Eastern Washington linebacker J.C. Sherritt has raised his game on the football field by invoking a time-honored discipline - Yoga
By Matt Baney of The Lewiston Morning Tribune
Thursday, January 6, 2011
During his first three years at Eastern Washington, J.C. Sherritt missed significant playing time as the result of a series of injuries. And even when he was able to get on the field, the Pullman High graduate noticed that many opponents were faster and more agile than him.
So Sherritt did what any snarling, red-blooded linebacker would do. He took up yoga.
Don't laugh - even his teammates don't razz him about the Far East hobby. In fact, a few of them have joined him in class.
"It's a new phenomenon now; I've got a lot of players in there with me," Sherritt said in a phone interview recently. "It's the real deal. It's all about how flexible and how fast you are now. A lot of our coaches recommend us getting in there, especially the stiff guys."
When Sherritt left Pullman High after helping the Greyhounds win a state title in 2005, he evidently was one of the "stiff guys" at the Cheney, Wash., school. Injuries forced him to take a medical redshirt his true freshman year, and his sophomore season was spoiled by ankle and knee troubles.
But over the last two years - thanks to yoga or maybe just some hard-earned good karma - a healthy Sherritt has been one of the most productive players in all of college football. He has racked up an astounding 328 tackles and reaped a slew of individual honors.
Now the senior strongside 'backer has one game left in his career, and it's a doozy. The Eagles will play for the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision title on Friday at Frisco, Texas. EWU (12-2) will take on Delaware (12-2), in a showdown that will be broadcast live on ESPN2 at 4 p.m. PST.
So how does a defender go about averaging 121/2 tackles over two seasons? Sherritt, 22, is quick to credit the Eagles' front four, which usually keeps the blockers occupied so he can hunt down the ballcarrier. He also mentioned the rally-to-the-ball ethic he learned at Pullman from former coach Bob Wollan.
And, yes, he's also more nimble these days.
"I've just been naturally inflexible my entire life," Sherritt said. "I didn't think it was too big of a problem, until I got down there. Some of the athletes around there - how fast they move and the way they can change directions - it was kind of obvious that I was too stiff. And once you get to college, (the coaches) are not going to sugarcoat anything - they're just going to come up and tell you what's wrong with you."
Sherritt certainly wasn't a can't-miss recruit when he arrived at EWU. He had gotten some interest from Idaho and Montana State, but those schools eventually looked elsewhere. So when then-Eagles coach Paul Wulff offered him a spot, it was basically his only opportunity.
Sherritt, who is now 5-foot-10 and 220 pounds, started his EWU career as a fullback. When a spot at linebacker came open after his rookie year, he happily made the switch.
During his breakout junior campaign - he finished second in the voting for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is given to the best defender in the FCS ranks - the Eagles went 8-4 and lost in the first round of the playoffs.
During the subsequent spring and summer, Sherritt and his teammates sensed something special was brewing.
Indeed, this has been a magical year. The Eagles have made a habit of escaping with down-to-the-wire victories, many of which have come at Roos Field, which now features a blood-red turf. In games played at the "Inferno," as the school calls it, the Eagles are 8-0, including their 41-31 semifinal win over Villanova almost three weeks ago.
Sherritt said he loves the new surface, mostly because it has more cushion than the old turf. And the fact it's red is a "cool thing."
Opponents may wonder if it gives the Eagles an advantage, since their red-clad players might look vanish into the backdrop.
"That's kind of the point of why we came out in all black against Villanova, just to show that there's no advantage," Sherritt said. "Honestly, where I think the advantage comes from is people thinking that there is one - players worrying about playing on the red turf."
As for Sherritt, could he have played on the different surface, so to speak, of the FBS level? And what about pro ball? Does he have any future there?
Sherritt does his best to not ponder such questions. At least not at the moment.
"I just know I'm very fortunate to be able to play at Eastern Washington. Just the way it's turned out has been an absolutely blessing, and I couldn't ask to play anywhere else than right here."
By Matt Baney of The Lewiston Morning Tribune
Thursday, January 6, 2011
During his first three years at Eastern Washington, J.C. Sherritt missed significant playing time as the result of a series of injuries. And even when he was able to get on the field, the Pullman High graduate noticed that many opponents were faster and more agile than him.
So Sherritt did what any snarling, red-blooded linebacker would do. He took up yoga.
Don't laugh - even his teammates don't razz him about the Far East hobby. In fact, a few of them have joined him in class.
"It's a new phenomenon now; I've got a lot of players in there with me," Sherritt said in a phone interview recently. "It's the real deal. It's all about how flexible and how fast you are now. A lot of our coaches recommend us getting in there, especially the stiff guys."
When Sherritt left Pullman High after helping the Greyhounds win a state title in 2005, he evidently was one of the "stiff guys" at the Cheney, Wash., school. Injuries forced him to take a medical redshirt his true freshman year, and his sophomore season was spoiled by ankle and knee troubles.
But over the last two years - thanks to yoga or maybe just some hard-earned good karma - a healthy Sherritt has been one of the most productive players in all of college football. He has racked up an astounding 328 tackles and reaped a slew of individual honors.
Now the senior strongside 'backer has one game left in his career, and it's a doozy. The Eagles will play for the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision title on Friday at Frisco, Texas. EWU (12-2) will take on Delaware (12-2), in a showdown that will be broadcast live on ESPN2 at 4 p.m. PST.
So how does a defender go about averaging 121/2 tackles over two seasons? Sherritt, 22, is quick to credit the Eagles' front four, which usually keeps the blockers occupied so he can hunt down the ballcarrier. He also mentioned the rally-to-the-ball ethic he learned at Pullman from former coach Bob Wollan.
And, yes, he's also more nimble these days.
"I've just been naturally inflexible my entire life," Sherritt said. "I didn't think it was too big of a problem, until I got down there. Some of the athletes around there - how fast they move and the way they can change directions - it was kind of obvious that I was too stiff. And once you get to college, (the coaches) are not going to sugarcoat anything - they're just going to come up and tell you what's wrong with you."
Sherritt certainly wasn't a can't-miss recruit when he arrived at EWU. He had gotten some interest from Idaho and Montana State, but those schools eventually looked elsewhere. So when then-Eagles coach Paul Wulff offered him a spot, it was basically his only opportunity.
Sherritt, who is now 5-foot-10 and 220 pounds, started his EWU career as a fullback. When a spot at linebacker came open after his rookie year, he happily made the switch.
During his breakout junior campaign - he finished second in the voting for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is given to the best defender in the FCS ranks - the Eagles went 8-4 and lost in the first round of the playoffs.
During the subsequent spring and summer, Sherritt and his teammates sensed something special was brewing.
Indeed, this has been a magical year. The Eagles have made a habit of escaping with down-to-the-wire victories, many of which have come at Roos Field, which now features a blood-red turf. In games played at the "Inferno," as the school calls it, the Eagles are 8-0, including their 41-31 semifinal win over Villanova almost three weeks ago.
Sherritt said he loves the new surface, mostly because it has more cushion than the old turf. And the fact it's red is a "cool thing."
Opponents may wonder if it gives the Eagles an advantage, since their red-clad players might look vanish into the backdrop.
"That's kind of the point of why we came out in all black against Villanova, just to show that there's no advantage," Sherritt said. "Honestly, where I think the advantage comes from is people thinking that there is one - players worrying about playing on the red turf."
As for Sherritt, could he have played on the different surface, so to speak, of the FBS level? And what about pro ball? Does he have any future there?
Sherritt does his best to not ponder such questions. At least not at the moment.
"I just know I'm very fortunate to be able to play at Eastern Washington. Just the way it's turned out has been an absolutely blessing, and I couldn't ask to play anywhere else than right here."
