Carlinville High School Football: Welcome

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By Greg Shashack
The Telegraph

Brendan Stewart became just the third player in 97 years of Carlinville Cavaliers football to produce consecutive rushing seasons of 1,000 yards.

Now, he also goes back-to-back as The Telegraph Small-Schools Football Player of the Year.

The Carlinville junior reclaims the honor after another standout season in all phases for a 6-4 Cavaliers team that made the playoffs for the fifth straight season. The 6-foot, 200-pound Stewart was a first team All-South Central Conference selection at running back and a second team pick at linebacker.

Stewart rushed for 1,023 yards and scored 22 touchdowns, following a sophomore season that included 1,310 rushing yards and 22 TDs. He joins Tunde Ridley (1994-95) and Phil Wynn (1956-57) as the only Cavs with successive seasons of 1,000 yards on the ground.

"As long as we're winning games," Stewart said, "that's fine with me."

Carlinville overcame a 1-3 start, winning its final five regular-season games to reach postseason for the 11th time in 12 seasons.

"We improved and I think that showed how hard-working our team was to end up 6-4," Stewart said. "All the guys we have on our team, we work hard for each other."

Stewart reached the 1,000-yards milestone despite a relatively light workload carrying the football. He averaged just 10.4 rushes per game, third behind junior Cory Farneti (10.7) and senior Blake Pingleton (12.4).

But Stewart - called "an explosive back" by Carlinville coach Chad Easterday - ripped off 30 runs of at least 20 yards and averaged 9.8 yards a carry. He had 225 yards on 14 receptions and averaged 40.3 yards on three punt returns and 30 yards on nine kick returns.

But with Farneti and Pingleton combining to rush for 1,660 yards, Stewart saw multiple weapons as the Cavaliers' greatest asset on offense.

"I feel like we need to spread it around," Stewart said. "Our other running backs - Cory and Blake - this year, we had to get it to them, too, to have our offense work."

Still, given Stewart's production of almost 10 yards a pop, Easterday concedes some second guessing for having their best horse too lightly raced.

"We talked about that just the other day," Easterday said, with a laugh. "At the time, we weren't looking at that in terms of his carries. … It's definitely something we looked at, but we have a balanced attack and I think he flourished in that."

An outside linebacker with strong pass coverage skills who also has the hitting power to play inside, Stewart had 12 tackles for loss and three sacks. As for offense vs. defense, Stewart confesses no preference. "It's just playing football," he said.

Stewart looks the role of football player. His football coach sees more.

"He's an athlete," Easterday said. "He could go play on the soccer team or baseball team."

Or the basketball team, which Stewart did with success as a sophomore starter before giving up the sport this season to concentrate on football training.

"I think it's paying off for me, not playing basketball," said Stewart, who considered himself a soccer player before first playing football in middle school. "I can focus a lot more and I've already gotten bigger and faster and stronger. And so has everyone else on our team. Hopefully, that will pay off for everybody next year."