August 10, 2011
The age-old question of what makes an ideal quarterback will always include a laundry list of requirements. Size, height, quickness, leadership, intangibles, among other criteria would be included on this list. As a result, one would ask what the "devil is in the details" of a successful football program, but for the Carmel High football team, Devin Pearson is that key factor in the Padres' success.
Carmel Coach Golden Anderson lauds the skills of his signal caller. "Obviously [Devin] is a great athlete who can perform at a high level athletically...but he works extremely hard. He is our hardest worker and every single player and coach in our program would agree. He puts in all the grunt work to prepare for the football season," said Anderson. "I've also coached him in baseball - and when he goes into the cage to hit, it's all business - it isn't just try hard when he hits BP on the field. He will hit the tee, soft toss; do all the drills every time without being told. Devin doesn't need to, and most high school athletes who have success don't, but he outworks people. He is the most competitive high school athlete I have been around. He wants to win at everything he does - he turns conditioning in to a competition - and he isn't just a guy who is mad when he doesn't do well so people say 'oh he must be really competitive'. He is literally trying to find a way to beat his opponent, or challenge himself in everything he does. He has missed 1 day of football practice since I've coached him - three summers and two seasons so far and he's missed one day when he was sick...one day."
At 6-foot-0 and 186 pounds, Pearson can run 4.52 seconds in the 40-yard dash, bench press 285 pounds, and can squat 315 pounds. Carmel finished last season at 11-2 and advanced to the Central Coast Section championship game. Pearson threw for 2,673 yards, ran for 1,093 yards, scored 24 passing and 12 rushing touchdowns that earned him Mission Trail Athletic League Player of the Year.
Pearson compares his game to Texas Longhorn Vince Young because he can throw accurately but also make plays with his feet. Carmel runs the spread that allows Pearson to make proper reads but leaves the option to run. Pearson has been a varsity starter since his sophomore year and his favorite move is the cutback.
During the summer, he works on his speed training and quarterback footwork. He also attended several camps including Elite 11, San Diego State camp, Stanford camp, UC Davis camp, and University of San Diego camp.
"[Devin] is a leader. He makes everyone around him better," said Anderson. "He is an extremely composed athlete. If he threw a touchdown or an interception you wouldn't know the difference in his body language or demeanor. Devin is in the top 10 percent in his senior class, and extremely well respected on campus. High school athletes usually have plenty of classmates who dislike them or may be jealous. I don't see that at our high school with Devin."
Cornell, Harvard, Penn, Sacramento State, San Jose State, Stanford, UC Davis, and San Diego are interested in this two sport star who also plays center field in baseball. Cornell and Stanford are his favorites as of now, because they have great coaches who have made an effort to stay in touch with him. Pearson has a 3.64 GPA, 4.00 weighted GPA, and 1820 SAT score, as he would like to major in kinesiology and minor in business.
Coach Anderson has this college take on Pearson. "I know he can play at that level- what position will that be? What sport? I don't know. People will downgrade what he's done based on being at a smaller school, but if it was so easy to do what he's done, it would be done every year by numerous athletes. He is a winner and he plays mistake free in a high risk offense. Those traits are hard to come by. In 469 attempts in high school, he has completed over 70 percent of his passes and has a 55-10 in td/int ratio. He's also rushed for 19 touchdowns. Devin has said over and over that he doesn't care if he throws five touchdowns or five interceptions as long as the team wins. He is 23-2 overall and 5-1 in the playoffs. Those five playoff wins are the only playoff wins in Carmel High School football history."
Pearson considers his biggest sports related adversity to be the loss in this past season's CCS championship after being up by 28 at halftime. "I have worked as hard as I could this off season in order to not have that feeling again. I have felt what it was like to win the CCS championship in 2009 and feeling the opposite in 2010 was terrible. I plan on this year being different," he said.
Then there is the situation of his mother's cancer. "She was diagnosed with brain cancer 7 years ago. The doctors gave her 1 year to live. Our family came together and she has been cancer free ever since. Almost losing her was terrible but going through that has made me and my family stronger."
This two-sport star will definitely shine brightly in Carmel by the Sea also known for its former movie star mayor, Clint Eastwood. Nevertheless, the success of the Padres will depend on the devil in the details of its football program, specifically Pearson.
No comments:
Post a Comment