Football: Stout in control of Stonewall offense and defense (10-13-06)
By Tommy Keeler Jr. (Daily Staff Writer)
QUICKSBURG — Hunter Stout stood on the sidelines and watched.
It was the freshman season for the Stonewall Jackson player, and all he could do was stand there as his teammates patrolled the field. Kidney surgery and a broken nose had ended his year before it even started.
"It was tough," he said earlier this week. "I learned a lot by watching, but I really wanted to be out there playing. They had a really good year that year."
His playing situation was out of his control then; two years later, it's Stout who controls his team. As a quarterback and defensive back, the junior relishes the leadership role he fills.
"I like being in control," he said. "We have good leaders like Richard Long and some of the other seniors. They've helped show me what I need to do."
Stonewall Jackson is off to a 4-1 start and begins its Shenandoah District season tonight at Wilson Memorial. Stout has thrown for 264 yards and two touchdowns. On defense, he leads the area with four interceptions and has chipped in 26 tackles.
"He's a smart kid," coach Dick Krol said. "If we tell him to go here because it's going to put you in a better position to make an interception, he does it. He's smart enough to know that what we say is correct. He's very coachable."
Stout's freshman season, in which the Generals advanced to the Region B final, was even more difficult because it cost him the chance to play with cousin Wes Stout.
The lineman was a standout at Stonewall Jackson and now plays at Bridgewater. Athleticism runs in Stout's family.
His father, Tony, played on some successful basketball teams at Central. His mother, Sophie, is one of Strasburg's all-time leading scorers in basketball.
Despite having parents who were most noted for their basketball prowess, Stout said he enjoys football just as much.
"I like both equally," he said. "It's hard to like basketball — when you win as little as we do."
Last year, Stout started in the defensive backfield with Patrick Smoot, who graduated in June. Stout, who finished with four interceptions, said he learned a lot from Smoot, who finished with six picks.
Krol said Stout and Smoot are similar players.
"They both will listen to you and they wanted to get better," Krol said. "I'm not saying he's a clone of Smoot, because they're two totally different players."
The season didn't start off well for the Generals' defensive backfield. Shenandoah County rival Central used two long pass plays to record a 20-14 victory.
"I think that game really motivated everybody," Stout said. "Everybody in the defensive backfield has done really well. We're just trying to do whatever we can to get by."
The Generals have allowed just 12 points in four games since.
This season is the first for Stout at quarterback — he followed Smoot there, too — and so far he has done just what Krol has wanted in the Generals' run-oriented attack.
"Hunter's a smart kid and he's a good athlete," Krol said. "When we've needed to complete a pass, he's done a good job for us."
The Generals face their toughest test of the season tonight. Like Stonewall Jackson, Wilson Memorial is 4-1 and prefers to run the ball.
Stonewall Jackson has shared the district title with other teams the past two years. That's added motivation for this season, Stout said.
"This year," he said, "we want to have a season where we're the champions by ourselves."
