By Matt Florjancic
D3sports.com
San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates prepared for the National Football League by playing basketball in college. The former Kent State power forward used his abilities to attract the NFL's attention and turned his opportunity at football into a Pro Bowl career.
While he served as a high school head coach in Fort Wayne, Ind., Tri-State coach Matt Land walked into the gymnasium and found a middle linebacker in Courtney Pearson.
"He didn't start playing football till his junior year, which was my first year at South Side High School," said Land. "I saw him in the gym. He drop-stepped and dunked in a pick-up game and I said 'You're playing football.' He goes, 'No, I'm a basketball player.' (I said) 'Not anymore."
"He kept pressuring me," Pearson said of Land. "Everyday he'd see me, he pretty much demanded I come out there and tryout for the team. I played when I was younger, but I didn't play high school till my junior year.
"I realized how much I like it and how much I missed it," added Pearson. "My future was probably brighter in football than basketball, so I decided to stick with that."
The comfort level carried over from Pearson's high school days to a career at Tri-State, which this year is a full membe of Division III for the first time. Since that chance encounter, Land and Pearson have developed a unique player-coach relationship.
"He's a quiet leader. He just plays hard," Land said. "He doesn't talk and doesn't say much. He just makes sure that we're in the right position.
"He has a great family and he's very grounded," the second-year coach added. "He's just become a bigger, faster, more physical football player as he's gone on."
"(Land) has been great," said Pearson. "He's just like a coach and a best friend. If anything's going on, he's there to talk to. It's a great relationship.
"That's a great little comfort zone to have," Pearson added.
The bond between Pearson and Land has turned into success during the 2007 season for the Thunder. In Week 1, Tri-State opened the year on the road at Manchester. During the contest, Pearson racked up 19 total tackles, 12 of which were solo. Pearson also had a fumble recovery and an interception returned for 25 yards.
With two third quarter touchdowns, Tri-State won 14-9. For his efforts, Pearson earned the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Week award. Though it was an honor to receive such recognition, Pearson has his eyes set on winning a few postseason accolades.
"For myself, I want to win MIAA Defensive Player of the Year," Pearson said. "For our team, if we don't win the conference championship, this year would be a letdown."
Two weeks after the Manchester victory, Pearson tallied 12 more tackles in a 17-13 home win against Defiance. This weekend, the Thunder looks to continue rolling when they travel to Franklin before beginning MIAA action against Alma on the road.
Though they are off to a good start this season, Pearson knows there are many battles between the lines still to be fought.
"I play hard and never give up," said Pearson. "With me being a captain, it helps because that's something for other players to feed off of. They see you playing hard; they want to play up to your level, so they play hard too.
"Everybody's dedicated. Everybody wants to win," Pearson added about his teammates. "They have that winner's attitude. They're willing to do whatever to win games. Preparation and playing for four quarters (are critical). I think if we do that, we'll be fine."
Land knows he has a special player in Pearson leading the defense. He needs his junior linebacker to be an impact player in the remaining games on the schedule.
"On the field, his speed and size (are his strengths)," said Land. "He's 6-1, 233 pounds and very, very fast. He's a very physical player.
"He's a junior and he was voted captain, which is a great honor for an underclassman," continued Land. "That shows you a little bit about his leadership capabilities and what his teammates think of him. It's voted on by his peers."
While everything at Tri-State is good for Pearson now, it was not always that way. In fact, before Land arrived as the new head coach, Pearson took a temporary leave of absence from the sport he came to love.
"I went back home and went to school," said Pearson. "It was a couple of things with the coach here. We really weren't seeing eye-to-eye on some things. So I decided to take a year off."
During the year, Pearson learned he still had a desire to continue his career on the gridiron.
"I love it," Pearson said of football. "I really didn't know what I was doing without playing."
Fortunately for Tri-State, Land's friendship with Pearson helped bring him back to Angola. Now, Pearson finds himself in line to challenge Hope defensive end Matt Rugenstein for the honor of being the best defensive player in the MIAA.
Presidents look to keep undefeated season intact
The Washington and Jefferson Presidents were 28-20 winners against Geneva in their first game, which was a good start. However, their performance in game two was even better.
The Presidents scored 33 points in the first quarter against Hanover last week, en route to a 50-14 decision over the Panthers. Offensively, Washington and Jefferson racked up 675 yards on 83 plays from scrimmage, nearly 300 more yards then they gained against Geneva. Though they were just 2-for-9 on third down attempts, the Presidents entered the red zone nine times, coming away with points in five trips.
The junior tandem of quarterback Bobby Swallow and running back Kevin Mathews compiled most of the yardage for the Presidents. Swallow completed 20 of 25 passes for 307 yards and six touchdowns, four of which came in the first quarter alone. On the ground, Mathews carried the ball 13 times for 145 yards and a score. Along with Mathews, three other Presidents rushed four or more times with an average of at least 7.0 yards-per-attempt.
This weekend, Washington and Jefferson welcomes Oberlin to Cameron Stadium for a night game. Oberlin is still in search of its first victory after losing to Heidelberg two weeks ago. The loss to Heidelberg broke the nation's longest winless streak.
News and Notes
Allegheny received a strong effort from senior linebacker Mateo Villa in a 20-7 victory at Hiram Saturday. The Gator defender tallied a game-high 14 tackles, seven solo, against the Terriers. In addition, Villa recovered a fumble and helped hold the Terriers under 100 net rushing yards.
Despite being out-gained by nearly 200 yards and falling to Concordia (Wis.) 32-14, the Wisconsin Lutheran Warriors received great individual efforts on both sides of the football. On offense, Eric Treske caught 11 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns. He was responsible for 70% of the Warriors yards against Concordia. Defensively, Micah Adams recorded eight tackles, one pass breakup and two interceptions.
Two school records fell during Bethany's 66-7 victory over St. Vincent last week. The Bison scored 14 points in the first and third quarters, but put the game out of reach with a 35-point second period. In 91 offensive plays, Bethany totaled 739 yards. They rushed the ball 71 times for 482 yards. Nick Neratka, Marcus Santini and Milton Joyner each had two rushing touchdowns, while wide receiver Matt Cruse caught two scores. Cruse gained 137 yards on six receptions.
The Spartans of Case Western Reserve continue rolling. After 22 and 39-point victories in their first two contests, the Spartans tallied a 49-26 win over Denison on the road. It is the third consecutive season in which Case has started out 3-0. Tim Cowdrick hit paydirt for the first time this season. He was on the receiving end for two of the four touchdown passes thrown by sophomore Dan Whalen.
One misstep can be the difference between victory and defeat. Carnegie Mellon found out how one call can change the course of a contest. Down by a point with 1:32 showing on the clock, a failed two-point attempt gave Hobart a 27-26 victory over the Tartans, which snapped the 12-game regular season winning streak for Carnegie Mellon. The Tartans more than doubled Hobart's ground game, 308-134, but lost the total yardage battle in the setback.
The Ohio Athletic Conference saw two record-breaking performances last week: one in Wilmington, the other at Baldwin-Wallace. The Capital Crusaders rolled to a 40-0 victory over Wilmington on the road, but the effort turned in by wideout Evan Blake had fans talking. The sophomore caught 11 passes for a school record 304 yards. Blake hauled in a 73-yard score at the end of the first quarter and closed out the game with a 63-yard touchdown in the final frame. B-W safety Scott Goodwin set a Finnie Stadium record when he returned one of three Ryan Merrill interceptions 90 yards for a touchdown.
Great Lakes Region Teams in D3football.com's Top 25
No. 1 Mount Union (OAC)
No. 10 Capital (OAC)
No. 11 Baldwin-Wallace (OAC)
No. 12 Ohio Northern (OAC)
No. 16 Washington and Jefferson (PAC)
No. 19 Wabash (NCAC)
Others receiving votes: Carnegie Mellon (UAA) and John Carroll (OAC)
Games of the Week
Wooster (0-2) at Case Western Reserve (3-0), Saturday, 7 p.m.: In 1994, the only win of the year for Case came against Wooster, 40-23. It has been 14 years since the Spartans defeated the Fighting Scots, but this season could be a different story. Case has developed a potent air attack, averaging 244 passing yards a game, which is one of Wooster's weaknesses. The Scots have given up 525 yards and three touchdowns through the air in two games.
John Carroll (2-0) at Ohio Northern (2-0), Saturday, 1:30 p.m.: Both teams enter the contest looking to remain in contention for the OAC Championship with a victory. However, only one team will be able to keep their winning streak alive. One of the five OAC wins for Ohio Northern a season ago came at John Carroll. The Polar Bears (6-4 in 2006) are much improved while John Carroll has settled on Mark Petruziello as the starting quarterback. Ohio Northern's pass defense has yet to surrender a touchdown this season and will get a good test from the Blue Streaks.
