Carlson Breaks The Mold

The play didn’t result in an acrobatic reception, a touchdown or an “I-can’t-believe-what-I-just-saw” tackle.

But for all the amazing moments that Jamestown High School senior Stephen Carlson had during the 2014 football season, the one that might stand out the most came in the first game at Sweet Home High School.

Nearly three months before the Red Raiders went on to win the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class AA championship, they found themselves in a battle with the Panthers, one of the state’s top Class A programs.

And when Sweet Home’s Milton Zeigler stepped in front of Jamestown quarterback Nikk Holland’s pass and began streaking up the field, most in attendance had to think the former was going to return it for a touchdown.

Someone forgot to inform Carlson of that.

Although he wasn’t the intended receiver, - he was half a field away – and although his momentum was initially carrying him in the opposite direction, Carlson spun and took off in pursuit of the Panthers’ defensive back.

And guess what?

Carlson, the 6-foot-5, 210-pound wide receiver/linebacker, ran Zeigler down.

If anything, that play – ripe with the never-give-up attitude that all the great ones seem to possess – is a microcosm of Carlson’s attitude in everything he does.

On the field and off.

In the classroom and in the community.

The young man known as “Stretch”, “The Senator” and “Stephon,” to name a few, has made a name for himself, thanks to a high school career that few can match.

Last fall, he caught 53 passes for 924 yards and eight touchdowns. Defensively, he accumulated 136 tackles, three sacks, intercepted four passes and defended 24 more. In the Red Raiders’ win in the NYSPHSAA Class AA championship game at the Carrier Dome, he caught 5 passes for 90 yards, made 18 tackles, including two for loss and defended three passes.

Other honors on his 2014 resume include first team all-state wide receiver for the second straight year; the Connolly Cup recipient, which recognizes the outstanding player in Western New York; All-Football Weekly co-Player of the Year; All-Football Weekly first team wide receiver; All-WNY first team wide receiver; Class AA South Defensive Player of the Year; Class AA South first team linebacker; and Class AA state semifinal Offensive Player of the Game.

Furthermore, Carlson ranked sixth in his class, was the recipient of the John Urschel Scholar-Athlete of the Year, which was presented at the WNY High School Sports football banquet in December. And for good measure, the Football Coaches Association of New York awarded Carlson its Player of the Year two days ago and The Post-Journal is bestowing its Player of the Year honor on him today.

Princeton University will be getting something pretty special when he arrives on campus in August.

“That means a lot,” JHS football coach Tom Langworthy said. “because an Ivy League education is for the rest of your life. Princeton offers a world-class education that is going to be able to shape his future.”

One can only imagine what that future will hold.

“To be so good and so talented at everything he does is something I’ve never seen before,” Langworthy said. “And the on top of it, how humble he is.”

“When you think about a model player for your program, Stephen is that person. Usually that person is fictional, but when you think about him, Stephen comes to life.”

Now that his college plans have been decided, Carlson, who will major in bioengineering, was asked if he could take a deep breath and relax a bit. While acknowledging that bit is nice to have his college announcement in the rear-view mirror, he doesn’t plan to quit on the game plan that has served him well since he was a kid.

“It’s a little bit of a break,” he said, “but I know I’ll be pushing until the end of the school year.”

And continuing his pursuit of excellence that has no limits.