Norris looks to be most important guy in Lake run game
Lake’s Tim Norris is a prototypical right tackle.
He’s big at 6-foot-1 and 265 pounds and according to head coach Tate Hanna, he has a mean streak in him. Those are just a few of the qualities that make Norris the latest addition to The Newton County Appeal’s Elite 11.
Hanna, who was also an offensive lineman and has coached for 19 year, said Norris is a special player.
“He probably has the best feet of any lineman that I have had in 18 years,” Hanna said. “He is very quick, very light on his feet. In our offense, our best lineman is the right tackle. We are asking him to do a lot of downblocking, a lot of pulling. To us, he is the most important guy for us on the offensive line. He has been a two-year starter on defense as well. He is going to be the big key in the trenches for us on both sides of the ball. He is going to have all-state potential on both sides of the ball, whichever one he gets picked at.”
Hanna said despite his size, Norris is one of the better athletes on campus. He also played basketball. In the weight room, Norris benches 265 pounds, squats 485 pounds and power cleans 225.
“He is an athlete in a lineman’s body,” Hanna said. “He is a big basketball player as well and had started over there the last two years. The coaches who have seen him on film have raved about his footwork. It’s that good.”
New basketball coach Darrin Gray has been impressed with Norris and his footwork as well.
“He is light on his feet,” Gray said. “I was surprised by how athletic he is. For 255 pounds, he can really move. He is quick for his size and can move. I am expecting him to help us. He has a nice touch on the basketball and can shoot the basketball. He’s a big guy that can step out and shoot the three as well. I didn’t know he was that athletic until I got him in practice. He can run and cut people off. He has been very impressive. He can move will and change direction and that’s something you have to be able to do in basketball. He is also one of those hard-working kids. He’s a kid that is going to play hard and give you 100 percent as well.”
Not only is Norris good on his feet, Hanna praises his all-division lineman for his durability and character.
“Tim is one, the last two years, the kid has never missed a game or missed a down,” Hanna said. “If he is a little banged up, he has pushed through it and worked his tail off. He is a quiet kid, a great kid. He has never missed a summer workout. Of course, he is always ready to work at practice. You never get trouble out of Tim. He leads by example and gives you everything he has.”
Hanna said Norris will play college football somewhere and has offers from Holmes and Mississippi Delta.
“Tim is a kid that is going to put on 20-30 pounds when he gets to college easy and be able to tote it easy,” Hanna said. “But right now, he goes straight from football to basketball, so he never has the opportunity to put on a lot of weight because he’s running so much in basketball. But he’s a kid that once he gets on a college campus, he will bulk up and add that weight.”
Norris said he doesn’t know what he wants to do in college yet.
“I have been trying to narrow down what I could do in college,” Norris said. “There are so many things out there, I’m just trying to find something that I would be good at.”
Hanna said that while Norris has been his right tackle since ninth grade, he could play any position on the offensive line.
“He is a smart kid and not a position on the offensive line that he doesn’t know,” Hanna said. “If we have a guard go down, he would be he guard. He is a very smart kid and is smart in the classroom as well. I expect big things out of him.”
Norris said having a former offensive lineman as a head coach has really helped him.
“He has taught us a lot of the line about technique, foot work and hand placement,” Norris said. “Every game, every practice, he is on the offensive line. He always tells us that the front line wins the game. He gets on us more than he does anybody else.”
After the Hornets finished fourth in the division last year, Norris is hoping to see his team rebound and challenge for the division title this season.
“It’s going to take more hard work, and more dedication and keep pushing every day,” Norris said. “We just have to pretend like every game is our last game. It’s been an intense off-season in the weight room. I just want to be better at my position and be a leader for my team.”
Norris said outside of athletics, he likes to spend time with his family. When not at home, he likes to hunt, fish and ride four-wheelers.
ELITE 11: This is the ninth part of an 11-part series highlighting the top football players in the Newton County Appeal coverage area for the upcoming season. Local coaches nominated the players, while the Elite 11 preseason football team is selected solely by Newton County Appeal sports editor Robbie Robertson. The players are being revealed one at a time, in no particular order.
