MACON — Leaders set the example, even when they”re a little dinged up.
Through four games, Cole Newman and Drew Pearson haven”t had much time off to heal the assortment of nagging ailments and bumps and bruises they have acquired in a series of nail-biting victories.
As much as Central Academy football coach Ronnie Sciple would have loved to have rested Newman and Pearson on Friday in the team”s homecoming game against Marvell Academy (Ark.), he should have known better because nothing has come easily for the Vikings this season.
The play of Newman and Pearson has been a constant, and Friday they again helped will the Vikings to another victory.
Newman was 9 of 14 for 153 yards and three touchdowns, while Pearson had 16 tackles and rushed for 60 yards in a 22-20 win against Marvell Academy (Ark.).
For their accomplishments, Newman and Pearson are The Dispatch”s Prep Players of the Week.
“They have had nagging injuries, but it is something they”re going to have to play through,” Sciple said. “They both stepped up (Friday), and they both played hard.”
Sciple said he tried to limit the number of plays Newman and Pearson saw against Marvell Academy (Ark.), but the back-and-forth nature of the game forced him to put Newman back into the game on offense and to use Newman both ways as much as possible. He said both players have to be on the field because they provide leadership that you can tell is missing when they”re not there.
With all of the injuries and a limited number of players, Sciple said Friday night was the first time he had to sit in his office at halftime and figure out who was going to play where in the second half, which is why it is even more valuable to have seniors like Newman and Pearson who can go even when they”re not 100 percent.
“They”re going to play through the pain, but the problem with them is they want in the game so bad that they will tell you something that is not true to get back into the game,” Sciple said.
Sciple said Newman and Pearson are so important to the team because they are like coaches on the field. He said Newman, who also has seen time at running back in his varsity career, knows the offense so well that he can check out of plays and keep the Vikings moving forward.
“He threw the ball well against Marvell,” Sciple said. “He has thrown the ball well all year.”
Sciple said Pearson, who had 20-plus tackles in week three, is at his best when he is going side to side and making tackles all over the field.
“He just has a nose for the football,” Sciple said.
Newman and Pearson said they have come to rely on their teammates through all of the nagging injuries early in the season. They praised the play of Redmon Butler, who bounced back from missing most of the game the previous week due to dehydration, against Marvell Academy. They also said the Vikings need to do a better job of playing focused and to their potential for four quarters.
“I didn”t expect to come out and expect to more than half of the passes I throw, but it feels good, though,” Newman said of the success the team has had in the passing game.
Newman said Pearson has picked up the slack on defense when he hasn”t been able to play. He said he stepped up his game last week and raised the level of everyone else”s play against Delta Academy.
“We love each other to death. We”re like brothers,” Newman said. “If I see him go down, it makes me play better. If he sees me go down it obviously makes him play better. Whenever I went down against Delta, he came to the sidelines and said, ”I will not let you down.” It is a great feeling to have somebody come over and say that and then lead the team with 20-something tackles and score the winning touchdown.”
Pearson said seeing Newman leave the game against Delta Academy with an injury fired him up. He said he is motivated by the fact that he knows he has to assume a bigger role as a senior and as a leader at linebacker.
“I can do better,” Pearson said. “If I work harder I think I can do better. I am not bragging or anything, but I think I have done pretty well stepping up from last year. I think I can lead the team better and pick out what the offense is going to run better.”
That”s the kind of attitude Sciple said is infectious and has played a key part in Central Academy”s ability to find a way to win all of its games this season.
“They don”t want to let the team down,” Sciple said. “Cole knows he is the offensive leader of the football team, and Drew knows he is the defensive leader of the football team. They think they have got to be on the field.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.