There's no offseason for hog hunting.

"It probably makes you a lot tougher, having to get out there and build fences and throw cows," said Leon's Seth Noey of his life when he's not playing high school football. "And we hog hunt a lot. It's year-round. Deer season is about the only time you can't, because you've got to make sure nobody's gonna shoot your dogs."

They catch the wild hogs live.

"Oh yeah, there are a lot of them around here," Noey said.

Football's offseason is longer. It gives you time to think about the past and what needs to be set right. Last year, a youthful Cougar squad finished 1-9 after posting a 2-8 season in 2007.

"We had a winning record my freshman year, but these past years haven't been very good," Noey said. "I thought we'd be better last year. I don't really know what happened, but this year we've got more experience. Everybody was just young, I think."

Enough is enough. Noey would like to trap a playoff spot his senior season.

"I've been playing varsity for your years," said Noey. "I think this will be our best year."

That might be enough. The Cougars were 6-4 his freshman year, one season after their last playoff appearance.

His resume is built on toughness. Noey is a Wing T fullback and an inside linebacker. In his other high school sport, track, he runs the 400 meters. That's a race that demands a competitive fire as much as skill and speed.

"I like blocking just as much as I do running the ball," said the Cougars' fullback. "It's all fun to me. I wouldn't want to play anything else."

"I think that's good for us," said Leon coach Keith Sitton while talking about Noey's hog hunting. It's part of the country roots at Leon High School, where players are more likely to enter the dressing rooms in boots than athletic shoes.

"I live down a two- or three-mile dirt road, with horses, cows and all that," said Noey.

"We have kids who are used to work, used to being outside," said Sitton. "They are just good old down-home kids. It's not a big deal if you're trying to work them hard, because they are used to that. You don't have to push that button, because they know what's expected."

Noey fits that description to a T. He was a good fit in the Wing T, which Leon made its full-time offense at the start of district play last season. Despite a winless campaign in 20-2A last year, coaches voted Noey first-team all-district honors.

"The people that we play are all tough and they've got a lot of talent," said Noey. "We may not have as much talent as they do, but we've got to try harder. It's nothing we can't handle."

He's looking forward to running behind the same group of lineman, bolstered by a year's worth of play together.

"We've got a big line," said Noey. "We had the same line last year. They've got a little more experience, so it looks pretty good."

"Seth is so important to our team because he is a leader by example," Sitton said. "He's always first in conditioning. Every play in practice, he goes his hardest."

Noey hopes a better year will opens some doors for him in the college game, but he's not the kind that pounds on his chest for attention.

"I'd like to play somewhere in college, but I don't know," said Noey. "We'll see how that goes."

Sitton is glad that Noey is there for his team.

"He's not a vocal leader, but that's really not the kind you need," said Sitton. "He's got great character and great. You always know exactly what you're getting from Seth. You don't ever have to wonder if he's not giving 100 percent, because that's where he is every play. It's important for our young kids to see that."

"I just go as hard as I can whenever we are doing anything," said Noey. "If they are there watching, they'll see."