There's no position on a football field quite like linebacker. They aren't trapped in the constant collisions at the line of scrimmage, but if they do their job, they'll find contact in the opposing backfield.

Often, a linebacker's goal is simple: Find the player with the ball and put a hit on him. These can be game-changing plays - a blitz off the corner for a quarterback sack, or clogging a hole just as a running back gets there, depriving an opponent of a badly needed first down in short yardage.

``One thing is they have to relish contact," Oakton coach Pete Bendorf said. ``You can't play that position if you're not one of those guys who wants to run through people."

Here are five players from this area who are ones to watch at linebacker for the coming high school football season:

DANNY PRENTICE

Oakton (6-foot, 220 pounds, Sr.)

Simply put, Prentice is the type of middle linebacker an opposing coach must game plan around.

``I think when a kid is a top-flight player, you have to take him into account," Oakton coach Pete Bendorf said. ``You're silly if you don't."

Prentice, first-team All-Concorde District and All-Northern Region, as well as All-Journal last season, is certainly one of the significant defensive forces returning in 2002.

Prentice made 102 tackles last year and had six sacks for Oakton, mixing a combination of size and speed to disrupt opposing offenses. Prentice has run a 4.7 time in the 40, while benching 345 pounds and squatting 425.

That combined with his size, just about ideal for a linebacker, makes the fact he earned several honors for his play last season very understandable.

``I think that the one thing that sets Danny apart is he has a tremendous motor. He has a real zest for playing the game," Bendorf said. ``Friday nights to him are a big deal and he puts a lot of energy into his preparation. He takes it very serious. He really truly enjoys playing. He has a lot of fun on the football field."

There is no mistaking the importance a tremendous middle linebacker plays in a strong defense. Oakton has a tradition of featuring just that kind of player, players like Brian Welsh (Virginia Tech), Chad Cooper (Virginia Tech) and Mark Kimmener (Massachusetts).

``I would say he's got bits and pieces of each of them," Bendorf said. ``He's got Brian's toughness, Mark's ability to cover the field and he also possesses some of Chad's ability to run.

``He's very intelligent, which helps. That allows him to play the run and the pass very well."

Bendorf also said Prentice's sheer love for the game is a big reason why the senior is such a good player.

``He loves to watch film. He's a student of the game," Bendorf said. ``I think he's just a natural leader. He's not a real vocal guy. But because of his preparation and his energy, it's just contagious."

BRETT CARTER

Gar-Field (5-9, 200, Sr.)

Indians head coach Jim Poythress is hoping middle linebacker Brett Carter is as tenacious in holding on to opposing ball carriers as he was in earning a starting job in Gar-Field's defense.

Carter, who runs the defensive huddle and receives signals from the sidelines, was put into a starting role last year due to injuries ahead of him on the depth chart. Carter's play kept him there, and some offseason weight work and wrestling has got him ready to play a key role on an Indians team expected to contend in the Cardinal District this year.

``He's kind of a throwback player, hard nosed, he gets after it at every practice and in every game," Poythress said. ``We're looking for him to really tighten down the inside from tackle to tackle and make tackles.

``He should be ready to go. We need him to be solid."

Carter is just the latest in what has become a steady stream of standout linebackers at the Dale City school. Last year it was Jamar Atkinson who was the physical presence in the middle of Gar-Field's defense, while before that, Nick Nicholson and Robert Harding did damage in opposing teams' backfields.

But Poythress sees Carter as a smaller version of Ivan Butler, a player who stood 6-2 and weighed as much as 260 pounds for West Potomac when Poythress was an assistant there.

``Brett is just a smaller version of Ivan," Poythress said. ``Brett is not the prototype kid you're looking for. Perhaps we had that in Jamar. But he's got a nose for the ball, he's extremely tough and can get off blocks, he's very coachable. And that becomes the key element. You can take the tools he has and make him a better football player."

And while Carter's size might not make him the ideal physical specimen many coaches say a linebacker is supposed to look like, Poythress would rather find the athlete first.

``The bottom line is, give me a good athlete and we can make him a good linebacker, as long as he's tough," Poythress said. ``Obviously the bigger and stronger the kid is helps, but the meaner he is, the chances of producing somebody really good increase."

DAVID HALE

McLean (5-11 3/4, 216, Sr.)

Last season, it was not uncommon for Hale to rack up 16 or 17 tackles in a game, according to his head coach, Joe Muskett.

That was with Hale playing outside linebacker and relying on quickness, since he only weighed 199 pounds - a bit small by linebacker's standards.

That all changed in the offseason.

Hale put on 17 pounds of muscle and should be even more of a force to be reckoned with for the Highlanders in the Liberty District this fall.

``He has real good instincts for the ball. He's benching over 325 and squatting like 500. He's a strong, strong child," Muskett said. ``He plays with a lot more confidence [now] and strength is the great equalizer. Strength can make you quicker and faster. Some people put on the wrong 17 pounds and they actually slow down. But it's made him quicker and faster."

Hale finished last season with 153 tackles, including 10 for loss, and has drawn interest from schools in both the ACC and the Big East.

Hale's role takes on added responsibility this season, as many of the Highlanders' offensive skill players have graduated - probably meaning the defense will have to stand its ground even more while the offense comes of age.

But that task probably won't bother Hale, whom Muskett said has an intense appetite for the game.

``His motor is always running, he gives 110 percent on every play. We have to tone him down in practice," Muskett said. ``He loves the game. He just flat out loves the game.

``He likes to rock 'em, sock 'em."

BRETT WARREN

Centreville (6-2, 200, Sr.)

Warren takes over as the leader in a Centreville defense with a lot of ability and a big tradition to uphold.

Good linebackers have not been a rare site for the Wildcats, where first Jason Myers and then last year, Kevin Foglio, have been standouts.

Last year, Foglio led the team during the regular season with 71 tackles, while Warren also spearheaded a unit that gave up just 30 points during an undefeated regular season.

Warren and his defensive mates were so good, in fact, the Wildcats allowed just 22.4 rushing yards per game.

Like Shubert, Warren also comes from good bloodlines. His father, Donnie Warren, played during the 1980s with the Redskins and is now the head baseball coach at Centreville.

Oakton coach Pete Bendorf, who must game plan for the Wildcats as part of the Concorde District, called Warren, ``a quality linebacker."

Warren's ability will probably be relied on heavily this season, with the loss of graduated All-Journal players Foglio and Tony Alpy.

The Wildcats open the regular season Sept. 5 at home to Lake Braddock.

BLAKE SHUBERT

Robinson (6-1, 230, Sr.)

As the soon of a former NFL linebacker, Shubert no doubt had the bloodlines necessary to be a standout at that position in his own right.

But Shubert also has the size, speed and strength to excel, attributes that make him a four-year starter for one of the state's top programs and defending Group AAA, Division 6 champions

``He's strong and he's fast. He has an excellent pedigree," said Robinson coach Mark Bendorf, adding Shubert's father, Ed, played for the New York Jets in the 1970s. ``He embodies that type of demeanor. He's a fierce competitor, a very physical, aggressive player."

Shubert was an All-State choice last season during the Rams' championship run, and has gotten the job done in the classroom, as well, sporting a 4.0 grade point average, Bendorf said.

He teams with another standout, Danny Adams, in the middle of Robinson's defense - a unit that allowed just 11 points per game during the 2001 regular season.

Shubert led Robinson with 118 tackles last year.

This year, with the Rams having to replace their graduated secondary and at most two defensive linemen coming back, Shubert's work with Adams in the middle might be even more critical to Robinson's possible success.

``What I need from him is just to do his job. Be the leader on defense, along with [Adam] Fassnacht and [Chase] Anastasio," Bendorf said. ``We need him to be that fiery leader on Friday nights when the coaches can't cross the line."

Because of his excellent work both on the field and in the classroom, Shubert has drawn interest from Ivy League schools and several Division I-A programs.

A linebacker of Shubert's type, Bendorf said, doesn't come down the pipe that often.

``Today's game, with as fast as the game is, the days of the plug linebacker, the one who could just fill a gap, are pretty much done," Bendorf said. ``They have to be highly mobile, highly athletic. Look at [Redskins linebacker] LaVar Arrington, he has running back speed. That's what you look for."