If brain power won state championships, the Wildcats could go ahead and start planning the parade right now.

Don’t tell Mesquite Horn, though.

We wouldn’t want to provide them any locker room bulletin board material for tonight’s game.

You'll currently find a handful of seniors on the 2009 squad who would be considered gifted in any classroom.

Case in point: Lake Highlands quarterback Ricky Zorn.

As many Wildcat fans know, Ricky excels both on and off the field and is currently ranked second in the senior class. Not as well known, however, is the fact that several other players deserve academic recognition as well.

John Woodiel is a back-up offensive lineman who's ranked fifth in the senior class. Starting defensive back, Quincy Lane is ranked 53rd, and starting offensive lineman Kurt Stadelman is ranked 75th.

While Ricky, John, Quincy and Kurt deserve to be recognized for their work in the classroom, Coach Smith and his staff deserve just as much credit, if not more, for refocusing the entire program on the “student” side of “student athlete."

When Coach Smith and his staff arrived at Lake Highlands, eligibility issues were a challenge. The UIL's No Pass-No Play mandate hit the team hard, and over a dozen players became ineligible throughout Coach Smith's first season.

“There is a reason we call them student athletes instead of athlete students,” says Coach Smith.

“We coach these kids to do the little things on the football field, but we don't always expect them to do the little things in the classroom,” he explains. “If they can do them on the football field, there is absolutely no reason they can’t do them in the classroom as well. It’s all about attitude and staying focused. They are here to get an education. Football is icing on the cake.”

Amen.

“These young men simply weren’t in the habit of getting it done every day in the classroom, so we had to do something about that, and quick,” says Smith.

Last year, in his second year leading the program, Smith says progress was made. "Only two kids ended up ineligible during last year's season. Of course the goal is 100% eligibility, so we still have work to do."

Many of the players attribute the improvement to a shift in the team's attitude. John Woodiel gives credit where credit is due. “The culture of the program is a big part of it," he says. "We had so many players struggling in the classroom before Coach Smith got here."