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Thomas leads Edgewood secondary
By Emile Dawisha Staff Writer
Thursday, November 09, 2006
TRENTON ? Edgewood coach Steve Channell's mantra last week ? "don't be intimidated" ? resonated with junior cornerback Nate Thomas as he stood face-to-face with the seemingly stronger and faster Trotwood-Madison receivers.
"(Channell) told us to just man up and worry about no one except the player across from you," Thomas said.
For much of the game, that player was 6-foot-6, 235-pound hybrid tight end Brandon Moore.
Thomas may not have known that Moore, a junior, has already received scholarship offers to play at schools like Georgia and Nebraska. But on the field, Thomas, 6-0, 175 pounds, cared little for Moore's credentials.
Man up or be intimidated.
"They had me lined up against (Moore) for most of the game, that's all I know," Thomas said. "He was a really big guy, but I wasn't going to let his size intimidate me."
By game's end, Thomas held Moore to two catches for 9 yards ? and he did it predominantly in single coverage. Edgewood's blitzing defense often left the secondary to defend the Rams' receivers one-on-one. And yet the Rams' vaunted passing attack only managed 140 yards as the Cougars cruised to a shocking 35-12 victory.
"We overcame their size and speed advantages," Thomas said. "It's a great feeling. That game was definitely the best moment of my football career. The atmosphere was incredible."
Thomas' heroics were mostly overlooked on a night when so many players shared the spotlight. But in his two years starting at cornerback, Thomas has earned the reputation as the defense's biggest playmaker.
If Edgewood is to make a run deep in this season's playoffs, it will need Thomas to make big plays.
In the 2005 season opener against Harrison ? in his first game as a starter ? Thomas picked off two passes that propelled the Cougars to a 13-7 victory.
This season he leads the FAVC in interceptions with six, four coming in the final two games of the regular season.
The ball-hawking Thomas had two interceptions in a tightly contested victory over Talawanda and snatched two more in a blowout win against Norwood.
"I should've scored on both of those picks," Thomas said about the Norwood game. "The first pick, my legs went out when I was around their 20-yard line. The second one, I got caught from behind. (Channell) has been dogging me about it a lot, running me more in practice and requesting that I bring an oxygen tank with me to games."
