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There’s a defensive end at Catawba College who has been getting all of the publicity so far this season: DeVonte Peterson.
Everyone talks about Peterson’s work habits, his quarterback sack total, his preseason All-American honors, his personal horde of NFLscouts at practice.
Because of that, nobody talks much about the other defensive end.
Maybe it’s time to start.
To think that Radell Lockhart is living in Peterson’s shadow is wrong. That’s according to Catawba coach David Bennett. And defensive line coach Jim Tomsula. And the NFLscouts. And even Peterson himself.
Lockhart just shrugs. He doesn’t say much anyway. But his pads are loud. You hear those pads time and again on any given Saturday afternoon.
If No. 95 (Peterson) is an All-American and a pro prospect, then No. 92 (Lockhart)isn’t far behind in talent.
“It’s hard to have two All-Americans on the same (defensive front),” said Bennett, “but hey, we’ve got two of ‘em. Scouts come in and say, ‘Tell us about 95,’ and we say, ‘Let us tell you about 92, as well.’”
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Bennett was excited about Lockhart before he ever got to Catawba. The Indians coach knew if he could land the Independence star, he would consider it real coup.
You see, at the beginning of Lockhart’s senior prep season in 1996, he was a big-time Division Iprospect.
Tennessee was calling. Clemson was calling. And Arkansas was calling. Especially Clemson, which was calling so much Lockhart was dreaming in orange. He saw up close how fascinating Division Irecruiting can be.
Then, in the fifth game against Providence, Lockhart went down with a broken ankle.
“It was totally dislocated,” said Rusty Jester, who coached Lockhart then and is now at Piedmont.
It was here that Lockhart saw up close how cruel Division Irecruiting can be.
“The Clemson coach had been calling every week,” remembers Lockhart. “Itold him I broke my ankle. He paused for a minute — and never called back.”
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Catawba kept calling, however. Defensive coordinator Richard Kent, Lockhart said, was persistent.
“Richard Kent is a helluva recruiter,” said Jester. “He had recruited other Independence players to Catawba like Derrick Montgomery and Trent Newell so the guys knew who he was.”
And Jester didn’t mind one bit either, considering he attended Catawba. In fact, Jester is still a golfing buddy of Bennett’s.
But it wasn’t Division I, now was it?
“It was disheartening for Radell,” said Jester. “But my concern was whether he would ever play again because of the ankle. It was nasty.”
And that’s what the Division I colleges were thinking.
So excuse Lockhart for not jumping for joy when Bennett and Kent came for an in-home visit.
“Radell was very quiet,” Bennett said, who looked at Kent as they were leaving with an uneasy feeling in his gut.
“I said, ‘Coach, I don’t know if he’s real interested. He doesn’t seem real enthusiastic.
“But put yourself in the place of a 17, 18-year old who is recruited by programs that play in front of 80,000. You break your ankle and they just drop you like a hot potato.”
That’s why Lockhart didn’t commit to Kent right away. He held out his Division I hopes.
“I kept waiting to see if they’d offer a scholarship,” Lockhart said. “Time went on and they didn’t. But Coach Kent kept calling. Ifound out Catawba was winning and they had a good defense.
“Also, my teachers were telling me that I could go to a big school and be a little fish or go to a small school and be a big fish in a small pond.”
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Now, four years later, Bennett and Lockhart can look back fondly on the recruiting.
Bennett said he’ll never forget leaving the home visit for two reasons: Lockhart’s mother and Lockhart’s legs.
“He has been very well-raised,” Bennett said. “His mother is an outstanding lady (Jester said the same) and I look forward to getting a big hug from her every Saturday.
“I also remember patting Radell on the leg and thinking, ‘Good gracious, he’s got two legs in one!’”
At that time, Lockhart didn’t have the upper body, however. Now, he does. And under the tutelage of defensive line coach Tomsula, he has become a pro prospect.
“We always said his rear end and his legs came in like a grown man,” said Bennett. “His upper body has caught up. He has the makeup of a player on Sunday.”
The pro scouts noticed immediately. Running sprints at the end of practice, Peterson led their group at the start. By the finish, Lockhart was leading.
“He’s very athletic,” Bennett said. “You don’t want to play him one-on-one in basketball. He can hang with the skill kids.”
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Which brings Peterson back into the picture. Peterson is listed 6-4, 285. Lockhart is listed 6-3, 285.
And make no mistake about it. They are not rivals. They are teammates. Peterson does not look at himself as Michael Jordan and Lockhart as Scottie Pippen.
They are equals.
“DeVonte doesn’t have the bighead,” smiled Lockhart. “We’re great friends. We do everything together.”
Bennett was quick to point out that Peterson led the nation in 1999 with 18 sacks. Very few realize that Lockhart had 14.
“Radell and DeVonte feed off each other,” Bennett said. “Both have things the other don’t. In the bench press, DeVonte’s going to be a little stronger. But put them on the basketball court — DeVonte will probably disagree with me — and Radell is probably going to beat his butt one-on-one.
“DeVonte will go out and run at 10 p.m. Radell doesn’t have to because he’s already blessed with those legs. DeVonte’s a vocal leader. Radell is a quiet leader.”
Lockhart is different from Peterson in so many ways — but living in the shadow?
No way. The only shadow on Saturday afternoon is the one Lockhart and Peterson cast on those poor, helpless opposing quarterbacks.
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Ronnie Gallagher is the sports editor of the Post.
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Ronnie