Young QB instumental in Schley County's first undefeated start

<p>At one time Deondrick Pina wasn't sure if he could play quarterback.</p><p>As a freshman last year, he made his first start having only known the position of running back on the offensive side of the ball.</p><p>Schley County, which broke off from Tri-County six years ago, is off to a school-record 5-0 start and is close to being ranked in the top 10 in Class A. Pina and the Wildcats travel to Taylor County Friday night hoping to go to 6-0 and stay atop Region 4-A.</p><p>"I feel pretty good," Pina said. "Hard work and dedication has got us here, and we have to continue to do that."</p><p>As a warrior goes out to battle for his kingdom, so has Pina for his team.</p><p>Not only does he play quarterback, but he's a defensive back, a kickoff and punt returner, and he even got thrown into a kicker role against Jenkins County.</p><p>Pina's no stranger to winning as his middle school team won three consecutive championships. But while this isn't middle school football, the sophomore carries a work ethic that's proven to be valuable to his whole team.</p><p>"I've never been on a losing team," he said. "I try to practice hard and keep everybody involved because if you don't get involved, you feel kind of left out and might now want to play. I want everybody to be involved and everybody to get after it."</p><p>It's been a transition for Pina to the leader of the offense. He remembers what he felt when he was told he would be the quarterback.</p><p>"I was pretty nervous," he said. "I didn't know nothing about quarterback. But after a while, like the fourth game, I was all right."</p><p>A once-nervous freshman is now a premier player in Region 4-A. He led the Wildcats in rushing and passing last season, and he led the region in tackles and interceptions, garnering All-Region honors.</p><p>Pina has accounted for 10 touchdowns and has five interceptions this season, and he leads the team in rushing (454), passing (360), interceptions and pass break-ups (6). He became the school's all-time career rushing touchdown leader with a touchdown in Schley County's 28-26 overtime win against Pacelli last week.</p><p>Coach Jim McFather said Pina rises to the occasion when the competition gets tougher.</p><p>"He's a pretty heady ballplayer," he said. "We've measured him at a 4.7, but he appears in game situations to be faster than that. He's able to break tackles, and he has a good sense of when to bring the ball down. I don't know if you can coach that."</p><p>Pina has made plays that even amazed McFather. He scored three touchdowns in a 28-27 win against Jenkins County this season where he scored on two rushing touchdowns (40, 4) and a 76-yard kickoff return. But the most amazing play came on defense last season against Taylor County when he intercepted a pass and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown.</p><p>"A lot of people say that may be his strength," McFather said. "He has a great intuition of seeing plays develop. Against Taylor County, he was out of position bad, and I don't know if he baited the guy, but he got out there and intercepted it. For the most part he's in position, but once in a while he's going to gamble. For the most part the good outweighs the bad."</p><p>Two weeks ago, Pina didn't have his best game, totaling 125 yards of total offense, but the Wildcats still beat Central Talbotton, 26-8.</p><p>McFather said "that's the mark of a very good football player."</p><p>"It's not always about yards or points, but keeping the team in the game and doing what we need to have done when we need it," he said.</p><p>"That's the biggest thing he's capable of. In the big game, he wants the ball in his hands."</p><p>Opposing defenses have had a hard time containing him, and senior linebacker Jordan Tedder said about the only way to stop him is forcing him toward the sideline.</p><p>"That's maybe the only way unless you're faster," said Tedder of stopping Pina. "Going one-on-one, it's almost impossible to bring him down. He'll outrun you and find a way to get upfield."</p><p>Tedder said defensively, Pina makes their job easier knowing he's back there.</p><p>"He makes it real tough for any offense to figure out what exactly to run pass-wise," he said. "He can intercept it and jump with the best of them. He can bring a hit, too. He's the full package right now."</p><p>McFather said he hasn't seen Pina get rattled on the field this season. Pina said he likes the competition, and he has to be more relaxed to lead the team.</p><p>"Everybody leads," he said. "More people depend on me, so I try to lead through my actions so they can see it and do the same thing.</p><p>"You've got to leave everything on the field every Friday night, and I'm going to come out and try to do my best for my team."</p>

http://accesswdun.com/article/2006/10/115342