Football: Lineman pulls chains as Generals move them
By Ryan Sonner (Daily Staff Writer)
QUICKSBURG — When Stonewall Jackson senior Wes Stout isn't pulling down running backs or pulling out on a quick pitch to block an unsuspecting defender, he's pulling chains.
A jokester in every sense of the word, Stout loves to make people laugh and he never runs out of ways to make it happen.
"Wes always tells jokes," Stonewall coach Dick Krol said. "He told his father he wasn't going to play football. He said he wanted to play soccer and it just about killed him. That's how Wes is."
Apparently, Stout gets his humorous personality from his father, Benny.
"His father is the same way," Krol said, as he tells a story about a game in which Wes injured his leg.
His father came to Krol the following day and said it was over. Wes was badly injured and his career was finished. Terrible thoughts immediately entered Krol's mind. What was he going to do without his best lineman on both sides of the ball?
"Then he said he was joking," Krol said, shaking his head. "It runs in the family."
All joking aside, Stout will graduate as one of the best linemen ever to play for Stonewall Jackson. The 6-foot-4, 270-pound beast controls the line of scrimmage on offense and defense. A steady player over the last three years, Stout will likely top things off with a college scholarship.
That's when things get interesting. Of all the places Stout could go — several Division I-AA schools are interested — Army is his top choice. Not exactly stomping grounds for class clowns.
"He goofs around a lot," Stonewall running back Brandon Farrell said. "He'll step up and change when he gets there. He'll be able to do it."
That's the thing. No one doubts that Stout can achieve greatness in whatever he chooses to do. Maybe that's because for every joke he tells and for every prank he pulls, he can become just as serious — in a heartbeat.
"I get angry when I get serious," he said. "They can tell because I get loud and yell."
When Stout gets angry, people listen.
"It's hard not to respond to Wes," Krol said. "He's a fun-loving kid, but when push comes to shove, he's an imposing physical specimen."
Stout was an all-Region B honorable mention pick at offensive and defensive tackle last season. The Generals' bread and butter on defense is their linebackers, but Krol said everything starts up front.
Sometimes, it takes two or three linemen to keep Stout from breathing down the quarterback's neck.
"Very few people run in his direction very far," Krol said. "Wes is our most impressive defensive player when he wants to be. I have not seen anybody block him consistently this year."
He's even better on offense. As the anchor on the right side of the line, there's no question where the ball's going. Sure, the Generals still run the ball to the left, but just enough to keep the defense honest. Stout said he enjoys offense because, "I love that contact, just smashing people, getting down and dirty."
He is dominating in the trenches, as expected, but he's surprisingly effective on the run.
"That's my play, the quick pitch," Stout said. "That's when I get to show my stuff. I like to run out there and just smash somebody."
Added Krol: "When you get a 270-pound kid running straight down your face, you'd get a little hesitant in what you're going to do. He enjoys it. If we ran the quick pitch eight or 10 times a game, he'd be happy. He gets out there in no man's land where he can sort of float, and he likes it."
Earlier this season, Stout nearly realized every lineman's dream — to score a touchdown. In a game against Wilson Memorial on Oct. 1 — the same night he was crowned homecoming king — Stout picked up a fumble at the Wilson 10.
Most linemen, at one time or another, get to play running back in midget league football. Not Stout.
"They had a weight limit and I was always too heavy to run the ball," he said.
As he scooped up the ball, visions of pay dirt filled his head. He was only 30 feet away from sending the crowd into frenzy. Would he dance when he crossed the goal line or would he simply hand the ball to the official, acting like he'd been there before?
He never got the chance to make that decision.
"Two more steps and I would have had the touchdown," he said.
As Stout recalls the play, his voice gets lower and lower and the disappointment sets in again. After a brief pause, Stout lifts his head and does what he does best. He makes a joke out of it.
"But me being a big old clumsy lineman, I fell," he said.
