Bartow, March 22, 2018- The Bartow Panthers finished with a record of 3-7 this 2017 season, so I could see how people might overlook the true sleeper and hidden talent underlying in Bartow’s defense. Although, 6’5” 240-pound junior Defensive end, Tackle, Tight end, Derreon Hunt Jr shouldn’t be that hard to spot; a three-way player that can play both sides of the pigskin and definitely did not go unnoticed by our BCP radar.
Derreon’s main focus is geared towards defensive end, and going into his final year as a Panther, he’s more ambitious and locked in than ever. “My mentality is just to go out there and give my all every down, having an impact on and off the field encouraging teammates,” Hunt expressed. “What keeps me motivated is getting better every day and season, along with my parents and grandad’s support because through everything that I’ve been through, I can always depend on them.” Derreon has all the backup he needs to stay tenacious and on the right path preparing for his senior season. On 9 games played in his sophomore season, he tallied 30 solo tackles, 3 fumble recoveries and 2 sacks for a loss of 12.
“The first thing I’m doing to get ready is taking care of my work; during school everyday of the week I lift weights and some days after school my teammates and I challenge each other, getting extra work in to keep us sharp. I’m also going to be attending BCP camp and other camps, but health wise I’ve been trying to eat the right foods, stay in the gym, and develop in every way I can. I’m looking forward to really proving that I’m the top defensive end that’s been slept on, and I think I’m what colleges are looking for.”
“The most challenging part about playing DE is reading the plays; if you miss-read one it can cost the team so I’m very big on recognizing plays, and my favorite part about it to me is being able to get in the backfield, always in the mix of everything making plays. My leadership is something I picked up very quickly coming into my previous season because of the year we were having, so there was a lot of adversity and downfalls during games and practice.”
“See with me, I’m an energy type of player so I would always talk, just to try to keep everyone on the same page and compete with no fear.”
He’s got the recipe and game plan for success, leadership and drive, ready to lay all his cards out on the table with a chip on his shoulder coming into the 2018 season, so don’t sleep on Derreon Hunt Jr!
Vaughan Sixbury, BCP Contributor