JACKSON IN WITH FLINT; INDIANS' HALFBACK SHAPES UP FOR FINAL SEASON

Following in the footsteps of bruising runners Glenn Brunke, Travis Reiminger and Nathan Norman, Jackson's Devree Flint had some huge shoes to fill coming into 1997.

But Flint took an unorthodox approach to sliding into those bulky cleats. He went out and lost 30 pounds.

After transferring from Sikeston as a sophomore and struggling through two injury-plagued years at Jackson, Flint and Indians' coach Carl Gross had a serious discussion last winter. Flint's weight, which had ballooned to 225 pounds was the main topic of discussion.

"We kind of sat down and talked about what he would have to do to have the type of senior year he wanted," Gross said. "I told him he needed to live with coach (Brandon) Norman in the weight room, he'd have to get his weight down to 200, or less, and he needed to be in outstanding physical condition so he could carry the football 20-25 times a game."

And how did Flint react?

"Starting last spring he really attacked the weights, lifted all summer, ran every day -- twice a day -- and started losing weight and feeling good about himself," said Gross. "He saw his hard work paying off."

With 1,070 yards rushing and 18 touchdowns for the undefeated Indians, Flint's hard work is still paying dividends. He'll lead the 7-0 Indians into Houck Field on Friday against Cape Central (6-1) to begin defense of last year's district title.

"So far it's been pretty easy, but it hasn't been just me," said Flint concerning the Indians' success. "I give most of the credit to the linemen. You don't find a running back that gets 1,000 yards without a good line, and you don't go 7-0 without a good team."

True enough, but Flint has been the spark for Jackson since scoring on three long runs in the Indians' season-opening 28-14 win over Riverview Gardens. Flint has continued that pace, leading the area with 18 TDs and averaging a remarkable 9.4 yards every time he carries the ball.

When asked to describe Flint in one word, Gross said "determined". But one word could hardly describe the way Flint has run.

"At times he's like tackling smoke and then other times he's like tackling a bull," said Gross. "He'll juke you, make you miss and out-run you, but he'll also get his shoulder pads and helmet down and finish his runs with great effectiveness.

"He's extremely determined to gain yards and get the ball in the end zone. He's stronger at 195 (pounds) than he was at 220."

But coming into the season, Gross wasn't sure he would be able to count on Flint to carry the load. Injuries had plagued Flint in both his sophomore and junior years, so Gross was looking elsewhere.

"I wasn't sure he'd be durable enough to count on," Gross said. "We had Kyle (Ward) and Todd (Wessel) coming back and we kind of looked at them as being our two backs.

"But as things progressed, we saw Devree was for real. We could see he was getting stronger and as it turned out we were able to get all three of those kids on the field in our three-back formation. It's worked really well."

Flint couldn't agree more. After trimming down to 195 pounds, he said he's playing at about 200 now.

"Losing the weight and getting in shape has helped me a lot," said Flint. "I've been dinged up so much this year, if I wasn't in good shape I'd probably be hurt again."

Another reason for Flint's success -- both he and Gross touched on -- has been the play of the offensive line. Returning seniors Justin Petzoldt, J.P. Hall and Kyle Thompson have jelled well with senior Kent Langston and junior Nick Lohman.

"I'm not so sure we don't have one of the very best offensive lines we've ever had here," said Gross. "One of the reasons our line has played so well is they know our backs are going to get the yards the line gets them, plus a few more."

Flint continued that thought.

"The linemen make a lot of my plays for me because it's their job to get the first five yards," Flint said. "Whatever we get after that you can count for the back. Sometimes I get a good block from the tight end or wide receivers ... it's just a whole team effort really."

But when his teammates weren't there to provide a block, Flint has still been able to manage pretty well. He's shown remarkable strength and balance, bouncing off tacklers and fighting for extra yardage.

"He's always had the instincts, he just wasn't able to do it because of his physical conditioning," said Gross. "He's turned himself into a man through hard work."

That hard work may also end up getting him a football scholarship. Flint, who dropped his time in the 40-yard dash to 4.7 seconds from 4.9 last year, has received attention from some Division I-AA schools.

"I've been contacting people and several schools have showed interest and want film on him," said Gross. "And there will be more because I'll get more films out and as soon as they watch him they'll become interested."

Devree Flint File

Year: Senior

Heroes: Walter Payton and Jackson graduate Nathan Norman (now with the Arkansas Razorbacks)

Hobbies: playing Sony Playstation, preferably Game Day '98

On his success: "It's made my mom so proud. That's all she talks about now."

Gross on Flint: "He always had the instincts, but he made himself good through hard work."