Smith excited about getting a chance to see action on both offense and defense

Alan Hawes
The Post and Courier

James Island's Leon Smith

Three-year starter Leon Smith has a new number and a new position as the James Island Trojans prepare to open the season.

The 6-1, 270-pound senior defensive tackle wore No. 71. He now wears No. 44 because he'll spend time playing running back for the Trojans, who are coming off a 1-10 season.

"It's pretty fun when you have the ball in your hands," Smith said. "It's exciting to be on the offensive side of the ball. But I still love making tackles. It's a lot more fun to hit somebody."

Second-year coach John Patterson did not hesitate to increase Smith's workload. He will play both offense and defense.

"He's capable of doing most anything you ask," Patterson said. "In this league, it's hard to make a living going both ways. It's unusual to find someone who plays offense and defense at the Class AAAA level. But we want our best athletes on the field. He's a defensive lineman who runs well enough to play linebacker. He runs well for a big kid. He's explosive and he runs with power. He's a college prospect."

Patterson has coached at the high school and college levels, including The Citadel, and he knows all about the importance of an athlete's time in the 40-yard dash. He also knows players and coaches can exaggerate times.

"More people lie about 40 times than anything else in the world," Patterson said. "If somebody tells me they run a 4.6, I automatically add two-tenths of a second. That being said, he runs a 5.0. That is legitimate. For the first 10 yards, he's one of the fastest guys I've got. He benches 330 pounds, is a 500-pound squatter and has a 31-inch vertical leap. He's an athlete. Skill-wise, he's a Division I-A player."

Smith hopes to carry the ball 20 times a game.

"That would be cool," he said. "I'll be playing both sides of the ball, so I have to be ready. I have to be in shape. It takes a lot of conditioning. You have to run and you have to keep your stamina up. It's pretty tough."

Patterson's predecessor, Dave Brunner, had a penchant for throwing the football. But when Patterson took over, he knew his team had to be able to run the football and defend against it. That meant the Trojans had to win the battle of the trenches. That's something they failed to do in '07, as they averaged only 7.1 points on offense and surrendered 32 points per game. To do that, weightlifting had to be priority No. 1.

"Last year, we had only a few months to get to know the kids and get ready for the season," Patterson said. "Weightlifting was important because we weren't strong enough to sustain our blocks. The kids worked hard, and we got a significantly stronger and bigger, and a little faster. We are more athletic now."

Said Smith: "We've worked hard, but it is just beginning. We have to keep working."