Berntson's work ethic second to none

DAYTON - If Dayton High football coach Rick Walker had the ability to clone players, he would duplicate as many Houston Berntsons as he could.

Berntson is the type of player coaches dream about - good student, good athlete and tremendous work ethic.

"Regularly he's one of our hardest workers," said Walker, whose 2-3 Dust Devils visit Wooster in a nonleague game Saturday at 1:30 p.m. "At the start of our season he was our vocal leader. He was the one that would get people fired up. He's never been afraid to work."

Bernston got plenty of work in, on and off the field, over the summer. He worked for the Lyon County Fire Department. It wasn't glamorous work, either. He pulled weeds and cleared sagebrush, and did whatever he was asked to do. Doing that kind of work in temperatures over 90 degrees is grueling and backbreaking. It certainly isn't for the faint of heart.

"It made me a little tougher," admitted Berntson. "It's strenuous to be sure. I worked hard and did my best to keep the boss happy. I'm hoping I can do it again."

Walker said that Berntson would come in after a full day in the field and head to the weightroom for some more work. That's commitment above and beyond.

Bernston has already taken one firefighting class, he indicated it's a profession he would like to pursue. Working last summer gives him a good start toward realizing his dream.

Berntson has done a little bit of everything for Dayton. He starts at fullback/slotback and at defensive end.

He has caught five passes for 45 yards and carried 21 times for 59 yards. On defense, he's fifth on the team with 21 tackles.

Berntson plays both baseball and football. He admits he's better at baseball, but he loves football.

"Baseball is more of a mind game for sure." the Dayton senior said. "I like football a lot. The aggression I get from it; how I feel on the field. I like to hit people hard."

Berntson had played defensive end since his Pop Warner days, and Walker, wanting o take advantage of Berntson's athleticism, moved him to middle linebacker. Berntson started at the spot until the Fallon game when he was moved back to defensive end.

"We don't have guys that are 6-2 and 165 to 215," Walker said, "He was the closest thing we had that fit the bill.

"Hindsight being 20-20, I should have left him at defensive end. He's more of a threat coming off the end. He's more comfortable there. He was thinking too much (at linebacker). He has a great motor."

Berntson is happy to be back at his old spot.

"I excelled at it (defensive end)," Berntson said. "I feel more confident. I just don't think I was ready to play (middle). I'm pretty fast. I can get around people (offensive tackles) when I need to."

Bernston knows that his football career is coming to a close. He won't play football in college, instead concentrating on baseball. With that in mind, he would love nothing more than help the Dust Devils get a Northern 3A playoff berth.

DAYTON AT WOOSTER

When: 1:30 p.m. Saturday

Where: Wooster High School

Players to watch: Dayton - QB-S Kage Walker; RB Kyle Onstott ; RB-DB Conner Oliver; LB Tyler Firestone; WR-DB Logan Jones.

Common opponent: Wooster 35, South Tahoe 13; South Tahoe 24, Dayton 23