DEFENSIVE MVP: Northwood’s Xavier Cousar a dominating force in PCL

Northwood’s Xavier Cousar was the key player on defense for the Timberwolves. (Photo: Fernando M. Donado, For OC Sports Zone)

Northwood High lineman Xavier Cousar, the OC Sports Zone All-Irvine defensive MVP, was a dominating force on defense all season for the Timberwolves.

Time and time again he made big plays.

“Xavier is the single most dominating all-around defensive player from the PCL,”said Northwood Coach Paige Nobles.

Cousar (6-2, 270) helped Northwood go 8-3 overall, finish second in the PCL and earn a trip to the CIF playoffs. He was also named the PCL’s defensive MVP.

“We definitely came far from my sophomore year being a 2-8 team to the playoff bound team (as a junior),” he said. “It was just a great experience and being able to be that defensive MVP,” said Cousar, who played three years on the varsity.

This year the games against Beckman (a 21-7 win by Northwood) and Woodbridge (21-14 victory) stood out.

“Those were the more physical league games, so it definitely required us to step up our game,” said Cousar. “To be able to pull through and win as a team, it was a great experience.”

Each year, he has worked to get better.

Cousar worked on his pass rush the last couple of years. This year, he was  first^t in team tackles, second in team sacks, sixth in the PCL for total tackles and third in sacks in the PCL, Nobles said.

“Just to be able to get off the ball and clear the offensive linemen, that’s what I tried to improve on over the summers,” Cousar said.

The most satisfying play is when his pressure results in a sack, he said.

“It’s definitely a great feeling, you kind of get that little rush and once you see how far you pushed them back, it’s really something that you can’t even explain,” Cousar said.

Cousar said a number of people have helped him in his career so far.

“Definitely my mom, from taking me to camps to taking me to different states for combines, that’s definitely been a factor and definitely Coach Nobles because he pushed us a team and myself as an individual to do better, and definitely our individual position coaches pushed me to be that next level player,” Cousar said.

Cousar said he would like to continue his football career in college and also has a long-range goal.

“NFL….I want to continue doing what I love and definitely want to start getting paid for it, if I can go ahead and move on there, then that’s the goal,” he said.

-Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com