Sutton is the ideal candidate
The smile. The speed. The determination. Archbishop Hoban senior Tyrell Sutton has everything you could want in a Mr. Football candidate.
Thursday, August 26, 2004
Tim Rogers
Plain Dealer Reporter
They come around every once in a while, not unlike a shooting star.
No kid can be this good, this friendly, this polite, this industrious, this cool. They don't raise 'em old school anymore, not in this age of macho self-absorption.
These are the high school kids who are athletically gifted, but they enhance their God-given abilities with the work ethic of a coal miner. They don't act as if someone owes them a free ride. They are the kids who leave the impression that they will be successful at whatever they decide to do.
Archbishop Hoban running back Tyrell Sutton is one of those kids.
He has star power. He has charisma. His smile can illuminate a room better than General Electric. His laugh, which starts somewhere around his ankles and travels north until it explodes into the air, is as real as freshman English. He has a strong opinion on just about everything athletic - and beyond - and isn't afraid to speak his mind.
And, yes, the kid can play.
Looking for a Mr. Football candidate? Sutton is your man.
"Tyrell is one of those special players, one of those kids who will come around from time to time during a coaching career," said Hoban coach Ralph Orsini, whose tutelage has helped make Sutton one of the most feared running backs in Ohio.
"He has that combination of strength and speed, tremendous leg strength and a strong upper body. He is a power runner who can cut on a dime. And, he has that burst of speed that enables him to take it all the way."
SIZING IT UP
If there is a knock on Sutton it's that he is too small for the big time. Many major colleges shied away or suggested a move to the secondary or wide receiver. Sutton, 5-9½ and 190 pounds, ignored the naysayers and three weeks ago orally accepted a scholarship offer from Northwestern University, where he plans to major in communications.
The size issue is a touchy one with the amiable Sutton. His eyes scowl and jaw tightens when he's asked if he feels he has anything to prove after rushing for 6,197 yards in three seasons, climbing to sixth on Ohio's unofficial all-time list.
"I want to prove that a little back can be better than a big back," he said. "I know I am not the prototype size for a big-time running back. But, I also know I can play."
Sutton easily navigates that fine line between confident and cocky. Don't be fooled. "He is a very respectful kid," said Orsini. "He is a very industrious kid. He has worked hard to get where he's at and he's pushed it to the limit. But, he is not afraid to ask for help. If he thinks he needs help in the classroom he will get a hold of a tutor. He's not above that."
It's not as if Sutton struggles with the books. He will begin the fall semester with a 3.5 grade-point average and has scored 21 on the ACT exam. This semester he will take religion, trigonometry, government and economics, English and foods, the latter in lieu of Spanish IV.
"I've had enough Spanish," he said. "I love to cook. I can cook just about anything."
Anything? A Thanksgiving dinner?
He paused before saying, "Yes, I probably could make a whole dinner. Turkey, dressing, macaroni and cheese, cranberry sauce, greens. The whole works. And, I could probably bake a cake, too."
How many Mr. Football candidates can make that claim?
"I think what impresses me the most about Tyrell is how well-rounded and well-grounded he is," said Hoban principal Mary Anne Beiting. "He has a great balance between self-confidence and humility, which I think is a tribute to his family."
HOME COOKING
Until recently, Sutton, 18, lived with his mother, Connie, and his older brother, Tony. Tony preceded Tyrell at Hoban and will begin the fall as a Division III All-American at Wooster College. Over the summer, Tyrell moved in with his father, Tony, an Akron police officer.
Sutton said that family is very important to him. He has always maintained that his older brother is his hero.
"He always has been my hero and he always will be," Sutton said of his brother. "Ever since I was little, I have always wanted to do things the way Tony has. I wanted to be just like him." On the field, at least, Sutton has been even better.
"You have to admire any player who plays the game as hard as he does," said Walsh Jesuit coach Gerry Rardin, who watched Sutton rush for 191 yards and two touchdowns in a come-from-behind 31-20 victory against his team in October.
"What I like about him is that he doesn't fade in the fourth quarter. He runs just as hard in the final eight minutes as he does in the first eight. He is a game-changer."
Against Stow, he ran for 321 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries and swatted away what could have been a game-winning pass in the closing seconds.
"He pretty much took over the fourth quarter," said former Stow coach Cyle Feldman, who also coached Marcus Sanders at Ravenna and Maurice Clarett at Warren Harding. "The great ones make great plays late in the game... We were all over him the whole game and he still got 320 yards. Then, he knocked that pass away in the fourth quarter."
Sutton includes the games against Walsh Jesuit and Stow among the best of his career. He also said that a Stow team delivered the hardest hit he has endured.
"It was during my freshman year," he said. "The last thing I remember is picking up a fumble just before halftime and seeing four guys coming at me. They whacked me, I mean, really killed me. I'm pretty sure they gave me a mild concussion. It ended up being the first 200-yard game of my career, but I had to watch the tapes to see how I got to 200 yards.
"I still don't remember very much about the second half. I saw stars, big-time."
Starting tonight against Akron Garfield, area football fans can see a big-time star, playing one last high school season and shining as brightly as ever.
THE TYRELL SUTTON FILE
School: Archbishop Hoban in Akron.
Year in school: Senior.
Age: 18.
Height and weight: 5-9½, 190 pounds.
Position: Running back and cornerback.
Performance rating: Has led the Knights to a 40-7 record and three consecutive playoff appearances in his three seasons. With 6,197 yards gained rushing in his career, he stands sixth on the list of Ohio's all-time leading rushers. He can become the unofficial leader by rushing for 2,020 yards this season.
2003 awards: Was a first-team Associated Press All-Northeast Inland District selection and an AP all-Ohio selection. Also named to The Plain Dealer's "Best of the Best" All-Star team after being chosen as the Player of the Year on the Summit-Portage County All-Star team.
2004 preseason recognition: Is ranked among Ohio's top 30 football players, at any position, by Ohio High Magazine.
Personal: The younger of two children, he has broken all the rushing records set by his brother, Tony, at Hoban. Last season, Tony became the first consensus All-American in the history of Wooster College when he led the nation in rushing, all-purpose yards and points scored. His mother, Connie, is a secretary. She was the primary parent for most of Tyrell's life until he recently moved in with his father, also named Tony, who is an Akron police officer. Tony Sr., 43, holds Ohio Police Olympic records in the 60-yard dash (7.0), 100-yard dash (10.6) and 200-yard dash (23.8). Tyrell does not drive because he doesn't want the responsibility. "If you have a license and a car it's easy to find trouble, and I don't need to find it," he said.
Future: Has made an oral commitment to attend Northwestern University, where he plans to major in communication. Chose Northwestern over Illinois, Kent State and several other Division I schools
