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Happy returns
Jenkins, Elliott came back to Schalick fold after other plans in offseason, played big roles in getting the Cougars to the South Jersey Group I championship game
SJ GROUP I CHAMPIONSHIP Friday (6) Schalick (5-6) at (1) Glassboro (11-0), 6 p.m.
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE – Ayden Jenkins and Evan Elliott didn’t know how much they missed football until they sat out through the summer and watched their teammates play in the season opener, and their team didn’t know how much it missed them until Saturday.
Both juniors played key roles in Schalick’s 35-28 win over Paulsboro that sent the Cougars into Friday’s SJ Group I championship game at Glassboro.
Elliott, the team’s fullback, volunteered at the start of the week to play center despite never playing offensive line in his life when the team’s regular snapper went out of town and played the whole game.
Jenkins, a slot receiver trained at multiple positions, went to fullback with Elliott’s move, but switched back to slot when Sherrod Jones got hurt in the first series and caught two touchdown passes on consecutive series in the second quarter.
“That’s just the type of kids they are,” head coach Kevin Leamy said. “They want to do whatever they can to win; that’s their goal. If it’s going to help us win, they will do anything.”
But there was a time when they might not have been part of the picture at all.
Evan Elliott (54) is usually Schalick’s fullback, but he took one for the team last week and volunteered to play center in the sectional semifinal and snapped the whole game despite never playing the position before.
Both had differing reasons for not playing and stayed away through training camp and the first couple games of the year. One was done with the school and was heading off to play another sport, the other was just done with the sport.
But they ultimately came back and they’re glad they did.
“Extremely,” Jenkins said. “I don’t think I could’ve made a better choice to come back. I really think I would’ve missed out on a lot if I didn’t come back.”
“Definitely,” added Elliott.
It wasn’t a guarantee they would be back. Both went to Leamy after the season opener, but the new coach left it to their teammates to decide. Leamy put their return to a vote and the players voted unanimously to allow them back.
They haven’t disappointed since. Elliott has provided with Cougars with power in the backfield and Jenkins has been their version of a Swiss Army knife.
“(They’ve added) a ton,” Leamy said. “You never know what would’ve been if they didn’t come out, but I know we are a much, much better team having those two kids on the team than not having them on the team.
“I don’t know what our record would’ve been or anything like that, but I do know we are a much better team with those two kids on the field than not having them on the field.”
Ayden Jenkins (22) started out as the Cougars’ fullback Saturday after Elliott’s move, then went to slot receiver during the game and caught a pair of touchdown passes. (Photos by Heather Papiano)
Jenkins was outta here.
He was headed to Delsea to wrestle and had been wrestling all summer without practicing any football, and then fate intervened. Every time he tried to get the paperwork together something glitched in the process. The deal eventually fell through and Jenkins was back at Schalick.
“I am glad I came back to play football,” he said.
Give Elliott – and maybe the fullback’s mother – an assist on that.
Elliott was about to give up the game altogether, frustrated by playing opportunities he didn’t see when he believed he had the talent to be out there. His mother convinced him to stick it out.
“She said I’m always going to regret it not playing,” he said. “I told her I was over it, but she knows I love playing. I’ve been playing since I was 5 years old; I just loved playing. She kept trying to (convince me).
“I was kind of angry. I wasn’t missing it in the summer because I didn’t get the opportunity to play the two years before, but when I came and watched them play I realized how much I did miss playing.”
The first person Elliott told when he changed his mind was Jenkins, who was still trying to get to Delsea. He basically told him if his Delsea plans fell through “you might as well just play football.”
Well, those Delsea plans did fall through and the two were back on the football field together again. But it wasn’t automatic.
They had to approach Leamy and then had to go through the team vote. Everything worked out
They watched the season opener together, were on the sideline for the second game and then after being welcomed back to the fold got their required six practices in to be eligible for the Penns Grove game.
All roads converged Saturday.
Jenkins had 40 yards rushing, including a 28-yard burst to set up Gary Simonini’s game-tying 2-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, and three catches for 50 yards. His touchdown catches covered 25 and 24 yards on successive drives to give the Cougars a two-touchdown lead.
“One was a pre-snap read,” he explained. “It actually was supposed back side to Dylan (Sheehan), but we had a mismatch on my side so I called Pop (Kenny Bartee) to it and the second one was a broken play. I know all the positions, but I didn’t know my route on that play so I hesitated and ran out and turned it into a wheel for a touchdown.”
It was Elliott who approached Leamy about playing center because he didn’t know who would have done it if he hadn’t offered. After a week of practice, he played the whole game. The Cougars amassed nearly 300 yards of offense.
“I wasn’t nervous, but it was definitely challenging playing a whole new position; I’d never done anything like that before,” he said. “I did my best, a couple mistakes here and there, but I did the best I could. There definitely were some things I could do better, but I was proud of myself.”
He’ll remain at center for as long as the Cougars remain in the playoffs. Does that mean he’s an offensive lineman for the rest of his high school career? No, and no need for anyone to convince him otherwise.
“Definitely not,” he said. “I’m going back to fullback next year.”
Riverview Sports News 