Any place you put Jeff Carlin on the field, he becomes a threat to the other team. He is the Trojans’ home-run hitter in the running game with several long TD runs under his belt this year. He led Greene in receiving as a junior last year, he is a dangerous punt returner with two TD returns in five games, and he is a menace to opposing quarterbacks defending and intercepting passes.
Carlin was the catalyst in Greene’s 35-14 romp over Oneonta last Saturday. In another impressive victory over a larger school, Carlin pulled the Trojans out of an early funk with an electrifying 40-yard punt return for a touchdown. The score put his team on the board, and the offense seemed to hit its stride from that point on. “The way we set things up on returns, (Jeff) has a chance to run it back every time he gets his hands on it,” said Greene head coach Tim Paske. “The guys on special teams believe in him, and they give that extra effort when we have an opportunity to make a return. It’s a chance for a touchdown, and big play on special teams can change the way a game is played.”
Locked in a tight game with the ‘Jackets, Carlin scored the go-ahead touchdown in the third, and his 63-yard touchdown dash in the fourth sealed the victory. Defensively, Carlin made three tackles from his safety spot, and knocked down three passes. His all-around performance has earned him our weekly honor as Smith Ford Supercenter/Evening Sun Athlete of the Week.
Carlin already has more than 100 yards rushing than all of last year. His 473 yards rushing leads a powerful Trojans offense, and he is averaging nearly nine yards per carry to go with seven rushing touchdowns. Of those seven scores, five have been longer than 25 yards. Tacking on a pair of punt return scores, Carlin rarely takes a breather, and he certainly isn’t cutting any breaks for the opposition.
“All of the work he put in during the offseason is showing out on the field,” Paske said. “He’s a lot stronger, and his quickness and first step have really improved. He has a nose for the football, and is a special weapon for us.”
Paske said that you see different philosophies for teams when it comes to special teams, especially when it comes to punt returns. Some coaches aggressively look for the punt block, some like to aggressively set up returns, while others just want to avoid any mistakes. Paske knows that there are not nearly as many opportunities to make plays on special teams, but he wants his team to make the most out of those chances. “(Special teams) are huge,” Paske said. “You can change the whole field position, and you can see on the sideline when some returns a kick for a touchdown. It ignites one team, and it almost deflates the other team. For us, we like to put our most explosive player back there with possibility of making a big play. Jeff was returning punts for touchdowns when he was on the lower levels, so he’s been doing this all the way through our program.”
Carlin would likely be the first person to thank his dominant offensive line for all of the big holes he has run through. Chris Kehoe, Trevor Flohr, Isaiah Webb, Garrett Huttleston, Dan Haskell, and Cole Browning have taken to the newly-implemented zone blocking scheme, and the principles of that scheme play to Carlin’s strengths. “Our blocking gives guys like Jeff opportunities for cutbacks,” Paske said. “Jeff has real good vision and can see the cutback lanes. The nice thing is that he has the acceleration to get there.”
Jeff is the third of the Carlin brothers to play for Paske following in the footsteps of older brothers Dan and John. His mother Sue is head coach of the highly successful Greene field hockey team, so Coach Paske knew when Jeff reached the varsity, he had a special player. “There’s just something different about kids coming from that type of family,” Paske said of Carlin. “There is that ability to see outside the box and know where a coach is coming from. Jeff has a great family, and it’s definitely a big impact on who he is.”