Andre Erby knows there are two ways Kris Pickle wants the New Hope High School receivers to go when they catch the ball.
Pickle has stressed the importance of going north and south so many times to his players that Erby smiles when asked if he hears Pickle’s words in the back of his head every time he makes a catch.
Erby heard those words Friday night with the season opener against Louisville on the line. The senior wide receiver also saw plenty of green grass on the other side of the field.
Erby only needed a second to silence that voice and decide he was going to make a play.
“I had a lot of stuff going through my mind,” Erby said. “It was a screen play, so I saw the linebacker keying down on the line. I knew (New Hope offensive lineman) Tae-kion (Reed) was going to get out, but as I was running, I saw wide open field on the other side.”
Erby’s decision paid off in a big way for New Hope, as he raced 75 yards for his second touchdown in the fourth quarter to help the Trojans rally for a 27-26 victory.
Erby also caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Thomas Stevens to help New Hope overcome a 13-0 halftime deficit.
For his efforts, Erby is The Dispatch’s Prep Player of the Week.
“I knew I could beat them on the outside,” said Erby, who had three catches for 119 yards. “Coach Pickle doesn’t like it when we cut it back. I heard his voice in my head. It was a loud voice. I saw everybody running to one side and I cut back to my right. I got blocks up the field, but when I cut loose everybody just let go. I heard them breathing behind me. I thought I was going to get caught. But they said I just sped off them.”
Pickle said New Hope didn’t make any adjustments in the second half. He said the Trojans needed to settle down and stop hurting themselves with mistakes. Scoring on the first possession of the second half helped settle the team down.
“That was huge,” Pickle said of Stevens’ 19-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Tate that cut Louisville’s lead to 13-7. “You go from 13-0 to 13-7 to 13-13, they kind of start believing they can get it done. If we didn’t score on that first drive, I don’t know how the defense would have reacted.”
Pickle said New Hope entered the game thinking it could match up its slot receivers against linebackers. The move paid off on Erby’s first touchdown catch because he was able to use his speed to beat a bigger defender. It also helped that Stevens was able to place the ball in the right spot.
Pickle also couldn’t find room to quibble with Erby after the second score because he knew it was a game-changing play.
“Luckily, their inside linebacker went with the swing from our back, so it removed him from the box,” Pickle said. “Ideally, you cut it back into the middle of the field you’re going to get hit by somebody coming, but they sent their outside linebacker and their middle linebacker swung with the back. That is kind of one of those deals you kind of hold your breath and hope and pray it works out. You don’t want to take the athlete out of the player. You want them to be an athlete and make plays, but they have to be smart about it, too, or you can end up turning a positive into a negative.
“I can’t complain too much. He outran two guys. I am not going to say anything too bad about it.”
Pickle said he hopes the victory will be especially significant following a three-win season in 2015 that saw the Trojans struggle to finish ballgames. He believes Erby is one of a different group of seniors that is focused on reversing last season’s luck and creating a new feeling in the program.
Pickle said a healthy Erby can make sure that happens. A year ago, Erby missed two games and part of another with a high ankle sprain. He said Erby’s speed and ability to make plays will be something every team will have to prepare for Opponents also will have to be ready for a senior who has the confidence to make plays even if it means he goes against the wishes of his coach.
“I am just glad he is out there and somewhat healthy,” Pickle said. “You kind of root for somebody like that because he has went through a lot. … You sort or root for somebody who is an underdog, and he is kind of one of those guys.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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