There’s always that guy you think that you can exploit because of their size or for some other reason. You think that just because he’s 20lbs lighter and 3 inches shorter than you it’s literally going to be a pushover; whether it’s in pads, on the basketball court, whatever the case may be.
At 5’7 ½ “ and 145 pounds the newest addition to Clearwater Central Catholic’s stable of RB’s, JT Steele (class of ’15) may be the quintessential fit to this person described. Until you watch his JV highlights from last season on YouTube. Just because you’re considered to be a small guy playing a game amongst dudes that look like Optimus Prime, it doesn’t mean you have to be a kamikaze or masochist in your approach to inflict pain either. It just means you have to work a little bit smarter, not just harder.
“I’m definitely a small back. Sometimes it can be used to my advantage, but definitely hitting the hole is a weakness right now. I feel like I need to get faster and bigger and I have to definitely learn the new offense (coming from JV) and agility.”
Steele is expected to join one of the most talented varsity rosters in Pinellas County and in many regards the bay area this fall; especially at the 3A classification. The Marauders lost two of their stalwarts in Justin Goodloe and Blair Vaughn who accounted for 1,800+ yards and 22 TD’s to graduation, and this season you could see as many as four different guys (Michael Stevenson, Diquan Walker, Eric Davis and of course Steele.)
He’ll make a believer out of you though when you see him stop on a dime, switch directions and then outrun (using his track speed to his advantage. He specializes in the 400-meter, but was also an alternate #2 on the 4×100 team that took 5th in states. He’s been tearing up combines and events since the 8th grade as well. In one game against Berkeley Prep’s JV, he can be seen turning the corner and outrunning 4 Bucs on his way to a 60yd TD in the rain. He also ran TD’s for 80 yards and 35 yards, and had a 45 yarder called back.
CCC is also buoyed by the fact they’re STILL one of the younger teams around even with all of the talent. They’re also riding momentum from last year’s upset of Tampa Catholic and could be poised to make an opportunistic run at the district with Berkeley Prep graduating one of their most special classes in school history. They’ll play their spring game versus Hernando High School and open the regular season against East Lake; a game that nearly hit legendary status in CCC folklore and one that Steele certainly will anxiously count the days to be participating in.
“It’s going to be fun because I actually played on East Lake’s Youth Team. I know a lot of those guys over there. It’s gonna be fun especially having a little friendly chit-chat going back and forth.”
For now, one day at a time and that means getting ready to grind, grind, grind. Doesn’t stop him from voicing the obvious goals for his team heading towards the fall though;
“Our expectations as a team are to advance from our district and go farther in the playoffs than last year. It’s really picked up in the offseason. Our practices are full of energy. We’re really moving around a lot during the offseason drills and our conditioning will be unbelievable.”