Pioneers’ Stewart area player of week
Lorenzo Stewart made a name for himself as a defensive bulwark, finishing the 2016 high school football season among the area’s leading tacklers.
In 2017, though, the East Ridge senior is fashioning a lofty spot among the area’s versatile players.
Stewart hasn’t backed away from his defensive responsibilities. The 6-foot-1, 240-pound linebacker recorded 15 solo tackles and six assists in the Pioneers’ 35-32 victory at Polk County. He added 71 rushing yards, 15 receiving yards and a touchdown, blocked a PAT and broke up a two-point-conversion pass.
For all that he is the Waffle House All-Star player of the week.
“Oh, yeah, I don’t know what his name is, but he hurt us on both sides of the ball,” Polk coach Derrick Davis said. “We haven’t slowed him down yet, and defensively there’s no telling how many tackles he had. It seemed like every play we were saying somebody has to block No. 1. He’s a good-looking player.”
Stewart thus far has one scholarship offer — from Morgan State in Baltimore, where former Chattanooga Christian coach Rob Spence is the offensive coordinator — but East Ridge coach Tim James said the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and East Tennessee State have him on their recruiting boards.
“He had pretty impressive numbers,” James said. “I have never had a kid make that many tackles, and we’re very conservative on our tackle counts.”
The two-point-conversion breakup was in the second quarter.
“It was a fake and we had it,” Davis said. “He was the only guy who could make the play, and he did. It kept us playing behind for points.”
Said James: “It could’ve played heavily in the outcome of the game. It was a three-point game at the time, and if Polk gets that one they might not have had to go for two again.”
James estimated that in a 48-minute game, Stewart gets around 38 minutes on the field, getting breathers on kickoff returns and punts plus an occasional rest when the Pioneers are on offense.
“He plays best when he’s lathered up,” the coach said of Stewart. “He’s solid defensively, but offensively he’s best when everybody’s tired, including him. He punishes people.”
Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@ timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765.