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Tidewater pipeline still flowing
Prep
star Walton grooming for 'stand-up' linebacker slot
By
Sammy Batten
©2013 Bonesville.net
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Tapping into
established relationships around the Tidewater area of Virginia has
paid big dividends for East Carolina recently, especially at Ocean
Lakes High School in Virginia Beach.
Over the last three years
the Pirates have signed offensive tackle/tight end Chaz Lowery and
defensive lineman Demetri McGill from Coach Chris Scott's Ocean Lakes
squad. They returned to the Ocean Lakes talent pool last fall and came
away impressed with one Masaddiq Walton.
"The relationship with
East Carolina had been built a couple of years before,'' Scott said. "Masaddiq
played on the defensive line with Demetri last year and they are close
teammates. They live in the same neighborhood and their mothers
conversate back and forth. So he (Walton) started to hear about visits
and the players and coaches at East Carolina while Demetri was going
through the (recruiting) process.
"Plus, (ECU assistant
head/inside linebackers) Coach (John) Wiley just has been persistent in
recruiting here. He's established as a familiar face in our school and
with our players.''
Walton, a 6-foot-3,
240-pounder who has been timed at 4.7 seconds in the 40-yard dash, plays
offensive left tackle and defensive end for the Dolphins. Wiley quickly
recognized his athletic talent and invited him to ECU's summer camp,
where he earned a scholarship offer from the Pirates in June. Walton
eventually committed to ECU over an offer from Navy in August.
"He just fell in love with
the football atmosphere down there,'' Scott said. "The fans and the
college are great.''
With a college decision
behind him, Walton has been able to concentrate on his senior year at
Ocean Lakes. The Dolphins are off to a 5-0 start and Walton has been a
key contributor to that success.
"He's having a great year
for us,'' Scott said. "He's done everything we expected and hoped for as
a senior in regards to leadership on and off the field. It sounds
cliché, but for us to have a great year our seniors have to have their
best seasons. I think he's doing that right now.
"He's starting both ways,
at left tackle and defensive end. He's going to end up playing a
stand-up (outside) linebacker for ECU. We've been able to move him
around a lot, including playing him at fullback in short-yardage
situations.''
This marks Walton's third
full season on the Ocean Lakes varsity. He saw most of his playing time
as a freshman on the junior varsity squad, but dressed and traveled
every Friday with the varsity. As the season wore on, Walton eventually
saw some limited action with the varsity, too.
"When we got him as a
freshmen it was one of those things where, 'Do we play him (on varsity)
because he has good size?''' Scott said. "He came in bigger than most of
the other kids, so we started out by sticking him on the offensive line
with the JVs at first. All of a sudden we realized this young man wasn't
just big, he was also athletic.
"You can see he has the
build. He's really cut up in his shoulders and chest. He's physically
built and looks like a linebacker. But then he started showing that
athletic ability. In seven-on-sevens, he'd line up as a linebacker and
cover our receivers. Then, on the offensive line he'd be blocking these
300-pound guys.''
Walton became a varsity
starter as a sophomore and hasn't missed a beat since. He produced seven
quarterback sacks as a junior, but was mostly overshadowed by McGill and
fellow end Tony Baird, who had 16 sacks as the Dolphins advanced to the
state finals before falling, 14-10, against Bird High School. It was the
only loss of the season for 14-1 Ocean Lakes.
This season the Dolphins
have state championship aspirations again, and Walton will be a pivotal
player in getting them to the finals.
"He's made some incredible
plays this year on both sides of the ball,'' Scott said. "He's so
powerful when he blocks. He'll pull around, and he doesn't just move
somebody out of the way. He explodes into them like he's hitting a
blocking sled.
"On the defensive side, he
made a play a week or so ago where he was double-teamed. But using his
strength and technique, he defeated both blockers, then ran down the
quarterback. He used all these skill sets on one play. To me, that play
sticks out and is a great example of what kind of athlete he is.''
Scott believes Walton will
be ready to earn some early playing time with the Pirates next fall,
like McGill has done this season.
"Demetri has seen some
unexpected playing time and we're really proud of him,'' Scott said. "Masaddiq
is so competitive, I know he'll do all he can to get on the field. When
we do our running, he never goes by the offensive or defensive line
times. He goes by the linebacker or running back standards. That's just
how competitive he is.
"I know the college
transition will be difficult. But he has the size and the speed to work
through it. I think he'll be ready to play.''
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10/13/2013 08:31 PM |
