Fort Worth Arlington Heights is the only team in Texas high school football that has held every opponent scoreless this season.

The Yellowjackets are 4-0 with an over 61-point average margin of victory. Let that sink in for a second.

But don’t expect Coach Curtis James’ squad to believe themselves invincible. Arlington Heights’ unit is impenetrable on Friday nights because the scout team exposes all the chinks in their armor every Monday through Thursday. 

“If our JV scout team can score on you, any varsity team can score on you,” James said. “It’s going to happen.”

What his players don’t know (until they read this) is that James is often calling the worst defensive front possible, and giving the scout team the perfect counterattack. He’ll even whisper to the JV guys that they should score on this play, then ask the varsity guys what the hell is going on when it happens.

The sabotage is a lesson for his players: you’re never as strong as you think you are. Arlington Heights learned that the hard way last year after a 9-1 regular season ended in the first round of the playoffs. 

“It’s always good when you go 9-2, and the kids feel like you left a lot on the table,” James said. “That means you’re going to have a hungry, hungry group of kids. So they’re like sponges, and they eat up everything you’re saying.”

The revenge tour began this offseason in the weight room. James assumed the head coaching job ahead of the 2023 season following Phil Young’s retirement, but he has been running the strength and conditioning program for 14 years. Arlington Heights is an inner-city school where most incoming freshmen haven’t touched a weight room before arriving on campus. So, James teaches them the fundamentals of the four basic lifts: bench press, incline press, power clean and squat. The players start with the bar and are never told a number to reach. James only cares about their depth and range of motion. 

Whereas plenty of programs begin 7-on-7 practice as soon as the sun comes out, Arlington Heights stays in the weight room until the end of April. Once the season starts, James begins every practice with a 15-minute conditioning period. Then, the assistant coaches ensure the players don’t slow down even when they’re tired through the rest of the practice. Oh, and all the defensive linemen run in the linebacker drills.

During the Yellowjackets’ Week 1 game against Everman, the side judge turned toward James after his defense forced another three-and-out.

“How long can these big guys run?” he asked.

“They’d better be able to run all day,” James said.

James’ son, senior Caynan, is the leader of the defensive line. The UTEP commit and his brothers, twin juniors Carter (defensive line) and Carson (running back), live on a weight set their father bought years ago. Now, Caynan can squat 700 pounds and bench press 400 pounds at 6-foot-2 and 284 pounds. Caynan is a four-year varsity starter who’s earned District Defensive Newcomer of the Year and two First-Team All-District nods. 

While the front seven was a preseason strength, the secondary, which returned one starter, was a question mark. James says senior Antonio Johnson’s transition from full-time wide receiver to wide receiver and free safety has laid any concerns to rest. When BYU recruited the 6-foot-4, 190-pound athlete, they envisioned him as a defender. Johnson has embraced the role since committing in June.

“He’s like a gift from heaven that just fell into your lap,” James said. “He plays both ways now, but he’s super bought in to defense. He makes interceptions in practice that I’ve never seen a kid at Heights make.”

Aside from rigging practice so the scout team scores, James also keeps his defense humble by having them watch every play, not just the defensive ones, in the film room. That way, they understand that the shutout streak is a team accomplishment, not their own.

“We’re not holding teams to zero just because of the defense,” James said. “We’re holding teams to zero because the special teams are good and we’re getting the ball in great positions. The offense is not turning the ball over and putting us in bad spots. They’re keeping you off the field to stay rested. I try to keep everybody connected.”