GM’s Stewart takes the lead
Senior Cam’Ron Stewart, the standout defensive end/tight end,is ‘the heartbeat of the team,’ says Mustangs coach Lang
When things looked bleakest, when schools and gyms and everything and everyone was locked down early last spring, Cam’Ron Stewart found himself alone in his backyard running in circles.
Many felt that way during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic: Running but getting nowhere.
Stewart, the Gov. Mifflin defensive end who had just committed to play football at Rutgers, had a direction. He knew where he wanted to be.
So he put his head down and ran a tight figure eight around a pair of hula hoops, a drill designed for pass rushers to improve their takeoff reaction at the snap and their agility in order sidestep offensive tackles.
Stewart was looking for that tiny edge that looms so large on a Friday night.
“My get- off was great this season,” said the 6- 4, 240-pound senior, asked where he made his most improvement during a season in which he’s helped the Mustangs to a district championship, a perfect record and a spot in the PIAA Class 5A semifinals opposite Pine-Richland. The game was scheduled for Nov. 21 which was after this edition’s deadline.
“I’ve been happy with my play, but I’ve got to step it up this week,” Stewart said. “This game means a lot to me. I want to be a state champ. We’ve got to show them what Gov. Mifflin’s all about.”
The Mustangs (8- 0) are in rarefied air. They never have advanced this far in state play. Until last week, when Warwick was forced to withdraw from the District 3 Tournament, they never had been crowned district champs.
A dream once clouded by the myriad uncertainties presented by the coronavirus is now clearly in focus. The Mustangs play the District 7 champion Rams (9-0), who are ranked No. 1 in the state, at 1 at Hollidaysburg High School.
“It’s an amazing feeling as a group,” said Stewart. “We worked all summer long for this. It started at the Wilson game (a 48-7 victory). I just knew everybody wanted it. I just knew. Beautiful feeling.”
Stewart has been at the forefront of a season that should go down as the greatest in program history, and one that likely will see the Mustangs finish as the highest-scoring team in Berks history.
He’s been a key, though often overlooked, part of the offense from his spot at tight end. He’s mostly utilized as blocker who clears the edge for Berks rushing leader Nick Singleton.
The Mustangs don’t throw Stewart’s way much, but when they do it pays big dividends: He has averaged 21.3 yards on his seven receptions, four of which have gone for touchdowns.
His impact has been even bigger on defense, where teams game plan in order to find a way to keep him out of the backfield. Mostly, they haven’t. He’s been a fierce pass-rusher and run-disruptor because of his strength and quickness off the line.
He repeatedly blew up the backfield against Exeter and Berks Catholic, helping turn the Mustangs’ two biggest Section 1 games into routs.
“Game in and game out, he’s just a force on the field,” said Mifflin coach Jeff Lang.
Stewart was Berks’ Defensive Lineman of the Year as a junior but has taken his game to a new level this year. That began months before the season did, working out on his own at first, then informally with teammates, then later during regular visits to Garage Strength, where he honed his body and his game with trainer Dane Miller.
He’s got the mental side down, too. He watches hours and hours of film in season and out to give him an edge. (Hours of playing the Madden NFL video game have helped sharpen his game senses, too, he said.)
“The knowledge of the game he has is unbelievable,” said Lang, comparing Stewart favorably to former Mifflin quarterback Jan Johnson, the highest form of praise.
“He comes off during a timeout and says: ‘We’ve gotta run this because it’s right there,’ and he’s 100% right,” Lang said.
Stewart took the lead in getting his guys together for workouts at Shillington Park during the shutdown. They’d run the hills and work out, forming the bond that’s been so evident on Friday nights this fall.
“I took the lead because I felt that was my job to do,” said Stewart. “I took ownership and made it my own team.”
“To me, he’s the heartbeat of the team,” said Lang. “If he has a great practice, then we have a good practice. If he’s miserable out, there then we’re miserable, and he knows that now. He’s really picked up his game where he understands his role on the team. He takes it on and goes the whole way with it. The buck stops with him.”