Football part of new life for East’s Pierre
Sporting a bullet wound in his right arm and a lengthy scar below his neck from a knife attack, East High School quarterback Deo Samuel Pierre can’t easily forget his past life in Haiti.
“Life was hard there,” said Pierre, shaking his head. “It was not good. There’s so much poverty and violence. People get robbed on the street. It’s common to hear gunshots. I was injured many times just defending myself. You can’t call 9-1-1. People here can’t understand what it’s like in Haiti. People live day to day there. You never know if you’re going to wake up the next day.”
Pierre, a junior who arrived in Columbus five years ago, not only has survived but thrived in a sport he knew little of in his homeland.
The focal point of the Tigers’ run-based offense, Pierre has rushed for 716 yards on a 10.3-yard average with seven touchdowns. He also has passed for two TDs, caught one and run for three two-point conversions.
After back to back 1-9 Deo Samuel Pierre, who moved to Columbus from Haiti in 2013, first played football as a freshman and is now the starting quarterback at East.
seasons, East is 2-3 and hopeful of gaining its first winning season since 1999.
How Pierre emerged into one of the top players in the City League is fascinating.
According to Pierre, his father came to Columbus in 2005 and took a night-shift job at Walmart, vowing to bring his family of four to join him when he gained financial stability. The plan came to fruition in 2013. Deo’s mother has since died.
Deo, or Sammy as he is commonly called (his
brother has the same first name), said he learned English in one year at Columbus Global Academy. His native languages are Creole and French.
With no experience or knowledge of the game, Pierre decided to play football his freshman year at East. He served as a kicker and punter. In 2017, he was part-time contributor at outside linebacker and receiver.
“I had heard people back home talk about American football, but I just thought it was a different kind of soccer,” Pierre said. “Information is hard to come by in Haiti. We didn’t have electricity 24/7. In eighth grade, I watched my first game on TV and decided I wanted to try it.”
East coach Wes Edwards said the improvement Pierre made between his sophomore and junior seasons was astounding.
“He came back a different person after track season last spring,” Edwards said. “He had some success in track, helping our (400 and 800) relays qualify to state. He started coming to the weight room. Right before our eyes, he became a physically imposing, strong, explosive athlete. He’s a fighter and a warrior, and I’m sure that comes from his background.”
Edwards subsequently built an offense tailored around Pierre’s skills. The 5-foot-10, 185-pounder operates out of a shotgun formation, often flanked by two backs. The gap scheme is intended to attack defenses with misdirection and downhill runs.
“We knew in the summer we were going to focus our offense around Sammy,” Edwards said. “He earned that right. He’s not only talented, he’s a smart kid. You don’t have to tell him things twice. He absorbs things quickly.”
Although relatively new to the sport, Pierre was nonchalant about his rise to stardom.
“Honestly, I envisioned myself being very good at football,” he said. “When I decide to do something, I put in the work to be good at it. After high school, I want to take my game to the next level and maybe play in the NFL.”
Pierre said he misses little about Haiti, a republic of 10.8 million people with rampant political corruption, violence and poverty. The International Red Cross reported that 7 of 10 Haitians live on $2 U.S. dollars a day.
“I still have aunts and uncles and cousins living there, and my Dad is working to get them here,” he said. “It’s not easy. I can’t ever go back and visit. I don’t want to. I like my new life a lot better.”