Football: Sherwood is Flathead's deep threat
<p>Flathead's senior wide receiver George Sherwood (11) runs off the field after scoring a touchdown during the crosstown football game against Glacier at Legends Stadium Sept. 30.</p>
George Sherwood gets a lot of attention.
That holds true whether he’s drawing the top defender
from opposing teams or being named to all-state squads in both
basketball and football as a junior at Flathead last year.
In his senior football season, little has changed for
the prolific wide receiver.
Sherwood continues to provide the Braves (3-4) with
an unmatched passing threat that requires opposing coaches and
defensive backs to keep their eyes on No. 11 at all times.
“It means you always have that guy for your first
look,” Flathead quarterback Matt Tokarz said of Sherwood’s
presence. “Not only on your first look, but you know if things have
gone bad, he might be that one guy who is deep. He’s always
breaking away from his guy. He’s always faster than the guy he’s
on, no matter what. And he finds a way to catch the ball. It’s
really nice.”
The 6-foot-4 senior set the Flathead High School
single season touchdown record with 15 scores in 2010. He was among
400 nominees to the 2012 U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio
Texas. In the winter, he equaled his gridiron accomplishments by
averaging 12.4 points and 6.7 rebounds a game for the Braves
basketball team.
All that after converting from quarterback to wide
receiver in his sophomore year.
“He’s just incredibly athletic,” Flathead football
coach Russell McCarvel said. “He’s one of the most athletic guys in
the state. I mean, he was All State in football and basketball. The
list of guys who have done that is pretty short.”
Despite missing two games after being sidelined with
an injury against Great Falls, he still ranked second among Class
AA receivers in receiving yards per game with an average of 99
entering last week. He has six touchdowns to match the yardage.
Never has his explosiveness been more apparent than
in Flathead’s 56-44 loss to Glacier Sept. 30 when he hauled in
seven passes for 182 yards.
It was his first full game back in the lineup. He
said his desire to perform was heightened by the time he spent on
the sidelines during Flathead’s loss to top-ranked Helena High.
“It bothered me quite a bit, especially for it being
my senior year,” Sherwood says. “Sitting there watching us lose to
Helena High was probably the toughest thing I’ve had to do in high
school. I saw my team struggling and wanted to go out and help them
win.”
Sherwood says he relishes the opportunity to play
one-on-one with some of the state’s finest defensive specialists
because often it means opening up opportunities for Flathead’s
other receivers and its running game.
“I feel like most of the corners that I’ll see are a
lot shorter and most of the time I can match them with speed,” he
says. “If it comes to a jump ball, I feel that most of the time I
have the advantage.”
McCarvel says Sherwood is easily the best deep threat
receiver he has coached in the past 25 years.
“Even on short routes he’s dangerous, because once he
catches the ball he can go a long ways,” McCarvel says.
Even when Flathead’s offense sputters and stops,
Sherwood poses a threat. With an average of close to 50 yards per
kick, he’s the top punter in all of Class AA.
Sherwood began punting in 2010 and then worked hard
in the offseason to better himself, he says.
“Last year I was alright, but I just wasn’t that
great at it,” Sherwood said. “This year I spent a lot of time in
the weight room and my leg hass gotten a bit stronger and more
flexible. The ball is going a a lot farther.”
His teammates and coaches say another asset provided
by Sherwood is his personality.
“Players gravitate toward him,” McCarvel said. “And
he’s fun to be around. He’s fun to have at practice. He works hard
and he works hard at becoming a great route runner.”
If all goes well, Sherwood hopes to convert his high
school athletic prowess into a legitimate shot at college
football.
He names UCLA, the University of Washington and
Arizona among schools who have shown interest, along with Montana
and Montana State.
He’d like to play receiver or perhaps punt, but says
he will wait until the end of the season to explore specific
possibilities at each of the universities.
And while he’s quick to say he’d prefer a career in
the National Football League, he says he’d be happy teaching
history and becoming a coach.
“If I can use football to get college paid for then
that’s a great situuation for me and my family,” Sherwood said.