The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Orlando excels in all phases of game
Kicker also stars as receiver, running back and defensive back
Avon football coach Mike Elder has seen his share of talent come rolling through wearing purple and gold, but some players are so talented they just can’t be ignored.
Earning the titles this season of wide receiver safety, running back, punt returner, kick returner, punter, kicker and cornerback, David Orlando is the Swiss Army knife of the 8-0 Eagles’ versatile attack on offense and defense and a rare player within the Eagles’ family.
Orlando’s stats read off like a created player in video game.
Orlando is second on the team in receiving with 393 yards on 30 catches and three touchdowns, has added 77 yards rushing this season and two more rushing touchdowns, leads the team in punt return yards with 61, is second on the team in kick return yards with 69, has converted 29 of 32 point-after attempts, is 3-for-7
on field goals and is averaging just over 43 yards per punt.
On top of that, Orlando has two interceptions and a team-high 68 points.
Catching your breath after reading off the stats, it seems Orlando has done everything for the team but drive the team bus home.
“He’s an athlete, is what he is,” Elder said. “We can play him at safety, we can play him at corner, we can play him at quarterback — he was a quarterback when he was a freshman — we can play him at running back and, obviously, in the slot where we play him at wide receiver. Then in the kicking game, he’s got really good leg and he’s a legitimate scholarship level kicker. So, he’s one of our guys we want to get the ball in the hands of. He’s extremely explosive and shifty and he’s as good of an athlete as we’ve had here and he’s a lot of fun to coach. He’s a humble kid and he’s a great teammate.”
Kicking and playing multiple positions since the sixth grade, Orlando said he will do anything to help his team succeed.
“First of all, I like to think of myself as a team player. I do whatever I can for my team,” Orlando said. “Sixth grade was my first year playing football. That’s when I figured out I could ball out a little bit and started kicking and then I was a quarterback and a receiver.”
Diving into game film harder than almost anyone on the team, Orlando splits his time between all factions of the team and studies to be as prepared as possible for game time.
“My coaches are on top of everything with getting me film and watching film twice a week, sometimes three times,” Orlando said. “My coaches are a big part in the mental aspect of the game, which is a big part.”
Even adding in the little things like an extra force on kickoff and punts make a world of a difference in the special teams game.
Slipping into as many positions as he does in a given game, that’s just how the Eagles operate as they look to clinch a share of yet another Southwestern Conference crown. Rotating in 14 different running backs and 14 different receivers, versatility is Elder’s game and Orlando happens to be the most versatile of them all.
“We’ve always philosophically said that in Avon we’ll have 1’s and then we’ll have 1-B’s. Guys that are going to rotate in because we don’t play 11 guys on offense, 11 on defense. We play more like 16 or 17 on offense and 16 or 17 on defense,” Elder said. “We have 30 starters as opposed to 22 and then, philosophically, if you’re a 2 and you’re a solid 2, we find ways to get you into the game and you’re a 2 who will play.
“Then there’s 2’s who will only play in the event of an injury, so we play a lot of players because we designed it that way and we do that because, A.) we have the kids that have the ability to do that and, B.) because in the Southwest Conference and the grind that you go through every week.
“The days where guys say, ‘Why does he come off the field, why doesn’t he play two ways?’ is over. The game is different, there’s a lot more snaps in a high school football game than there was in 1989 when I was playing high school football. Everybody ran the ball at each other, the game was shortened, everybody huddled up. Now with tempo and people throwing the ball, there’s way more snaps in a game and it’s hard to be a complete twoway player, but Dave is one of our guys who is a twoway player.”