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Logan Baker didn't grow up dreaming of being a defensive end.

The Lebanon senior played fullback and linebacker throughout his football youth and embraced the spotlight that accompanies those positions.

So, when the Lebanon High coaching staff approached Baker as a sophomore and asked him to move to the defensive line, he wasn't thrilled with the change.

"It was hard at first," Baker said. "My whole life I ran the ball and played linebacker so I wasn't excited about it.

"But now, I like it. It's cool playing defensive end. I just have one job — go get whoever has the ball. It's fun."

In the season opener against Western Hills, Baker recorded a team-high 14 tackles, two sacks and intercepted a pass for the first time as a varsity player.

"I just played hard every down and owned the guy across from me," Baker said. "I met my personal goals in tackles and sacks, but the interception, I didn't expect that."

Baker attributes his success to hard work in the weight room to increase his strength and quickness, which he says allows him to change direction at the line of scrimmage and chase down ball carriers.

He also credits his family — mom, Janis, sister, Lindsey, and father, Rick — for their support. His dad played wide receiver and defensive back for the Warriors in the late 1970s.

"Dad rags on me to do certain things but he doesn't really know the role of a defensive lineman," Baker said. "It's hard to move around blocks and hunt down the ball, but he expects me to be there on every play.

"It is pretty cool though, that I got to play on the same grass that he did. We share a lot of the same experiences, it's just 30 years apart."

Baker has earned the respect of his coaches and teammates for his willingness to put the team ahead of his personal desire.

"Logan has sacrificed his personal goals to help our team and has become an all-league defensive end," Lebanon coach Shawn Lamb said. "He was voted a team captain by his teammates, and I think that says a lot."