By Pat Turner
Contributing Writer

Luke Hyde took the encouraging words of his grandfather’s words to heart at an early age.

While playing peewee football, the late Ralph “Jack” Hyde told his grandson to “keep playing football and keep playing hard.”

The younger Hyde has seen that approach earn him a spot on Smithson Valley’s varsity this season. Not only is he on the roster, the junior linebacker is making an impact with 22 tackles and a fumble recovery during the Rangers’ building of a 4-1 season record and 2-1 District 26-5A mark.

Although his grandfather died a few years ago, the inspiration is still present.

“I think about him a lot before every game,” Hyde said. “He loved football. He went to the Green Bay Packers training camp when he was 30-years-old and always talked about football being a great sport. It all started with him.”

No question football is a big part of the Hyde family. In addition to his grandfather, Luke also inherited a big portion of the passion from his father, Jon, who played at Holmes in the 1970s and was the Huskies’ first 1,000-yard rusher.

Hyde gets a charge from hearing about his father’s playing days. But the linebacker is happy to know he’s creating some interesting stories of his own. Knowing his father and other family members are watching makes it even more special.

“I think he wanted me to be a running back, but I really love defense,” Hyde said. “He really helps me in a lot of ways. The best thing is he’s the only one in the stands just watching me every play.”

Hydes has shown his family and the Rangers plenty during the early stages of his varsity career.

Although it is still a new experience, Hyde leaves no doubt he belongs there. At times, he’s looked like a seasoned veteran with his ability to make things happen on a regular basis.

After all, he’s been waiting for his opportunity a long time.

“I’m glad I got the chance to show what I can do,” Hyde said. “I really thought I would stay with my class, but I am getting a chance to play on varsity as a junior and prove I can hang with the seniors. That is exciting.

“The game is faster on varsity. As the game gets faster, you get faster, too. You have to go out there and play the game. The biggest thing is being consistent and pay attention to what you have to do. You have to play hard and you can’t become complacent.“

Smithson Valley head coach Larry Hill sees that focus from Hyde whenever he hits the field. That was one of the selling points for putting him on varsity.

“Luke is improving all the time,” Hill said. “He is getting better every week and he’ll continue to get better. He has great speed for a linebacker and he’s a hitter.”

Hyde plans to keep the same approach. At the same time, he’s hoping to do his part to get the Rangers back into winning form.

After opening the season with non-district victories over Wagner and Judson, Smithson Valley suffered a 10-7 loss to Reagan in the District 26-5A opener. However the Rangers have made a full recovery with wins over New Braunels (20-7) and Johnson (42-7).

Hyde and the defense did their part. They held the Unicorns to 170 yards offense, including 26 on the ground. Against Johnson, the Rangers held the Jaguars to 157 yards.

He is counting on the same results the rest of the season.

“This team has a lot of spunk and emotional fire,” Hyde said. “Our defense is going to play hard every play. I know the offense is going to do its job. We know about the tradition here and it’s up to us to keep it going. We have to show what we can do.”