The gradation of All-District defensive tackle Nathan Thacker left a potentially-massive void in the Lord Botetourt defense, and many believed that the Cavalier front-four would take a step back in 2015.
Fortunately for head coach Jamie Harless, the emergence of sophomore Noah Overstreet helped Botetourt become even more dominant in the trenches last fall.
In his first full-time season with the varsity program, Overstreet burst onto the scene in the month of September and never looked back.
Overstreet finished the 2015 campaign with a remarkable 48 tackles for a loss, and 15.5 sacks, leading the team in both categories by a wide margin.
Harless, along with coach Botetourt offensive/defensive line coach Don Rice, played on the line at the college level, has worked to establish the Cavaliers as a physical program at the point of attack ever since he arrived in Daleville.
With 36 wins in four years, Harless has mentored a number of quality linemen, but feels that he has something extra special in Overstreet.
“Noah plays like a senior who's been a four-year starter,” Harless said.
“He has it all- size, speed, tremendous strength and cat-like change of direction ability. All of that plus grades and very coachable...he's the whole package.”
Before he became a standout tackle in the Blue Ridge District, Overstreet was a regular in the school’s weight room in the summer of 2015.
Weighing in at 190 pounds after his freshmen season, Overstreet worked his way up to 240 pounds in less than a year’s time. Overstreet, who according to his coaches will likely be up to around 260-pounds by his senior year, also grew two inches, and became more explosive, despite the substantial size increase.
“It hasn't been too hard carrying the added size because the extra weight has been due to strength training and muscle,” Overstreet noted.
“I have also been working on speed while I have been gaining weight.”
Overstreet has continued to wow his teammates in coaches in the weight room.
“My bench and squat both went up a lot,” Overstreet noted.
“My bench is up to 325 and my squat is up to 525 and we've been working on explosiveness a lot recently and I ended up getting 225 [pounds] for 21 reps on bench press.”
Overstreet used the added size that he put on between his freshman and sophomore seasons, and evolved into one of the most feared defensive linemen in the Roanoke Valley last fall.
After being called up to varsity at the end of his rookie campaign, Overstreet turned heads immediately the following season, by registering four sacks in his first game as a full-time starter.
Overstreet helped spearhead a dominant Botetourt defense that limited all but two of its opponents to below 20 points.
The Cavaliers held six of their first seven foes to single digits, and Overstreet finished with more sacks than the opponent did points on two separate occasions.
“It was certainly a surprise,” said Overstreet of his fast start,”
“My coaches helped me a lot throughout the season and I also learned a lot through camps that I went to. After each game, I started gaining more confidence, but after the third or fourth, I realized that as long as I play hard and listen to what my coaches tell me that things would work out well.”
Overstreet finished his breakout sophomore season with 15 quarterback hurries and a safety in addition to his 84 total tackles.
The sophomore earned First Team All-District, All-Conference, and All-3A West Regional recognition for his dominant play in the trenches.
Though he was seemingly raising the bar each and every week, Overstreet never abandoned the team’s overall plan, or shied away from what got him to that point in the first place.
“I think my biggest strengths are explosiveness, being able to come off the ball quickly and tackling,” Overstreet noted.
“Our scheme has always been about filling gaps first then making plays after. I think that having so many great teammates helped me because a lot of ball carriers were forced to change their path to avoid those players, causing a lot of gang tackles to be made.”
With an impressive season in the books and potentially two more on the way, Overstreet is beginning to turn his attention to the recruiting process.
“Recruiters from schools such as Virginia Tech and the University of Cincinnati have shown interest and liked what they saw in my highlights,” Overstreet noted.
“I just recently toured Appalachian State and watched their Spring practice. I have also had unofficial visits to watch games at Liberty and UNC Charlotte.”
Fortunately for head coach Jamie Harless, the emergence of sophomore Noah Overstreet helped Botetourt become even more dominant in the trenches last fall.
In his first full-time season with the varsity program, Overstreet burst onto the scene in the month of September and never looked back.
Overstreet finished the 2015 campaign with a remarkable 48 tackles for a loss, and 15.5 sacks, leading the team in both categories by a wide margin.
Harless, along with coach Botetourt offensive/defensive line coach Don Rice, played on the line at the college level, has worked to establish the Cavaliers as a physical program at the point of attack ever since he arrived in Daleville.
With 36 wins in four years, Harless has mentored a number of quality linemen, but feels that he has something extra special in Overstreet.
“Noah plays like a senior who's been a four-year starter,” Harless said.
“He has it all- size, speed, tremendous strength and cat-like change of direction ability. All of that plus grades and very coachable...he's the whole package.”
Before he became a standout tackle in the Blue Ridge District, Overstreet was a regular in the school’s weight room in the summer of 2015.
Weighing in at 190 pounds after his freshmen season, Overstreet worked his way up to 240 pounds in less than a year’s time. Overstreet, who according to his coaches will likely be up to around 260-pounds by his senior year, also grew two inches, and became more explosive, despite the substantial size increase.
“It hasn't been too hard carrying the added size because the extra weight has been due to strength training and muscle,” Overstreet noted.
“I have also been working on speed while I have been gaining weight.”
Overstreet has continued to wow his teammates in coaches in the weight room.
“My bench and squat both went up a lot,” Overstreet noted.
“My bench is up to 325 and my squat is up to 525 and we've been working on explosiveness a lot recently and I ended up getting 225 [pounds] for 21 reps on bench press.”
Overstreet used the added size that he put on between his freshman and sophomore seasons, and evolved into one of the most feared defensive linemen in the Roanoke Valley last fall.
After being called up to varsity at the end of his rookie campaign, Overstreet turned heads immediately the following season, by registering four sacks in his first game as a full-time starter.
Overstreet helped spearhead a dominant Botetourt defense that limited all but two of its opponents to below 20 points.
The Cavaliers held six of their first seven foes to single digits, and Overstreet finished with more sacks than the opponent did points on two separate occasions.
“It was certainly a surprise,” said Overstreet of his fast start,”
“My coaches helped me a lot throughout the season and I also learned a lot through camps that I went to. After each game, I started gaining more confidence, but after the third or fourth, I realized that as long as I play hard and listen to what my coaches tell me that things would work out well.”
Overstreet finished his breakout sophomore season with 15 quarterback hurries and a safety in addition to his 84 total tackles.
The sophomore earned First Team All-District, All-Conference, and All-3A West Regional recognition for his dominant play in the trenches.
Though he was seemingly raising the bar each and every week, Overstreet never abandoned the team’s overall plan, or shied away from what got him to that point in the first place.
“I think my biggest strengths are explosiveness, being able to come off the ball quickly and tackling,” Overstreet noted.
“Our scheme has always been about filling gaps first then making plays after. I think that having so many great teammates helped me because a lot of ball carriers were forced to change their path to avoid those players, causing a lot of gang tackles to be made.”
With an impressive season in the books and potentially two more on the way, Overstreet is beginning to turn his attention to the recruiting process.
“Recruiters from schools such as Virginia Tech and the University of Cincinnati have shown interest and liked what they saw in my highlights,” Overstreet noted.
“I just recently toured Appalachian State and watched their Spring practice. I have also had unofficial visits to watch games at Liberty and UNC Charlotte.”
