Cathleen Allison/Nevada Appeal
Dylan Sawyers was quick to set the record straight. He doesn't like being referred to as a sophomore.
"I try not to think of myself as a sophomore," Sawyers said. "I'm just playing football like everybody else."
Well, not quite.
Sawyers didn't just tiptoe onto the varsity football scene this year, he exploded onto the varsity football scene.
Consider the following:
• After missing the opener against Spanish Springs because he didn't have the required amount of practices, Sawyers showed fans what they can expect in the future against defending state champion McQueen. He had two 7-yard scoring runs and threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Ean Witter in the 38-34 loss. Sawyers came one block away from an electrifying 99-yard game-winning kick off return after the Lancers took a late lead in the fourth quarter. He carried 13 times for 76 yards and caught three passes for 12 yards.
• Against Reed, another 4A perennial powerhouse, he was even better. He caught a 59-yard TD pass from Blake Plattsmier to give the Senators a 27-6 lead. After Reed got back into the game with a touchdown, Sawyers electrified the crowd with a 95-yard kick off return which drained the life out of the Raiders, who went on to a 54-27 loss. Just for good measure, he added a 23-yard scoring run at the outset of the fourth quarter.
Entering tonight's critical battle against Galena (7:30 p.m. at Carson), Sawyers has scored 13 touchdowns. He has eight rushing touchdowns, a kick off return for a TD, four receiving scores and throwing for another score.
Sophomores as a rule usually play a limited role in their first year. Not Sawyers. He has been an integral part of Carson's 5-2 start, its best since 1998.
"The last one (sophomore) that had such an impact was probably Luke Rippee," said Blair Roman, referring to the former Douglas star, who started for three seasons at quarterback. "Dylan has a lot of God-given talent and he works extremely hard. Sometimes really good players rely on their natural talent and tend to be lazy, but not Dylan. He has confidence in his abilities."
When you talk to Sawyers, you don't see an immature kid boasting about his numbers. You see a kid who is happy with his success, but even happier that the team is doing well for the first time in several years. Sawyers contemplated transferring to Manogue over the summer, but decided to stay to play ball with his childhood friends, and he's happy he made that decision.
"I think I've played pretty well, but I've had some ups and downs," Sawyers said, taking a brief break from weightlifting. "I thought I could have an impact this season; play a role in our success.
"My teammates have made it easier for me. Some of my runs, that's all I've had to do, because the line has opened such big holes."
His role has been much more than complementary, though his numbers aren't gaudy. He's rushed 47 times for 390 yards and the aforementioned eight scores, he's caught eight passes for 185 yards and is averaging 64 yards in three kick off returns.
As Roman will attest the numbers could be bigger, and that's not Sawyers' fault. In blowout wins over South Tahoe (51-7), Damonte Ranch (48-13) and Wooster (56-0), Sawyers and the rest of his first-string teammates didn't play in the second half. And, he didn't play at all against Spanish Springs because he didn't complete 10 days of practice, as required by the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association.
"When you count the Spanish Springs game and those three games, he's missed the equivalent of 2 1/2 games," Roman said. "We haven't even tapped into a lot of what we can do offensively with him.
"Teams have to account for him when they game plan against us, and that leaves other guys with opportunities."
The secret to Sawyers' success? Speed and great vision.
Sawyers leaves the between-the-tackles running to Mark Sinnott and Luke Carter. When he gets the ball on the wings, he's trying to turn the corner and get to the outside, and he's been successful doing that as his 8-yard per carry average would indicate.
"One strength that Dylan has is his vision," Roman said. "It's very evident on his kick-off returns and his long runs when he's cut back on runs. That's God-given.
"I was talking to Bob (Bateman, defensive coordinator) about this and Dylan reminds us both of Bart Dover (1997 Carson graduate). His ability to slash and accelerate."
That vision was never more evident than his sensational game-opening run against Wooster. He started to the right, saw he was boxed in, and then went back to the left and went untouched for a 64-yard scoring run.
"I just react," Sawyers said. "I don't know that you can work on that (vision). Coach has given us some drills which helps us out.
"I just counted the numbers (tacklers) that I could see and figured that there was nobody left on the left side because they over-pursued."
Against Wooster he touched the ball three times and scored three times. He's a form of instant offense that Carson has lacked in recent years; the ability to go coast-to-coast on any given play.
Sawyers loves to return kickoffs. He said it "gets his adrenaline going."
Teams have shown some reluctancy to kick to Sawyers this season, opting to kick to returners Robert Figueroa and Levi Bloxton. Some have even elected to kick it out of bounds, which has attributed to him only have three return opportunities.
"Word spread pretty quick," Roman said. "At some point in a championship-level game, teams will be reluctant to give up field position by kicking away from him and kicking to other people."
Sawyers said his personal highlights came in the McQueen and Reed games.
"The McQueen game was my first (varsity) game," he said. "Playing the defending state champions, I was pretty nervous.
"The Reed game was pretty big. We pulled off an upset and I felt I played a pretty good game."
In sports and in life, people are trying to get better, and Sawyers is no exception.
"Sometimes my blocking isn't as good as it should be," the Carson standout said.
Roman added route-running to the short list of what Sawyers needs to get better at.
"I'd like to see him run more precise routes," the Carson coach said. "His blocking will come with more weight work and a little more confidence. I want to see him become a complete player."