Edge Takes Home Male Gamer of the Week Honors
Teays Physical Therapy Center, Inc. and The Putnam Herald are pleased to present this week’s male Gamer of the Week to sophomore, Elijah Edge of the St. Albans High School football team.
The St. Albans Red Dragon football team has not started a season 2-0 since 2007. While the program has been searching for success for a number of years now, it seems that the tides are beginning to change. With the 2020 season being historic in itself, St. Albans has won their first two games of the year with a 26-13 victory on October 7 over close by rivals, Nitro and defeated Capital high school 12-6 on October 12 for the first victory over the Cougars in school history. The hot start can be attributed to a complete team effort, but in part to sophomore Defensive End, Elijah Edge. Edge was especially huge in the defensive effort in holding Capital to 6 points. He recorded 9 tackles, 3 being for a loss, and 3 sacks in that game. Third year coach, Nick Watts stated that Edge was the difference maker. “He was integral to us winning. He made elite level plays in crucial situations throughout the game to ensure we got the stops we needed.”
Elijah attributed a lot of the team’s success through the first two games to the offseason work and preparation that the team did. “We bought in and really became a team this year. Everyone showed up to every workout and training session in the offseason and had the desire to get better.” He also spoke to his own success stating, “I never really had the most confidence in myself and always just wanted to work and get better, so it’s a good feeling to know I had some success against a big school like Capital.”
In each of Watts’ first two years as head coach, the team has struggled to the tune of back to back 1-9 seasons. However, it seems that his “program building” mindset is finally taking root and reaping benefits. Edge is a product of this atmosphere. Watts stated, “He’s one of the hardest working kids I’ve ever coached. He pushes himself to be better each and every day and does the same for his teammates.” The COVID-19 pandemic situation didn’t allow St. Albans to play their first game until October 7, so Watts noted that a lot of the team’s success is based on their resilience during that waiting period. “They have shown up to conditioning drills, weightlifting sessions, and practices unsure if they’d ever even get the chance to play. Elijah was one of the leaders in this area showing up and making sure he was dedicated to staying ready to play.” Edge notes also that the work isn’t done. “We want to make it to the playoffs this year. It’s been a while for this school, and we think we can do it. Mainly though we just want to keep getting better and everything else will take care of itself.”
The contact aspect of football is what Edge loves most. “I’ve been playing since I was 5 years old and I’ve always just really loved tackling people. I look up to Aaron Donald as a player and try to play like him.” Edge credits Coach Watts with helping him fine tune his game. “He’s taught me how to be tough and how to be a leader on and off the field.” Elijah has also shown a lot of promise as a wrestler for the Red Dragons with a state runner-up finish in the 182 lb. division as a freshman. He carries a 3.2 GPA and has a desire to play football at the collegiate level.
Please look for other local high school athletes to be named in next week’s male Gamer of the Week Sponsored by Teays Physical Therapy Center, Inc. and The Putnam Herald.
Jonah Skiles, MBA, is the Director of Fitness Operations at Teays Physical Therapy Center and Potential Plus.