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Athleticism speaks loudly for quiet Bowden
Three-sport star
leverages size, speed,
agility to excel at defensive end
By
Sammy Batten
©2013 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
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Aldine Payne remembers
well the day that altered the football career of Yiannis Bowden for
the better.
Payne was the new varsity
football coach at Robert B. Glenn High School in Kernersville when he
noticed a tall, gangly sophomore wide receiver playing for the junior
varsity squad. The player was Bowden, and Payne immediately turned to
his assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at the time, Todd
Shuping.
"I would say it was the
first or second game,'' Payne said. "I turned to Todd Shuping and said,
'If we move that kid to defensive end he will be a Division I player.'
So we asked Yiannis if he wanted to move. He played the next two or
three games at defensive end, and had five sacks in one of them. After
that one, I walked up to the JV coach and said, 'That's the last time
you'll have him.' ''
Payne's initial evaluation
of Bowden has come true. After finishing out his sophomore year on the
varsity, he enjoyed a breakout season in 2012 when he made 70 tackles
and 17 quarterback sacks to earn first-team All-Central Piedmont 4-A
Conference honors.
East Carolina was one of
the first schools to take notice of Bowden's emergence and reaped the
benefits of that interest when the 6-foot-5, 220-pounder made a verbal
commitment to the Pirates over scholarship offers from Ball State, N.C.
A&T and Old Dominion. Bowden, who received an offer from ECU in July,
was recruited by the Pirates defensive coordinator, Rick Smith. He made
his pledge after taking a trip to Greenville two weekends ago for an
unofficial visit.
"I think a lot of it
(Bowden's decision) was that he was impressed with Coach Smith when he
met him, and a lot of it was one of our coaches knowing (head) Coach
(Ruffin) McNeill,'' Payne said.
Brent David, an assistant
at Glenn, just happens to be a former Appalachian State linebacker who —
you guessed it — was coached by ECU's McNeill, who was then defensive
coordinator for the Mountaineers. David played alongside All-American
and future NFL linebacker Dexter Coakley while at Appalachian State.
Other connections between
Payne and the Glenn program made Bowden feel more comfortable. In a
previous stint at Glenn as defensive coordinator, Payne coached former
ECU linebacker Quentin Cotton and more recently tutored current Pirate
cornerback Josh Hawkins, who came to Greenville as a walk-on. Another
person who also gave a strong recommendation for the Pirates and their
director of strength and conditioning, Jeff Connors, was Glenn offensive
line coach Cam Holland. Holland is a former center at North Carolina,
where Connors worked 10 seasons with the Tar Heels.
Bowden, who has been timed
at 4.6 seconds in the 40-yard dash, didn't begin playing organized
sports until the eighth grade. His father, a professional musician,
brought him to sign up for middle school football after Bowden expressed
an interest in playing.
"He (father) didn't think
he'd stick with it,'' Payne said. "But Yiannis wanted to give it a try.
I guess you could say he took to it pretty well.''
Bowden, who doesn't turn
17 until September, is used primarily as a defensive end in Glenn's 4-3
defensive alignment, but he also stands up as an outside linebacker
during those occasions when the Bobcats switch to the 3-4. The Pirates
have recruited him to play defensive end or outside linebacker,
according to Payne.
Two plays Bowden made in a
game against High Point Central last year are a great example of his
skills, Payne said.
"On the first play, they
tried to block him with a tackle,'' Payne said. "He speed rushes and
sacks the quarterback. On the very next play, they send a back to block
him. He just runs over the back and sacks the quarterback. He went from
speed one time and then used his length and strength on the second play
to push the back off.''
Because of his speed and
agility, Payne plans to use Bowden at tight end on offense some this
season.
"Once the conference
season starts we'll use him there in the red zone,'' Payne said. "He's
so tall, we want to throw it to him. He's such an athlete he could
really play just about anywhere. But when you're close to 6-5 and run
like a deer — well, he's just beautiful when he runs. He has these long
strides that you just have to see to appreciate.''
Football isn't Bowden's
only sport at Glenn. He's also the starting center for the basketball
team and runs the hurdles and relays for the track and field squad.
Bowden won the conference championship in the 110- and 300-meter hurdles
as a junior and was an all-conference pick in football, basketball and
track.
"He is such a gifted
athlete,'' Payne said. "It is unusual for us to see a kid like him. But
the best part is he's such a good and humble kid. He's very quiet and
always has a smile on his face. He's very competitive, but doesn't
display much ego. It's not all about Yiannis. It's about getting better
for him.''
Glenn kicked off its 2013
season with a 36-0 victory against Winston-Salem Parkland. Bowden played
sparingly in the game after suffering a hip pointer injury, but isn't
expected to miss any time.
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09/02/2013 05:08 AM |
