LaRod Being Courted by the Big Boys
LaRod Being Courted by the Big Boys
The ?'s are ' and "s but don't show up for some reason.
************************
March 8, 2004
Johnstown RB gaining a lot of attention
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Geoff Rushton
BlueWhiteIllustrated.com
During the 2003 season, LaRod Stephens, the diminutive but tough 5-foot-9, 165 pound running back out of Greater Johnstown (Pa.) High rushed for 2,226 yards on 192 carries (11.6 ypc) and 23 touchdowns. Impressive numbers on their own, but they have even greater impact when one realizes Stephens didn?t leave the sidelines for the equivalent of more than two of Johnstown?s games.
?What you?ve got to realize is he didn?t play eight quarters, as a matter of fact nine quarters, because when we?d have a comfortable lead we didn?t run the score up and we took him out,? Johnstown Head Coach Bob Arcurio said. ?He would have had over 3,000 yards if we would have kept him in every game. He?s just phenomenal.?
And Division I colleges have taken notice. Pitt has already offered Stephens a scholarship, but an impressive highlight reel has aided in garnering the attention of a number of other top-flight schools.
One of those is Penn State. Assistant coach Tom Bradley, himself a Johnstown native, is recruiting Stephens for the Nittany Lions. He told Arcurio the Lions are very interested in Stephens.
?Penn State?s been in three or four times,? Arcurio explained. ?Coach Bradley was in. He said they were very impressed with him and that they are going to recruit him.
?We sent out a video of him, a highlight film just of him. [Penn State was] impressed with his vision of the field, how he cuts. He sees the whole field. What he has you can?t teach him. It?s just natural. He?ll lower the boom, lower the shoulder, when he has to. He has good upper body strength. He runs a 4.4 plus 40.?
Stephens is also getting serious interest from Indiana, Maryland, Iowa, Purdue and West Virginia. D-IAA Youngstown State said up front that Stephens is welcome to play there. Arcurio expects that interest in Stephens will become very intense this spring.
?We expect he?ll probably be one of the most heavily recruited kids in the state,? Arcurio said. ?He?s got everything going for him. Great student, great athlete, wonderful individual. He?s an all-American kid. He?s well-liked by his peers.?
Arcurio added that Stephens has an overall GPA of about 3.6 and recently scored 990 on the PSAT.
Stephens is also an accomplished wrestler, trackman and baseball player. He has excelled at wrestling and that is a major part of the reason why his weight is in the 160-165 range.
?He?s 5-9, 165 pounds and the reason why he wasn?t a lot heavier is because he wrestled,? Arcurio said. ?He kept his weight down. I expect him for his senior year he?ll be 170 pounds. We have a consultant here that works with the program and he?ll get him on the right regimen with the right nutrients and so forth and he?ll gain it.?
Arcurio said Stephens reminds him of another great back to come out of Johnstown, Artrell Hawkins, Sr., who was at Johnstown in the 1970s.
?I compare him to Artrell Hawkins, Sr. who played at Johnstown in the 70s,? Arcurio said. He went to junior college then went to Pitt. He won?t back down. If there?s no hole there he?ll lower that shoulder. He?ll explode. The biggest thing is his hips ? he has great hip movement ? and he has great vision of the field.?
Of course there?s a good chance Stephens could end up being another Johnstown product to become a Panther, but Arcurio said he thinks Stephens will carefully weigh his options before making a decision.
?He was down there [at Pitt] yesterday and they tried to get a verbal commitment from him but he wants to shop around,? Arcurio said. ?I think that?s wise. He has to go to each one of these schools. Penn State?s one of these schools he?ll visit.
?What I understand is for spring ball, Coach Bradley?s going to give me a call and he wants me to bring him up sometime during spring ball.?
Arcurio added that Stephens will also attend the NIKE Camp at Penn State on May 15.
?I think in his heart he wants to stay close to home. He has a big family, a lot of uncles and aunts. I know it?s a close-knit family and they follow him everywhere.?
In addition to his outstanding offensive numbers, Stephens had 34 tackles and two interceptions on defense in 2003.
?He?s a hell of an athlete,? Arcurio said. ?He?s a hell of a defensive player too and also runs back some kickoffs. We had to limit that because he was playing every down. We?d give him a break at times on defense when necessary.?
His efforts did not go unnoticed following the season. Stephens was named first-team All-State by the Associated Press, PA Football News first-team All-State, Johnstown Point Stadium Player of the Year, Southern Allegheny Coaches Association Player of the Year, Jonstown Democrat Tribune Player of the Year and an Old Spice Red Zone Player of the Year, one of 50 players selected for the award nationwide and one of only two juniors in PA to be named. The other is one of PSU?s top targets this year, Ath. Justin King.
************************
March 8, 2004
Johnstown RB gaining a lot of attention
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Geoff Rushton
BlueWhiteIllustrated.com
During the 2003 season, LaRod Stephens, the diminutive but tough 5-foot-9, 165 pound running back out of Greater Johnstown (Pa.) High rushed for 2,226 yards on 192 carries (11.6 ypc) and 23 touchdowns. Impressive numbers on their own, but they have even greater impact when one realizes Stephens didn?t leave the sidelines for the equivalent of more than two of Johnstown?s games.
?What you?ve got to realize is he didn?t play eight quarters, as a matter of fact nine quarters, because when we?d have a comfortable lead we didn?t run the score up and we took him out,? Johnstown Head Coach Bob Arcurio said. ?He would have had over 3,000 yards if we would have kept him in every game. He?s just phenomenal.?
And Division I colleges have taken notice. Pitt has already offered Stephens a scholarship, but an impressive highlight reel has aided in garnering the attention of a number of other top-flight schools.
One of those is Penn State. Assistant coach Tom Bradley, himself a Johnstown native, is recruiting Stephens for the Nittany Lions. He told Arcurio the Lions are very interested in Stephens.
?Penn State?s been in three or four times,? Arcurio explained. ?Coach Bradley was in. He said they were very impressed with him and that they are going to recruit him.
?We sent out a video of him, a highlight film just of him. [Penn State was] impressed with his vision of the field, how he cuts. He sees the whole field. What he has you can?t teach him. It?s just natural. He?ll lower the boom, lower the shoulder, when he has to. He has good upper body strength. He runs a 4.4 plus 40.?
Stephens is also getting serious interest from Indiana, Maryland, Iowa, Purdue and West Virginia. D-IAA Youngstown State said up front that Stephens is welcome to play there. Arcurio expects that interest in Stephens will become very intense this spring.
?We expect he?ll probably be one of the most heavily recruited kids in the state,? Arcurio said. ?He?s got everything going for him. Great student, great athlete, wonderful individual. He?s an all-American kid. He?s well-liked by his peers.?
Arcurio added that Stephens has an overall GPA of about 3.6 and recently scored 990 on the PSAT.
Stephens is also an accomplished wrestler, trackman and baseball player. He has excelled at wrestling and that is a major part of the reason why his weight is in the 160-165 range.
?He?s 5-9, 165 pounds and the reason why he wasn?t a lot heavier is because he wrestled,? Arcurio said. ?He kept his weight down. I expect him for his senior year he?ll be 170 pounds. We have a consultant here that works with the program and he?ll get him on the right regimen with the right nutrients and so forth and he?ll gain it.?
Arcurio said Stephens reminds him of another great back to come out of Johnstown, Artrell Hawkins, Sr., who was at Johnstown in the 1970s.
?I compare him to Artrell Hawkins, Sr. who played at Johnstown in the 70s,? Arcurio said. He went to junior college then went to Pitt. He won?t back down. If there?s no hole there he?ll lower that shoulder. He?ll explode. The biggest thing is his hips ? he has great hip movement ? and he has great vision of the field.?
Of course there?s a good chance Stephens could end up being another Johnstown product to become a Panther, but Arcurio said he thinks Stephens will carefully weigh his options before making a decision.
?He was down there [at Pitt] yesterday and they tried to get a verbal commitment from him but he wants to shop around,? Arcurio said. ?I think that?s wise. He has to go to each one of these schools. Penn State?s one of these schools he?ll visit.
?What I understand is for spring ball, Coach Bradley?s going to give me a call and he wants me to bring him up sometime during spring ball.?
Arcurio added that Stephens will also attend the NIKE Camp at Penn State on May 15.
?I think in his heart he wants to stay close to home. He has a big family, a lot of uncles and aunts. I know it?s a close-knit family and they follow him everywhere.?
In addition to his outstanding offensive numbers, Stephens had 34 tackles and two interceptions on defense in 2003.
?He?s a hell of an athlete,? Arcurio said. ?He?s a hell of a defensive player too and also runs back some kickoffs. We had to limit that because he was playing every down. We?d give him a break at times on defense when necessary.?
His efforts did not go unnoticed following the season. Stephens was named first-team All-State by the Associated Press, PA Football News first-team All-State, Johnstown Point Stadium Player of the Year, Southern Allegheny Coaches Association Player of the Year, Jonstown Democrat Tribune Player of the Year and an Old Spice Red Zone Player of the Year, one of 50 players selected for the award nationwide and one of only two juniors in PA to be named. The other is one of PSU?s top targets this year, Ath. Justin King.