He hears the whistle blow for the start of the game. He gets his team in the huddle to decide the play. The offense lines up at the line of scrimmage. He snaps the ball. He drops back into the pocket. So many options. He goes with the hand-off to running back, Javon Thomas. And Thomas is gone for the touchdown. Sophomore Cade Pearson made his debut with this  play last Friday night against Whitehouse. Now, he faces the pressure against a crosstown rival Arkansas High School.

After playing a year on the freshman team, Pearson is ready to tackle the challenge of starting quarterback on the varsity team. His coaches have helped with this major transition.

“Right now, a lot of [the] coaches have taken a lot of pressure off me,” Pearson said. “ They all take it to the film room. That is where my pressure is relieved.”

Flashback a week, and the pressure becomes a different story than his now relaxed but determined attitude.

“Before the game, I was super nervous,” Pearson said. “But after we [broke] from the huddle, all the pressure went away.”

Being around his teammates during the huddle helps Pearson with handling the pressure of a starting position.

“All the pressure is really relieved,” Pearson said. “Because I know that each one of my teammates is going to do the right thing and what they are supposed to do every play.”

Pearson will be playing against one of his former teammates, Bailey Sprayberry, the starting quarterback for Arkansas High.

“Playing against [Sprayberry] won’t make a difference for how I play,” Pearson said. “I am going to do the same as [if I’m playing] any other team.”

Playing against other opponents is not the case for the game against Arkansas. Texas High football has been preparing this whole week for the big game.

“We have been practicing hard all week,” Pearson said. “We’ve had two practices every day, and everyone one is really motivated.”