Hidden gem in St. Edward, NE?

[Ohio Pete]

Nice story about St. Edward, NE 6 man football player from Chicago, Ramone Brown.

 

Brown also finding safety in St. Edward

BY STU POSPISIL

WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

 

ST. EDWARD, Neb. — Ramone Brown's greatest escape hasn't been any nifty move to elude a defender on the football field.

 

It's been getting away from trouble in his hometown of Chicago and finding a safe place in a rural Nebraska town that took in a friend from his AAU basketball program a couple of years ago.

 

Brown plays quarterback for St. Edward High School, a six-man team from a town of 750 northwest of Columbus. And like AAU buddy Shavontae Samuels, who helped St. Edward win the 2007 Class D-2 state basketball title, Brown is making a quick mark in sports.

 

Brown has rushed for 962 yards in six games after missing the opener while getting cleared to play. Against Arthur County in September, the 6-foot-1, 160-pound junior rushed for 395 yards and five touchdowns on 35 carries and threw for 108 yards and two touchdowns. Last week against Loup County, he took four of his six carries into the end zone, scored on a 77-yard kickoff return and threw for another score in a 67-27 win.

 

Brown said it's a relief to be out of his old Chicago neighborhood.

 

"It's quiet. It's safer," he said. "You don't have to worry about all the gangs and the drugs. It was like every five minutes, you had to watch your back because anything can happen."

 

Brown said his mother's drug addiction was a major reason he was looking for a way out of Chicago.

 

"That kind of let me down," he said. "She was my No. 1. I was looking up to her, and I was going down the same path she was."

 

Brown said he did well in seven games with the varsity as a freshman at King College Prep in Chicago, but added that he was academically ineligible for the varsity in football two seasons and for basketball one season.

 

When he approached his club coach for help, William Berry was ready. Samuels, one of Berry's former players, had gone from Chicago to St. Edward to live with brother Shannon Samuels and his wife, Amanda. Shavontae Samuels, an all-state basketball player at St. Edward, now attends Central Community College in Columbus.

 

Berry contacted the Samuels family, who agreed to take in Ramone at the start of the summer.

 

Brown immediately immersed himself in sports, playing American Legion baseball in nearby Fullerton. He plans to play basketball and run track for the Beavers.

 

"Ramone has been dedicated thus far to improving his life in and out of the classroom," said Aaron Martin, St. Edward's athletic director and boys basketball coach.

 

St. Edward, 5-2, finishes its regular season with a game on Friday at McPherson County and has qualified for the Six-Man Coaches Association conference playoffs.

 

Brown is a nightmare for the Beavers' opponents. In the wide-open game of six man, the quarterback can't run the ball if he takes a direct snap. So the ball goes to a middle man, who tosses back to Brown.

 

And then Brown takes off.

 

"Ramone doesn't have the top-line speed, but he has the moves," St. Edward football coach Jereme Jones said. "He can cut on a dime and make things happen out there. It's great to get him in (open field). Right now, he's been the man in the spread."

 

Brown hasn't mastered blocking, so he leaves the field when the Beavers run a pro-set formation that features senior Corey Prorok and junior Landon Hemmer.

 

St. Edward's football roots are in the six-man game, dating to the 1940s with brothers Cletus and Ken Fischer making all-state teams. The Beavers were in the eight-man ranks for the past 27 years, but declining enrollment forced a return to six-man.

 

"I really think we're the best team in the state," Jones said. "The two games we've lost (Arnold and Greeley-Wolbach), in each we had over 10 penalties and over four turnovers. If we don't do that, I don't think anyone can play with us."

 

I guess we'll see how fast he really is when track season starts.

[BIGREDFAN_in_OMAHA]

Interesting. One to keep an eye on.

[BigWillie]

Sounds like a WR in the making.

 

But 160lbs as reported by a newspaper? YIKES! Likely means he is lighter than he is listed since newspapers always inflate heights and weights for high school kids.

[Vuren]

Sounds like a WR in the making.

 

But 160lbs as reported by a newspaper? YIKES! Likely means he is lighter than he is listed since newspapers always inflate heights and weights for high school kids.

i'd still take a chance on him though, st edwards doesn't have the weight room any of the lincoln highschools have. redshirt him and get him in system and have him as a wing back type maybe? didn't we have 2 kids from st edwards come through here and both are in the pros now?

[BigWillie]

Sounds like a WR in the making.

 

But 160lbs as reported by a newspaper? YIKES! Likely means he is lighter than he is listed since newspapers always inflate heights and weights for high school kids.

i'd still take a chance on him though, st edwards doesn't have the weight room any of the lincoln highschools have. redshirt him and get him in system and have him as a wing back type maybe? didn't we have 2 kids from st edwards come through here and both are in the pros now?

 

Two words: Tim Marlowe

 

And Marlowe is likely faster.

 

Big thing though about next year, we are going to be in a SERIOUS scholarship crunch. We will be HIGHLY selective next year. In no way should we be taking any 'chances' on any players.

 

Unless the kid completely distinguishes himself from everyone, which will be hard to do at his school, he probably won't be getting many takers, if any. Probable walk-on if I had to guess or more likely a UNO or UNK type player they would take a risk on.

[husker B-rent]

rushing for that many yards i 6 man football is not that big of a deal, im sorry but running through 6 people is MUCH easier than running through 11 people.

[Touchdown Tommie]

rushing for that many yards i 6 man football is not that big of a deal, im sorry but running through 6 people is MUCH easier than running through 11 people.

 

I cannot imagine playing 6 man football. I thought 9 man was crazy enough.....one thing that drove me nuts about players from 9 man teams was how they would always brag about how many yards they had. If you have speed, of course you are going to get a lot of yards when you have 2 less people to worry about. With only 6, man, that is some crazy sh*t!!!

[Husker_x]

The 9-man 6-man stuff is why we need a walk-on program. If guys really have the goods they'll first be able to prove it physically and be allowed to walk on, and if they're truly D-I athletes in the rough, well, we'll find out in a few years, won't we?

 

In population-rich states you're either D-I or nothing. There's so much talent to draw from you don't need to wait and see if some kid from the sticks develops. Unfortunately we get mostly leftovers from Texas, a few of the choicer cuts, and then hopefully potential from our own state.

[kstatehater]

rushing for that many yards i 6 man football is not that big of a deal, im sorry but running through 6 people is MUCH easier than running through 11 people.

 

I cannot imagine playing 6 man football. I thought 9 man was crazy enough.....one thing that drove me nuts about players from 9 man teams was how they would always brag about how many yards they had. If you have speed, of course you are going to get a lot of yards when you have 2 less people to worry about. With only 6, man, that is some crazy sh*t!!!

 

 

To give them some credit the field is smaller, it's not like they play 8 or 6 man football on the same size field that is used for 11 man(not sure about 9 man, never heard of it). I'm not sure about 6 man but a 8 man field is 40 by 80 yrds compared to 50 by 100.

[Touchdown Tommie]

rushing for that many yards i 6 man football is not that big of a deal, im sorry but running through 6 people is MUCH easier than running through 11 people.

 

I cannot imagine playing 6 man football. I thought 9 man was crazy enough.....one thing that drove me nuts about players from 9 man teams was how they would always brag about how many yards they had. If you have speed, of course you are going to get a lot of yards when you have 2 less people to worry about. With only 6, man, that is some crazy sh*t!!!

 

 

To give them some credit the field is smaller, it's not like they play 8 or 6 man football on the same size field that is used for 11 man(not sure about 9 man, never heard of it). I'm not sure about 6 man but a 8 man field is 40 by 80 yrds compared to 50 by 100.

 

I know the field is smaller...it is smaller for 9 man as well. It is weird, especially during the Prep Bowl (state tournament here in MN). They play in the Metrodome so they have to mark off field differently for the 9 man games and then put everything back for the 11 man games.