Athlete of the Week: Eric Conant, Norwich Purple Tornado Football
If you have watched a Norwich game this season, you have seen Norwich senior Eric Conant take a hand off from his quarterback Thomas Parrella, hit the hole that his offensive line has opened up for him and take off on the first or second play of the Purple Tornado’s first drive for 40, 50, 60, sometimes even 70 yards.
On the very first play from the line of scrimmage for the 2018 season, Conant ran for 69 yards and the first Purple Tornado touchdown of the year. A game later, against powerhouse Chenango Forks, he broke through the line of scrimmage, bounced the outside and score from 48 yards out.
Against Oneonta, Conant racked up 218 yards on 13 carries and one touchdown. That one touchdown he scored was for 76 yards.
What is the point being proved by these examples of the senior running back? Speed is deadly on the field.
Last week, Conant rushed for 294 yards and three touchdowns while being the second leading tackler with 7.5 tackles. That is why Conant is this week’s Evening Sun Athlete of the Week.
“With the injuries we had to Drew [Walsh] and Zach [Mills] last week, Eric really stepped up,” said Norwich head coach Mike Chrystie. “Even though he became the focal point for CV, he was still able to make big plays for us. The offensive line did a great job opening up holes and Eric found a lot of daylight.
“It was a special night for Eric, but our team as well. We had a lot of adversity the first half , but we made some adjustments at halftime and the kids responded really well and executed them.”
Conant uses his speed and strength to shake off tacklers, picking up extra yardage down the field and often times setting up Tornado in good field position – if not reaching the endzone first.
Once in open field, not many opponents have been able to run down Conant to make the touchdown saving tackle.
“I think everyone sees how fast Eric is,” said Chrystie. “What a lot of people don’t realize is how strong he is. Eric has dedicated himself to the weight room for many years. He has put in the time necessary to be a great athlete. We have to remind Eric to take days off and rest.”
It helps that Conant is a track star in the winter and spring sports seasons. Last year, he was a Section IV Champion in the 55 meter dash during the indoor season, reaching the state championships. Outdoor season, the distance to run gets a little further from start to finish but it doesn’t phase Conant. His time often came in at an 11.2 for the 100 meter dash.
Teams next on the Tornado schedule prepare for Conant all week leading up the game but unless they have some one who can match his speed – which is rare in Section IV – they aren’t 100-percent ready for what they are about to see.
Conant doesn’t just display his talent on the football field offensively though. He is often causing damage on the defensive side of the ball. Conant is usually in the top five after each game with the amount of tackles he accumulates while disrupting the opponents offense.
So far this season, Conant has 26.5 tackles with 19 of them coming by himself. He has one sack and one tackle for a loss as well.
Offensively, in just five games, Conant has racked up 831 yards on 55 carries and ran into the endzone 10 times. That’s an average of 166.2 yards on 11 attempts while scoring two touchdowns per game.
“Eric is just a great kid,” said Chrystie. “He’s never in a bad mood and comes to practice ready to work everyday. I couldn’t ask for anything more from a player than what Eric gives on a daily basis.”
This week, Conant and the rest of the Norwich Purple Tornado will travel to Maine-Endwell High School on Friday night. Currently, Norwich is 4-1 while the Spartans are 5-0 and ranked No. 3 in the state.
The Purple Tornado has proved that they can beat M-E as they did twice last season, both in one point victories. The second game came down to the very last play with Norwich coming up with a big stop to move on to the Section IV Class B finals against Chenango Forks.
Knowing that the stakes are high, the Norwich senior will not disappoint. If you plan on taking the road trip, get their early so you don’t miss Conant’s first carry of the game. It’s usually play of the week worthy.If you have watched a Norwich game this season, you have seen Norwich senior Eric Conant take a hand off from his quarterback Thomas Parrella, hit the hole that his offensive line has opened up for him and take off on the first or second play of the Purple Tornado’s first drive for 40, 50, 60, sometimes even 70 yards.
On the very first play from the line of scrimmage for the 2018 season, Conant ran for 69 yards and the first Purple Tornado touchdown of the year. A game later, against powerhouse Chenango Forks, he broke through the line of scrimmage, bounced the outside and score from 48 yards out.
Against Oneonta, Conant racked up 218 yards on 13 carries and one touchdown. That one touchdown he scored was for 76 yards.
What is the point being proved by these examples of the senior running back? Speed is deadly on the field.
Last week, Conant rushed for 294 yards and three touchdowns while being the second leading tackler with 7.5 tackles. That is why Conant is this week’s Evening Sun Athlete of the Week.
“With the injuries we had to Drew [Walsh] and Zach [Mills] last week, Eric really stepped up,” said Norwich head coach Mike Chrystie. “Even though he became the focal point for CV, he was still able to make big plays for us. The offensive line did a great job opening up holes and Eric found a lot of daylight.
“It was a special night for Eric, but our team as well. We had a lot of adversity the first half , but we made some adjustments at halftime and the kids responded really well and executed them.”
Conant uses his speed and strength to shake off tacklers, picking up extra yardage down the field and often times setting up Tornado in good field position – if not reaching the endzone first.
Once in open field, not many opponents have been able to run down Conant to make the touchdown saving tackle.
“I think everyone sees how fast Eric is,” said Chrystie. “What a lot of people don’t realize is how strong he is. Eric has dedicated himself to the weight room for many years. He has put in the time necessary to be a great athlete. We have to remind Eric to take days off and rest.”
It helps that Conant is a track star in the winter and spring sports seasons. Last year, he was a Section IV Champion in the 55 meter dash during the indoor season, reaching the state championships. Outdoor season, the distance to run gets a little further from start to finish but it doesn’t phase Conant. His time often came in at an 11.2 for the 100 meter dash.
Teams next on the Tornado schedule prepare for Conant all week leading up the game but unless they have some one who can match his speed – which is rare in Section IV – they aren’t 100-percent ready for what they are about to see.
Conant doesn’t just display his talent on the football field offensively though. He is often causing damage on the defensive side of the ball. Conant is usually in the top five after each game with the amount of tackles he accumulates while disrupting the opponents offense.
So far this season, Conant has 26.5 tackles with 19 of them coming by himself. He has one sack and one tackle for a loss as well.
Offensively, in just five games, Conant has racked up 831 yards on 55 carries and ran into the endzone 10 times. That’s an average of 166.2 yards on 11 attempts while scoring two touchdowns per game.
“Eric is just a great kid,” said Chrystie. “He’s never in a bad mood and comes to practice ready to work everyday. I couldn’t ask for anything more from a player than what Eric gives on a daily basis.”
This week, Conant and the rest of the Norwich Purple Tornado will travel to Maine-Endwell High School on Friday night. Currently, Norwich is 4-1 while the Spartans are 5-0 and ranked No. 3 in the state.
The Purple Tornado has proved that they can beat M-E as they did twice last season, both in one point victories. The second game came down to the very last play with Norwich coming up with a big stop to move on to the Section IV Class B finals against Chenango Forks.
Knowing that the stakes are high, the Norwich senior will not disappoint. If you plan on taking the road trip, get their early so you don’t miss Conant’s first carry of the game. It’s usually play of the week worthy.
On the very first play from the line of scrimmage for the 2018 season, Conant ran for 69 yards and the first Purple Tornado touchdown of the year. A game later, against powerhouse Chenango Forks, he broke through the line of scrimmage, bounced the outside and score from 48 yards out.
Against Oneonta, Conant racked up 218 yards on 13 carries and one touchdown. That one touchdown he scored was for 76 yards.
What is the point being proved by these examples of the senior running back? Speed is deadly on the field.
Last week, Conant rushed for 294 yards and three touchdowns while being the second leading tackler with 7.5 tackles. That is why Conant is this week’s Evening Sun Athlete of the Week.
“With the injuries we had to Drew [Walsh] and Zach [Mills] last week, Eric really stepped up,” said Norwich head coach Mike Chrystie. “Even though he became the focal point for CV, he was still able to make big plays for us. The offensive line did a great job opening up holes and Eric found a lot of daylight.
“It was a special night for Eric, but our team as well. We had a lot of adversity the first half , but we made some adjustments at halftime and the kids responded really well and executed them.”
Conant uses his speed and strength to shake off tacklers, picking up extra yardage down the field and often times setting up Tornado in good field position – if not reaching the endzone first.
Once in open field, not many opponents have been able to run down Conant to make the touchdown saving tackle.
“I think everyone sees how fast Eric is,” said Chrystie. “What a lot of people don’t realize is how strong he is. Eric has dedicated himself to the weight room for many years. He has put in the time necessary to be a great athlete. We have to remind Eric to take days off and rest.”
It helps that Conant is a track star in the winter and spring sports seasons. Last year, he was a Section IV Champion in the 55 meter dash during the indoor season, reaching the state championships. Outdoor season, the distance to run gets a little further from start to finish but it doesn’t phase Conant. His time often came in at an 11.2 for the 100 meter dash.
Teams next on the Tornado schedule prepare for Conant all week leading up the game but unless they have some one who can match his speed – which is rare in Section IV – they aren’t 100-percent ready for what they are about to see.
Conant doesn’t just display his talent on the football field offensively though. He is often causing damage on the defensive side of the ball. Conant is usually in the top five after each game with the amount of tackles he accumulates while disrupting the opponents offense.
So far this season, Conant has 26.5 tackles with 19 of them coming by himself. He has one sack and one tackle for a loss as well.
Offensively, in just five games, Conant has racked up 831 yards on 55 carries and ran into the endzone 10 times. That’s an average of 166.2 yards on 11 attempts while scoring two touchdowns per game.
“Eric is just a great kid,” said Chrystie. “He’s never in a bad mood and comes to practice ready to work everyday. I couldn’t ask for anything more from a player than what Eric gives on a daily basis.”
This week, Conant and the rest of the Norwich Purple Tornado will travel to Maine-Endwell High School on Friday night. Currently, Norwich is 4-1 while the Spartans are 5-0 and ranked No. 3 in the state.
The Purple Tornado has proved that they can beat M-E as they did twice last season, both in one point victories. The second game came down to the very last play with Norwich coming up with a big stop to move on to the Section IV Class B finals against Chenango Forks.
Knowing that the stakes are high, the Norwich senior will not disappoint. If you plan on taking the road trip, get their early so you don’t miss Conant’s first carry of the game. It’s usually play of the week worthy.If you have watched a Norwich game this season, you have seen Norwich senior Eric Conant take a hand off from his quarterback Thomas Parrella, hit the hole that his offensive line has opened up for him and take off on the first or second play of the Purple Tornado’s first drive for 40, 50, 60, sometimes even 70 yards.
On the very first play from the line of scrimmage for the 2018 season, Conant ran for 69 yards and the first Purple Tornado touchdown of the year. A game later, against powerhouse Chenango Forks, he broke through the line of scrimmage, bounced the outside and score from 48 yards out.
Against Oneonta, Conant racked up 218 yards on 13 carries and one touchdown. That one touchdown he scored was for 76 yards.
What is the point being proved by these examples of the senior running back? Speed is deadly on the field.
Last week, Conant rushed for 294 yards and three touchdowns while being the second leading tackler with 7.5 tackles. That is why Conant is this week’s Evening Sun Athlete of the Week.
“With the injuries we had to Drew [Walsh] and Zach [Mills] last week, Eric really stepped up,” said Norwich head coach Mike Chrystie. “Even though he became the focal point for CV, he was still able to make big plays for us. The offensive line did a great job opening up holes and Eric found a lot of daylight.
“It was a special night for Eric, but our team as well. We had a lot of adversity the first half , but we made some adjustments at halftime and the kids responded really well and executed them.”
Conant uses his speed and strength to shake off tacklers, picking up extra yardage down the field and often times setting up Tornado in good field position – if not reaching the endzone first.
Once in open field, not many opponents have been able to run down Conant to make the touchdown saving tackle.
“I think everyone sees how fast Eric is,” said Chrystie. “What a lot of people don’t realize is how strong he is. Eric has dedicated himself to the weight room for many years. He has put in the time necessary to be a great athlete. We have to remind Eric to take days off and rest.”
It helps that Conant is a track star in the winter and spring sports seasons. Last year, he was a Section IV Champion in the 55 meter dash during the indoor season, reaching the state championships. Outdoor season, the distance to run gets a little further from start to finish but it doesn’t phase Conant. His time often came in at an 11.2 for the 100 meter dash.
Teams next on the Tornado schedule prepare for Conant all week leading up the game but unless they have some one who can match his speed – which is rare in Section IV – they aren’t 100-percent ready for what they are about to see.
Conant doesn’t just display his talent on the football field offensively though. He is often causing damage on the defensive side of the ball. Conant is usually in the top five after each game with the amount of tackles he accumulates while disrupting the opponents offense.
So far this season, Conant has 26.5 tackles with 19 of them coming by himself. He has one sack and one tackle for a loss as well.
Offensively, in just five games, Conant has racked up 831 yards on 55 carries and ran into the endzone 10 times. That’s an average of 166.2 yards on 11 attempts while scoring two touchdowns per game.
“Eric is just a great kid,” said Chrystie. “He’s never in a bad mood and comes to practice ready to work everyday. I couldn’t ask for anything more from a player than what Eric gives on a daily basis.”
This week, Conant and the rest of the Norwich Purple Tornado will travel to Maine-Endwell High School on Friday night. Currently, Norwich is 4-1 while the Spartans are 5-0 and ranked No. 3 in the state.
The Purple Tornado has proved that they can beat M-E as they did twice last season, both in one point victories. The second game came down to the very last play with Norwich coming up with a big stop to move on to the Section IV Class B finals against Chenango Forks.
Knowing that the stakes are high, the Norwich senior will not disappoint. If you plan on taking the road trip, get their early so you don’t miss Conant’s first carry of the game. It’s usually play of the week worthy.
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