District 2A-2: Josh Blair leads strong Christian Heritage defense

"We have depth at positions, which we have not had," he said.

What's more, among the long list of game-ready players, Merrell has one of Class 2A's top defenders in Josh Blair.

"This will be his third year to start for us at linebacker," Merrell said. "And he's bigger and stronger than he's ever been. He's over 215 now. He just has tremendous desire to be a good football player and he's only gotten better and better every year."

The son of Paul Blair, who was an offensive lineman for Oklahoma State and the Chicago Bears, Josh Blair is excelling on the other side of the ball. As a junior he piled up 113 tackles and had 16 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. He also recovered six fumbles.

Now at 6-1, 220 pounds, Blair appears set for an even bigger season, which could result in additional recruiting attention.

Aside from Blair's obvious athleticism, Merrell says the linebacker has all the other intangibles required of a star player