bcowens@jonesborosun LEPANTO — When Aaron Scales walks into a room, hes hard to miss. Scales, East Poinsett Countys star quarterback and middle linebacker, stands 6-foot-2 -- unless you add an extra three inches to account for his curly, rust-colored hair. Throw in the matching goatee and his love of crazy socks — on this day, theyre bright pink and pulled up to mid-shin — and Scales is easy to spot, even from the other side of campus. On the football field, a helmet might cover his trademark hair and his socks might be hidden beneath his EPC uniform, but Scales remains hard to miss. Hell be the one with the ball in his hands on offense, throwing perfect strikes to his receivers. On defense hell be the player who is around the ball play after play. Scales leads the team with 55 tackles, so it shouldnt take long to spot him. East Poinsett County coach Brian Weathers said trotting Scales out at both quarterback and middle linebacker is the last thing he wanted to do. The problem is, Scales is too good to be moved. We ask a lot out of him, Weathers said. The last thing I wanted to do was play him at middle linebacker and thats what were doing. Hes played safety in the past, but he plays middle linebacker for us because he has a nose for the ball and hes explosive and hes just going to go blow stuff up. Scales has been just as effective on offense. Hes transformed EPCs traditionally run-heavy offense into a balanced one with his passing chops. Despite limited playing time because of EPCs margin of victory in most of its games, Scales still leads all area starters in completion percentage (77.9 percent) and yards (1,225). He also has 12 touchdowns against one interception. Weathers said the seniors evolution as a passer has been a very pleasant surprise. In last years 13-game season, he completed 57 percent of his passes for 1,926 yards and 23 touchdowns to go with 12 interceptions. Good numbers, but nothing like his start in 2014. If the Warriors once again play 13 games, Scales is on pace to throw for 3,185 yards and 39 touchdowns. Its incredible, Weathers said. Hes outstanding defensively. Now hes just added this other dimension. And he just throws the thing, I mean he can probably put it on the money better at 40 yards than he could hand it to somebody. Hes been lights out. One person who isnt surprised by Scales season is fellow senior Quinn Young, who through five games is the big quarterbacks second-leading receiver. Scales, Young and several others spent time playing in the offseason to hone their skills and develop chemistry. I wasnt surprised because in the summer we threw the ball a lot on the weekend, Young said. Hes worked on it. The work has paid off. Young and Clay Malone are both well over 300 yards receiving, and the rest of the receiving corps is also reaping the benefits of Scales passing precision. Its easy (being a receiver), Young said. Its always right on the money, very accurate. ... Our passing game is better than it ever was. The superlatives are well-earned, but Scales doesnt seem to get caught up in the hype. Hes a quiet, competitive, driven player who doesnt seek the spotlight. In fact, Scales admits if he could only pick one position to play, he would choose safety over the sports most glamorous position. Hed rather make tackles than throw touchdown passes. About the only thing flashy about the 185-pound senior is his collection of socks. When it comes to football, hes a hard-nosed, visceral player with unrelenting energy. When asked what it means to be an EPC Warrior, Scales described something close to how he tries to play. Its to be fearless and be the best you can be, Scales said. When youre on the field, nobody can stop you. I feel that way. That fearlessness, combined with his natural athleticism, has made Scales one of Class 2As best players. What sets him apart, Weathers said, is his work ethic. Weathers, who also coaches Scales during baseball season, is well aware of his quarterbacks drive and competitiveness - whether its football, basketball or baseball season. Sometimes there is some down time while the opponent is taking pregame infield or whatever, and its a good time to crack some jokes or things like that, Weathers said. But thats not him. Hes all business. Hell say, Somebody come down here and soft toss with me. Hes serious and competitive. I love it. So far nobody has slowed the Scales-led Warriors this season. They moved to 5-0 on Friday night after demolishing Midland and continue to roll despite losing an excellent class of seniors. That group went 33-4 in the previous three years, and with so many good players graduated — including Aarons brother Byron — Aaron said there was some talk locally that the Warriors would take a step back. Scales doesnt say much, but its obvious that perceived slight helps drive him. All we heard this past summer is we wouldnt be any good, we wouldnt win games ... since we lost a lot of players Scales said. We just need to keep working hard, do what were doing, play as a team. Weve really been doubted this year and I want to prove people wrong. Led by Scales, the Warriors current level of play has supporters dreaming of another run deep into the playoffs. But theres another dream the senior harbors concurrently: to play college football. Thats always been my dream to play in college, Scales said. He has the lineage and athleticism to play at the next level. Scales is the half-brother of consensus 2016 Top 10 basketball prospect Malik Monk, and Weathers says Scales has been timed at 4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Hes attended summer football camps at Arkansas State and Mississippi, but so far Scales hasnt received a single scholarship offer from any school at any level. Frankly, Weathers cant believe it. But he also knows things can change quickly. Just three years ago he watched EPC linebacker A.J. Turner go from unrecruited to a University of Arkansas commit during his senior year. In his opinion, Scales could follow a similar path. Hes a D-I player, Weathers said. When its all said and done, he will be. I remember A.J. didnt really get his first offer until November (of his senior year)... Im expecting a lot of things are going to happen really quickly. Aarons grades are there, his test scores are there, zero discipline problems. Hes very respectful and goes about his business. The interest is starting to trickle in. Weathers said the University of Arkansas coaching staff checks on Scales progress weekly, but the Razorbacks have yet to offer. No other state school has shown consistent interest as of yet. Weathers said he believes part of the hesitation is Scales success at so many positions. Is he a linebacker? A safety? A quarterback? I think thats the big question on why theres a little bit of hesitation right now because I think hes labeled as an athlete, Weathers said. But college is a discussion for another time. Right now Scales is focused on throwing spirals, crushing running backs, and racking up more wins with his teammates. If he continues doing these things at his current pace, Scales and his crazy socks might just be spotted on a much bigger campus
Posted on: Wed, 15 Oct 2014 15:40:00 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015