Cathleen Allison/Nevada Appeal
By Darrell Moody
dmoody@nevadaappeal.com
Senior wide receiver Ean Witter is playing with a lot of good confidence these days, and Carson football coach Blair Roman is hoping that translates into a big season.
Witter is coming off a 22-catch, 218-yard season in 2008. Solid numbers to be sure, but both Witter and Roman know it could have been better.
"I did pretty well," Witter said. "There were a couple of games where I dropped a couple of balls that I should have had. It was (lack of) concentration and not looking it in.
"I'd like a chance to catch every ball I can. That's one of my goals. I'd like to have three or four touchdown catches this year, too"
Roman chalked up last season to overcoming nerves and to Witter not having enough confidence in himself.
"He was hit and miss last year," Roman said. "He'd be the first to admit that. I felt (he lacked) confidence. If you believe you can catch the ball, you're not going to drop it. We talked about him being more consistent this season.
"Right now, he's extremely confident. I can't remember the last time he dropped a ball. We'd like him to be more of a go-to guy this season."
Witter said he and quarterback Blake Plattsmier started to get on the same wavelength midway through the 2008 season.
"It took about half season to get comfortable with each other," Witter said. "We're talking to each other all the time during practice. We worked out a lot during the summer on our own."
Witter said he worked hard on his routes this year, and he's done a better job of selling the routes, which was a knock against him last season.
Roman believes Witter is capable of much more and could be an impact player.
"I felt like he was one of the reasons we beat South Tahoe," Roman said. "We had a huge fourth quarter (in a 39-22 win), and a lot of that is what he did. He can turn around a game with a catch, a punt or a field goal."
In fact, it was Witter's 45-yard TD catch on a halfback pass that snapped a 22-all tie and put Carson in the lead for good.
Witter, who also served as the team's kicker, had two field goals of more than 40 yards in the win over South Tahoe. He added a 37- and 43-yarer in a 20-13 win over Fallon on Oct. 30. Simply put, he had a huge hand in two of Carson's three victories last year.
Witter has only been kicking and punting since his sophomore year and he credits Carson kicking coach Jim D'Arrieta for his success.
"I can't stress how good he's been for me," Witter said. "He has taught me a lot of new stuff; how to position my foot and to kick through the ball."
Witter averaged more than 36 yards and was 4-for-6 on field goals.
"He can boot the ball," Roman said. "In high school, you get inside the 25 and you have that guy it's a big factor."
Kickers at any level are under pressure, but Witter welcomes it.
"It's for them (the team)," Witter said. "The team depends on me. It's a role I play."
On the defensive side of the ball, Witter, a former defensive back, has been moved to defensive end.
"We put him at defensive end to utilize his athleticism," Roman said. "We see a lot of spread offenses, so we need a guy that can pass rush in certain situations or against certain teams. It gives us depth."
And, it will give Witter a chance to catch his breath occasionally.