By Anthony Mock
MaxPreps.com
The Southport Cardinals are the feel good story of the football season, having already clinched their first winning season since 1995. At 7-1, fourth-year head coach Bill Peebles has more wins than he had in his three previous years combined, including several victories against former and current top 10 opponents. To top it all off, the Cardinals won their first Conference Indiana Championship on Friday with a 42-28 victory over Bloomington North.
With the exception of an early season stumble against Roncalli, the Cardinals’ resurgent offense has been on-point all season. A big part of the reason for Southport’s success has been the emergence of senior tailback Nick Turner, the state’s third leading rusher. Turner sat well above everyone else on top of the rushing list for several weeks, only recently getting knocked out of the top spot.
Turner, who has come out of nowhere this season to rush for 1,600 yards at 7.7 yards per carry and 19 touchdowns, has been the focal point for opposing defenses because of his blazing speed and knack for breaking big plays. A three-time state finalist in the 200 meters, Turner has gradually found the vision he needs on the football field to squirt through even the smallest of running lanes en rout to a big gain.
“He’s come into this year really focused,” Peebles said. “He’s bought into the system and has worked his tail off and he’s a better player for it.”
Turner’s talent was never in question, but before this year his desire to step onto the gridiron was. Turner’s impressive speed has garnered a lot of interest from various collegiate track and field programs. It has been slower going in terms of football recruitment, but mainly just because this is Turner’s first year as an impact player.
“Up until this year, I’ve just really been focused on track,” Turner said. “But this is my senior season and I really wanted to have a good year (in football). I knew that we had a lot of talent and I figured that we would probably be over .500, so I just decided to push track back (to spring) and work on getting better as a player.”
It generally takes some time for interest from Division I schools to really begin to mount, but in his first full season as a varsity football player, Turner has quickly adapted to being a running back. If his on-field awareness continues to improve, it will only be a matter of time before scouts are knocking at his door.
“There’s a lot of pressure on the other positions,” said Turner when asked what he enjoyed most about his position. “If one lineman goes down, the whole is going to break down. Quarterbacks and receivers have a lot to remember and do each play. At running back, I just get to relax a little bit, sit back and check out the entire defense, so I can figure out where the holes are and where to cut back before (the snap).”
Turner is only beginning to understand the depths of his potential, and he hopes his rededication to the gridiron will land him a halfback spot at Indiana University.
Turner’s emergence as a star running back has allowed the Cardinals to move last year’s starting running back, Julian Walker, to wide receiver. A superb athlete, Walker’s contribution to the passing game was limited by a stress fracture in his back earlier in the season. In the three games that he has been back on the active roster, Walker has gotten better with each play. It has taken some time to get accustomed to his new role on the offense, but he has taken the change in stride.
“I’m an athlete, and I feel like I can play any skill position,” Walker said. “Wherever they me to play, whatever it takes to win, I’ll do it.”
Walker has carried the ball 21 times for 101 yards and two touchdowns on the year. He has also caught six balls for 50 yards. It is his prowess as a defensive back, though, that makes him such an appealing football player. A starter at corner since his sophomore year, Walker has 19 total tackles and an interception since returning to the line-up.
Coming off of a junior year where he was selected for an All-Conference roster spot, Walker expects to reach that level again by the time the post-season begins.
“It’s been great to see the turnaround,” Walker said of this year’s rebound from a 1-9 season last year. “I think we can do big things.”
Before his injury Walker was garnering a lot of interest from D-I schools as a cornerback. His offers have tapered off somewhat since then, but he still has the rest of the football season, the basketball season, and track season, where he excels as a high jumper, to prove that he has moved past his injury. Walker is currently leaning towards playing football for Akron.
With the offense being so explosive and getting much of the media attention, it is easy to overlook the Cardinal defense. One of the main playmakers on this defense has been strong side linebacker Joe Gilliam. Nicknamed “the Mayor” by his coaches and teammates, the 6-foot-2, 210-pound linebacker has perfected his role as a leader on the defense.
“He’s a great athlete, but more than that, he’s an extremely intelligent player in all facets of the game,” Peebles said.
Gilliam has racked up 38 solo tackles so far this year, including seven for a loss, and a sack. Perhaps most impressively, Gilliam has three passes defended and several others that he has broken up at the point of reception. Linebackers with pass coverage skills are a rare commodity, and Gilliam’s 4.6 40-yard dash is enough to have drawn interest from Indiana, Northwestern and Louisville.
“I think it’s definitely my best attribute,” Gilliam said of pass coverage abilities. “It’s not easy to find someone to cover the tight ends and slot receivers, but my athleticism kind of sets me apart back there.”
As a junior, Gilliam still has plenty of time to decide about his future and worry about his personal accolades. His main concern right now is for the elusive sectional championship.
“We’ve got the right group this year,” Gilliam said. “Last year we had people with egos and not everybody really wanted to win. This year, we’re all on the same page and looking for the same thing.”
The Cardinals’ first hurdle on their way to that goal is rival Perry Meridian (0-8). Southport’s final game of the regular season is Friday at Columbus North.