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Gean Making Strides For Bentonville
Last updated Thursday, November 20, 2008 3:32 PM CST in Prep Sports
By Nathan Allen
THE MORNING NEWS
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BENTONVILLE -- Pearson Gean never imagined he'd be where he is today.
He always had aspirations of playing quarterback for Bentonville, but never thought it would happen so soon. He certainly didn't think it would happen this way.
"To me, it's still a little crazy sometimes," said Gean, a sophomore. "I always knew this was something I wanted to do, but doing it this quickly still surprises me today. I guess I've just made the most of my opportunities."
Gean's journey to being the starting quarterback for Bentonville began in the spring, when he almost didn't get invited to join the Tigers at their summer team camp in Tulsa.
Because Gean was spending time with his other favorite sport (swimming) in the spring, Bentonville's coaches didn't get to work with him as much as they would have wanted. In the end, Gean was taken to the team camp as an emergency option, said Barry Lunney, Jr., Bentonville's offensive coordinator.
"He was just behind to start off with," Lunney Jr. said. "We weren't going to take him to team camp because we didn't think he was going to get any reps. But it was there that he started coming out of his funk, so to speak. He just didn't have a good spring."
From that point, Gean progressed as a quarterback and started impressing Bentonville's coaches with what he could do. Because of his speed, he had the ability to create plays by running in any direction, making him a dual threat in the pocket.
"There's no doubt Pearson is a skilled and talented athlete," Bentonville coach Barry Lunney said. "I think that's why we ultimately decided he was our guy, because he's athletic and he's continuing to progress as a better player."
Gean got his first start against Nettleton, Bentonville's third game of the season. In that game, he rushed for 96 yards and a touchdown and passed for 110 yards.
He's passed for 631 yards and seven touchdowns while rushing for 482 and six touchdowns this season.
"He's not the type of kid that's going to put up gaudy numbers, especially this season because of his inexperience," Lunney Jr. said. "But he's consistently done what we've asked him to do. He's just made incredible strides and it's been fun to watch him grow up so much this season."
Gean said the one area he's worked the most at this season is his throwing, something he's still learning to perfect. Other than that, Gean has also tried to be more consistent as a player.
"It's a lot of work, but I feel like it's getting easier," Gean said. "I know I've still got a lot of learning to do, which is good, but I also like how far I've come this year. Hopefully, I can take all of that and help this team do well in the playoffs."
Profile
PEARSON GEAN
School: Bentonville
Class: Sophomore
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 178
Notable: Besides playing football, Gean is also a talented and dedicated swimmer. In February, Gean helped Bentonville win its fourth straight state championship at the Arkansas High School State Swimming and Diving Championships in Fayetteville. He won the 100-yard freestyle and also participated in the 200 yard medley relay (first place) and the 200 yard freestyle relay (first place).
TONIGHT'S TICKET
Class 7A Playoffs
Bryant at Bentonville
KICKOFF: 7:30 p.m.
RECORDS: Bryant 8-3; Bentonville 9-1
RANKINGS: Bryant is No. 8 in Class 7A by Hooten's Arkansas Football. Bentonville is No. 2.
HOOTEN'S LINE: Bentonville by 10.
RADIO: KURM-FM 100.3.
Projected Starters
BRYANT HORNETS
Offense Defense
Pos. Name Yr. Ht. Wt. Pos. Name Yr. Ht. Wt.
QB Caleb Milam Soph. 5-11 150 DE Brad Dull 5-11 5-11 190
RB Chris Rycraw Jr. 5-10 160 DT Josh Hampton Soph. 6-3 235
TE Temple Holdcraft Sr. 6-3 220 DT Landon Pickett Soph. 6-0 220
WR Brandon Parish Jr. 5-10 155 DE Nathan Lee Sr. 5-11 160
WR Brady Butler Jr. 5-10 165 LB Dylan Chism Sr. 5-7 170
WR Chris Arnold Jr. 5-8 140 LB Austin Humbard Sr. 5-10 210
LT Scott Pilcher Sr. 5-10 270 LB Blake Heil Jr. 6-1 200
LG Caleb Burns Jr. 6-0 220 CB Logan Garland Jr. 5-9 160
C Drew King Sr. 5-10 250 S Dijon Benton Soph. 5-10 160
RG Carter Norman Sr. 6-0 235 S Chris Brooks Sr. 5-11 175
RT Jordan Jacobs Sr. 6-3 245 CB Tanner Tolbert Soph. 6-0 180
BENTONVILLE TIGERS
Offense Defense
Pos. Name Yr. Ht. Wt. Pos. Name Yr. Ht. Wt.
QB Pearson Gean Soph. 6-2 178 DE Ivan Gallegos Sr. 6-1 248
TB Shane Boedeker Jr. 5-10 164 NG Austin Taylor Sr. 6-4 282
WR Drew Edwards Soph. 5-8 145 DE Rob Ferrell Sr. 6-1 218
WR Sheldon Vanderpool Jr. 6-1 175 MLB Arthur Flowers Jr. 5-11 191
WR Chad Hood Sr. 6-0 170 MLB Ben Nichols Jr. 5-11 168
TE Taylor Lyles Sr. 6-0 202 OLB Erik Ragsdale Sr. 6-0 190
LT Chase Petersen Jr. 6-4 268 OLB Brandon Sleeth Sr. 5-10 189
LG John-Mark Holden Jr. 6-1 262 CB Tyler Jones Sr. 5-9 156
C Pierce Skersick Jr. 5-9 202 CB Chase Baggett Sr. 5-8 154
RG Marcus Danenhaeur Soph. 6-5 295 FS Jean-Claude Rodriguez Sr. 6-0 164
RT Faisal Khalaf Sr. 6-2 241 FS Justin Mize Sr. 6-1 165
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