Cathleen Allison/Nevada Appeal
Carson High football coach Blair Roman admitted that he didn't quite know what to expect out of senior Josh Peacock last week against McQueen.
The senior cornerback, who played safety as a junior, suffered a concussion during practice prior to the season opener against Spanish Springs, forcing him to miss several days of practice.
Last Friday was Peacock's 2009 debut, and it was extremely successful. Peacock intercepted two passes, which led to two Carson scores in a 38-34 loss to the perennial powerhouse Lancers.
No doubt Peacock will see plenty of footballs thrown his way when Carson visits Reed tonight (7:30 p.m.). The Raiders boast the most prolific offense in northern Nevada as quarterback Tyler Pine has thrown for 445 yards in the first two weeks of the season.
"We've got a dogfight on our hands," Peacock said. "Number 18 (Aaron Greenblat) is their best receiver. Instead of giving them six or seven yards (cushion) we'll probably be eight or nine yards."
Carson coach Blair Roman feels a little more relieved about Peacock now that he's seen him in action. It validates the move the head coach made after last season.
"I felt after last season that he was an intelligent kid with the athletic ability to play cornerback at the high school level and be effective," I was pleasantly surprised."
Bob Bateman added that extra work with the weights has increased Peacock's strength, another reason behind the move.
"He's so much stronger which allows him to play with greater confidence," Bateman said. "He's one of the better tacklers.
"He is a lot better on reads and dropping back. Last year he'd hesitate sometimes. We narrowed it (the field) down to a third (responsibility wise) and I think he feels more comfortable."
Peacock said the transition hasn't been overly difficult.
"Wherever they wanted to put me I'll play," he said. "I don't think it's been that hard. It's the same reads and stuff. I thought I played pretty good last week. I just wished we could have won the game.
"The coverage area is less. As a safety you're in about every play. As a corner, you play one side and the middle. Cornerback might be a little easier (fewer reads and less area of responsibility)."
Peacock said that the move might have been made because sophomore Dylan Sawyers, the projected preseason starter, was faster. Roman said that wasn't the case.
Peacock, one of Carson's top receivers from a year ago, didn't get any snaps on offense against McQueen, but that could change as the season moves on, according to Roman.
"We have two and three-receiver sets," Roman said. "We didn't use any against McQueen because they weren't stopping in one-receiver sets."
Ean Witter has been the team's punter through the first two games, but Peacock also punts and could see action tonight.