Nov 4, 2022 Correspondent photo / Michael G.
Taylor Girard’s Stephen Sims breaks away from a group of Hubard defenders this past week at Arrowhead Stadium.
Sims has taken over under center for Girard after starting quarterback Nic Bengala suffered a season-ending injury earlier this season.
In football, the phrase “next man up” is borderline cliche, but also rings true at some point for every program.
When Girard lost starting quarterback Nic Bengala for the season due after he suffered a broken collarbone against South Range on Sept. 23, it was time for another leader to emerge.
Stephen Sims may only be a sophomore, but his game experience and time on the gridiron make him an “older guy” in the eyes of Indians coach Pat Pearson.
Sims has started under center the past five contests for Girard, and the Indians are looking to earn another playoff victory tonight when they take on Jefferson. “My team just kept motivating me to do better, and we have a good quarterback coach (Bobby Ovesny) that kept pushing me to do what I do,” said Sims. “Just about making good reads and working on my throwing a lot. “It feels good, I can do whatever my teammates need me to do.
It’s just fun doing whatever I can do for my team.
You just have to be ready, you just have to know what you got to do and you got to be prepared because you never know what can happen.” Sims has been dynamic, going 29-of-53 passing for 331 yards and two touchdowns, but gaining 610 yards on the ground, along with nine touchdowns.
That’s in addition to 411 receiving yards and six trips to the end zone.
Earlier in the fall, he scored a total of six times against Hubbard, including the rare feat of tallying a receiving, passing, and rushing touchdown.
The Indians rematched the Eagles last week in the postseason and won 30-20 over their Northeast-8 foe.
Playing football since sixth grade, Sims admired Tavon Austin during his tenure at West Virginia University and wanted to emulate his style of play, especially his shiftiness. “Mostly my moves, his moves are nice, he was a good receiver, so I just wanted to go off that a little bit,” Sims said. “It’s a lot of fun, just seeing me scoring and having my guys excited.” Sims has started for Girard from the beginning, playing safety while making a name for himself on offense as a wideout.
Described as a “gamer” by Pearson, his time as a freshman had given him a voice, even as an underclassman. “I know he’s only a sophomore, but when you look at older guys, we feel like he’s an older guy too,” Pearson said. “He’s been at every workout we’ve had since December until now, so the senior’s leadership and them kinda believing in him. “Nikki (Bengala) from the jump has been an assistant coach for us, he’s been at practice every day, he’s in Stephen’s ear, he’s trying to pass down everything he can and leave his mark as a leader.” Seniors Michael Palmer (1,123 rushing yards, 17 total scores), Bobby Alejars (597 receiving yards, six total scores) and junior Anthony Bengala (310 receiving yards, three touchdowns) have helped Sims settle into the offense as the quarterback. “He’s a special kid no doubt, we’ve watched him grow up through the little leagues and the junior high and his maturity level is big time,” Pearson said. “Kid loves the weight room, he loves to study.
For being such a really talented player, he’s a very unselfish kid.
He cares about his teammates, he cares about the people around him, and that’s huge.” The Indians host another NE-8 opponent tonight in the form of Jefferson, a team they defeated on the road 21-6 in a contest that featured some uphill battles.
Sims feels like his team is ready and is finding his footing a little bit more each time he steps under the lights on Friday nights. “My mistakes, I just don’t worry about it, like I just put it in the past, and move onto the next play,” Sims said about his mentality. “It’s fun, like my coach says, one more Monday, and we just love to keep playing, and take it week by week. “I think it’ll be a little challenging, but I think my team can still pull this through.” Today's breaking news and more in your inbox PITTSBURGH , The Pittsburgh Steelers tried to bring Kenny Pickett along slowly.
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