JaVaughn Peterson is this week’s Todd County Central Rebel of the Week

Other than his being a versatile athlete, I am not sure the coaches know exactly where all JaVaughn Peterson needed to play last year. KPGFootball has seen him listed as a QB. KPGFootball has seen him listed as a FB. We have seen him listed as a place-kicker. We have seen him listed as a DE and a FS. We would definitely say this cat is multi-faceted. The only thing about which KPGFootball feels completely certain is the Class of 2019 prospect will need to be on the field for the Rebels to have the level of success of which they are capable in the coming season.

The 6-0 tall Peterson, during the 2017 football season, had moments where he demonstrated brief flashes of offensive effectiveness. JaVaughn only got 13 carries on the year but he did gain 82 yards for a per carry average of 6.31 yards and even scored for his team a couple of two-point conversions, which he ran over the goal line from scrimmage. For a team which gained 2260 yards over its 413 rushing attempts on the year, or 37.55 carries a night, the team’s per carry average on the ground was 5.47 yards. Had the entire team averaged, per rushing attempt, the same 6.31 yards Peterson averaged, the Rebels would have gained 2,606 yards on the year as opposed to its 2260. That is quite a difference. Now KPGFootball is no coaching genius, but I just might see if there weren’t more carries somewhere for that young man in 2018, if it were we.

We have to hand it to JaVaughn, though only getting 13 carries last year, he seemed to apply to football a famous and oft quoted saying, attributed to Constantin Stanislavski, with which you, the reader, are undoubtedly familiar. The famous Russian Actor/Director is best known for developing the naturalistic performance technique known as the Stanislavsky method which you would more likely recognize as method acting. Method acting aside, Stanislavski once said there are no small parts, only small actors. A little known bit actor named Dabbs Greer took it further and said, every character actor, in their own little sphere, is the lead. At KPGFootball, JaVaughn Peterson brought the famous Stanislavski quote to carrying a football in that he didn’t permit a small amount of carries to limit his performance as a running back. In Peterson’s limited sphere of 13 carries, he was the lead running back in his own mind if no where else. For that, he should be commended.

Regardless of what he did on offense, there is no argument, at all, Peterson is an accomplished defender regardless of where he may find himself deployed in 2018. JaVaughn mainly played DE in 2017 and acquitted himself rather nicely, with 52 tackles on the year, 32 solos, and a fumble recovery. I really don’t know where placekicker enters the equation as we, at KPGFootball, were unable to find Peterson either attempting or converting place kicks in 2017. Not really sure he was ever actually aligned at free safety either, for that matter. All of the above aside, KPGFootball is looking for big things from JaVaughn Peterson in 2018 and on both sides of the football. His light shone in 2017 when given opportunities, now all that needs to be done is to find him more opportunities.