NEDERLAND — Jordan Wood put an exclamation point on the Nederland Bulldogs’ 37-12 victory over Port Neches-Groves with an 85-yard interception return for a touchdown. It wasn’t supposed to happen, either.



“I talked to one of the PN-G players after the game,” senior linebacker Wood said. “He told me I was supposed to  bite on the play-action and I didn’t end up doing it. I just jumped the route and read (QB A.J. Smith’s) eyes.”



So, what went on with that interception?



“I just read the back and he blocked,” Wood said. “I looked at A.J. and read his eyes before jumping in front of the ball. When I caught it, I just saw all the field in front of me, I knew I wasn’t the fastest guy on the field, so I was hoping to get some blocks as I ran down the field. I heard that Koby Couron shielded a guy off for me, which helped me get to the end zone. Without them, I wouldn’t have scored, because I would have gotten caught.”



When Wood explains what happened, it sounds simple. He didn’t bite on a fake, dropped into coverage and just read the quarterback’s eyes. But that’s a pretty advanced play for a high school player to make. According to Nederland head coach Larry Neumann, that’s par for the course for a guy who has started since his sophomore season and been a first-team all-district pick for the past two seasons.



“He’s as savvy as any player I’ve ever coached,” Neumann said. “He knows the nuances of the game. He’s alert. He makes calls, straightens people out and lines up other people. In my experience as a coach, some players are very coachable. You can tell them what to do and they’ll work on it. Some players understand concepts and get the big picture. You can’t coach that, they just have to have it and Jordan does.



“He understands and makes efforts to try to know what everyone does, including the secondary. He understands everything about his assignment and how it works with everyone else. We don’t lead him to that, he just absorbs it and then takes it on the field with him Friday nights.”



Wood is having a very good season once again. In addition to getting his first TD and first interception of the season, he has 42 tackles, including five for a loss, and a fumble recovery. He and Stampley have a fun rivalry in the middle with each other, which made Wood’s return against PN-G that much sweeter.



“They’ve been playing together with a little bit of rivalry with that interception thing,” Neumann said. “They enjoy each other’s company and have a competitive way of playing. They’re fun to be around.”



For the record, Wood’s one interception return (85 yards) this season covered more yards than both of Stampley’s (76 yards total). Wood said he knew that and was sure to let Stampley know too. But, kidding aside, Wood said that the good-natured ribbing is part of a very tight-knit defensive group.



“Korbin already has two interceptions, and we’ve been ragging on each other,” Wood said. “He didn’t have an interception in three years, and now he has two pick-sixes. Everyone comes to work every day. We are always messing with each other, joking around, but we know that when it’s time to be serious, we are.”



Wood said this year’s team has the best defense of the past three seasons. Part of that success from the linebacker position is from film work during the week.



“Coach (Toby Tolbert) has us watching film three or four times a week,” Wood said. “We’ll watch it in here and I can also watch it at home through the HUDL program. When you watch the offensive linemen, you can tell how they like to sit back and certain characteristics of how they set up. That tells us a lot of what they might do during games, which can help a lot.”



The most striking thing about Wood may be some of the same things that set up his touchdown. According to Neumann, he’s a versatile player who can do many different things, but he always makes the play.



“He’s a very physical player, but that’s not what jumps out at you about Jordan Wood,” Neumann said. “What jumps out is that he’s seldom out of position. He always makes the plays when he has a chance to make them. He makes every tackle, just about.

“He makes tackles where when you look at it, almost no one else could make that tackle. He saves plays that no one will ever know about, because he made the play. We’ve got some other guys like that, but he’s done it a lot in his career.”



BULLDOG BITES: The son of Kathy and Dean Wood, Jordan is still considering whether he wants to play football in college. He says he’s drawn some interest, but right now, he’s just thinking of a career as a physical therapist. … When Wood was selected to the all-district team in his sophomore season of 2010, he was a unanimous selection. … Nederland now has 12 interceptions on the season, one less than the record during Neumann’s tenure with the Bulldogs. … This Nederland team has a chance to join some special company. The Bulldogs are on a streak of 14 straight district victories. According to  research by former News sports scribe Russ DeVillier, the Bulldogs have not repeated as undisputed district champs since Gene Henderson’s Nederland teams won three straight titles from 1963-65. Not since 1957, the state championship team coached by Dr. Emmett McKenzie, has a Nederland team gone undefeated through district play for two straight seasons. The best district run in school history may have come under Bum Phillips. In his final three seasons, Phillips’ Bulldogs did not lose a district contest, going an amazing 36-2-2. … Nederland running back Kendrick Hopkins remains in third place in the district in rushing yards with 915. That puts him on pace for 1,307 yards during the regular season, with the possibility of him becoming the first Nederland player to eclipse 1,500 yards since Wareall Grogan had 1,595 yards in 2008.



Five Questions with Jordan Wood

Do you have any pets? Yes, a dog

What’s your favorite college? University of Texas

Best high school memory: 85-yard interception returned for a TD vs. PN-G

Future city you’d like to live in: Austin

If you could play another position, what would it be? Running back