If Goose Creek Memorial can do that, the Patriots could march into the playoffs for the first time since 2013, seeking the program's first ever playoff victory.
To see the entire Goose Creek CISD publication, CLICK HERE