The Anchor: Sierra Linda's Lenoxx Hicks
November 30, 2023 by Oliver Fell, Arizona State University
Oliver Fell is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Sierra Linda High School for AZPreps365.com
The defensive end.
The anchor of a successful defense.
Set the edge, beat the tackle, rush the quarterback.
Among the hardest positions in football to play at a high level, it requires immense physical strength, explosive speed, quick reflexes, and plenty of film study.
Lenoxx Hicks has been the shining example of a hallmark defensive end at Sierra Linda for the last four seasons and a player that many Bulldogs football players can look up to.
Hicks has been 1st-team all-division each of his three Sierra Linda Bulldogs seasons. Hicks holds the Sierra Linda career tackle-for-loss record despite playing just 29 games for the Bulldogs. Hicks is undoubtedly among the great defensive linemen in Sierra Linda history. The trick to his success: hard work and his father, George Hicks, pushing him towards football greatness.
Hicks said that he and his dad have been working towards his football career since he was 5 years old.
Sierra Linda defensive end Lenoxx Hicks on Senior Night with his parents, George and Mika Hicks, and brother, London, on October 19 in Phoenix. (Photo courtesy of Lenoxx Hicks)
The long hours of hard work have paid off for the edge rusher.
“Lenoxx is the strongest defensive lineman I’ve ever [coached],” Sierra Linda head coach Ty Preyer said via text message. “He’s very explosive and has a natural feel for the game. He shuts down a side of the field and owns the edge.”
And shut down the offense he has. Hicks has accumulated 51.0 tackles for loss across his 29 game career for an average of 1.76 TFLs per game. This includes a staggering 20.0 tackles for loss his senior 2023-24 season, good for second best in the 4A Southwest region behind Independence High School’s Jerry Washington.
Sierra Linda defensive end Lenoxx Hicks and his teammates take down Gila Ridge quarterback Steven Navas for a safety September 29 in Phoenix. (Photo by Oliver Fell/AZPreps365)
So his run stuffing is good. What about his pass rushing? Hicks has ranked top 5 in his region each of his three seasons for Sierra Linda, including an eighth-place finish in the entirety of the 4A classification his sophomore year with 7.0 sacks. He finished his career high up on the Sierra Linda career sacks list with 17.5 sacks.
Not only is he dominant on the edge in pass rushing and run stuffing, he is also a capable leader, though maybe not the loudest.
“I tried to take on that more vocal role within the team but I think my biggest role was just leading by example,” Hicks said. “Not saying too much, just going out there and going 1-0 every day.”
The players around him noticed his effort, and quite leadership.
“[Hicks[ leads by example,” Preyer said, “He doesn’t talk much but everyone knew he was the unquestioned leader of our team.”
Lenoxx’s hard work has been rewarded, as he has several offers to continue his football career at the collegiate level once he graduates in the spring. Hicks currently holds two Division 1 offers: One from the Morgan State Bears, an HBCU competing at the FCS level in the MEAC conference, and a preferred walk on offer from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, which is also an HBCU at the FCS level but competes in the SWAC conference. And within just the past two weeks, Hicks has picked up a junior college offer from Feather River College in Quincy, California.
As for the Sierra Linda Bulldogs, his graduation is going to take some time to get used to, Preyer said.
