Central's Statam making waves in 1st varsity football season

~ Basketball standout Andre Statam has given the Tigers a boost on defense

Central's dynamic offense has undoubtedly been the team's highlight through the first two games of the football season.

The Tigers have produced more than 40 points in each of their two wins to begin season and have an array of weapons to choose from both in the air and on the ground, but one thing that's been overshadowed is the Tigers' defensive performance.

The Tigers were gashed for 125 first-half rushing yards in last week's game against St. Charles West, but after being challenged at halftime, Central responded with a second-half shutout and limited the Warriors to only 44 rushing yards.

Much of the Tigers' defensive success begins in the trenches, where first-year player Andre Statam has stepped in and provided Central with a lethal combination of power and size.

Central’s Andre Statam watches from the sideline during Friday’s game against visiting St. Charles West. (GLENN LANDBERG)

The 6-foot-6, 230-pound senior defensive end is known for his ability on the basketball court, but he's beginning to make a name for himself on the gridiron as well.

"I've kind of played football all my life until my freshman year," Statam said. "My parents were all kind of crazy about me getting hurt. This year I talked to the coaches, and they were just telling me to go out there and have the mind set of just playing hard and don't think about getting hurt. I just felt like I was ready to play again this year."

The decision to play football has been mutually beneficial for the Tigers and for Statam, who believes he is developing better footwork that can translate to his basketball game.

"It's a good thing. It helps me get more physical, so when I'm playing against teams that are double-teaming me, I have to try to be more physical," Statam said. "The footwork is mostly what I needed to work on for basketball, and that's what's helping me right now."

Central's Andre Statam watches a play from the sideline during the game against St. Charles West Friday, Aug. 29, 2014 at Central High School. (GLENN LANDBERG)

The switch from basketball to football isn't an aberration. A number of NFL players got their start on the basketball court, including Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates, who each played college basketball but made their living as All-Pro tight ends. Even LeBron James played football in high school, receiving first team all-state honors as a sophomore and leading his high school team to the state semifinals as a junior.

Central coach Nathan Norman admits his ignorance when it comes to Statam's basketball skills, but that doesn't stop Norman from recognizing what makes Statam a great player.

"I'm going to let the cat out of the bag here. I know absolutely nothing about basketball," Norman said. "I really didn't know much about Andre other than the fact that he's a good basketball player. I didn't know how he was going to react to football, and he didn't either.

"He has a motor that doesn't stop, and he gives you 100 percent on every play. That's huge. He's very coachable, and he's a smart player. He's smart on the basketball court. He's just a smart, athletic player. He understands sport."

As a starting junior guard/forward last season for the Tigers, Statam averaged 18.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per game and helped lead Central to a district championship.

Through the first two games of the football season, Statam is continuing to put up numbers. He has a team-high 2.5 sacks and has one tackle for loss and a recovered fumble to go along with eight tackles.

Statam believes he's at about 65 percent of his capability.

"With the more practice I get and the more big plays I make, I feel like I'll get better," he said. "In practice, I work hard. The coaches make sure I work hard, and Coach Norman stays on my back."

Statam's presence was evident in Week 1 against host Vashon. He continuously powered through the Wolverines' offensive line and worked his way into the backfield.

Each week will continue to be a battle for Statam as high school offensive lines tend to feature the biggest and strongest linemen on the exterior.

Central's Andre Statam locks up with players from St. Charles West Friday, Aug. 29, 2014 at Central High School. (GLENN LANDBERG)

"I use my ability from the court," Statam said. "I'm quicker than these bigger guys, so I use the footwork I've developed from basketball to try to be quicker off the ball and use the strength from my arms."

Norman said one of Statam's biggest tests came last week against St. Charles West, a much more disciplined team that's prone to exposing a defense's weaknesses.

"I knew he would be OK against an athletic passing team [like Vashon] because you can just freelance and rush," Norman said. "Poor technique doesn't show up as much against Vashon as it does against St. Charles West. I had a big concern with him [Friday night], simply because of his inexperience, but man, I thought he played well."

Statam said there are plenty of differences between the football locker room and the basketball locker room.

After several thrown coolers and an impassioned speech during halftime of Friday night's game, Norman got through to his defense.

"That's why we went out there and played like that," Statam said of the second-half performance. "He gets in our hearts, so it's different. It's way different, but I like it. I'm having fun."