Elizabethton football standout Cameron Coleman stepped on to a field with a whole different level of competition Friday.
The senior defensive end lined up for the East All-Stars during the 11th Annual Toyota East vs. West Tennessee All-Star Classic at Fortera Stadium on the campus of Austin Peay State University in Clarksville.
During East’s 16-10 win over West, Coleman took snaps on the defensive line and said that he could tell a big difference in Friday’s game compared to regular high school games.
“After the game, I could tell I was a lot sorer than I was at a regular high school game,” said Coleman. “Everyone there was an excellent athlete. There was so much unbelievable talent. It was an honor to be selected to be able to play.”
The East defense held the West to 236 yards of offense and 109 yards on the ground. Coleman, who chosen as a team captain, said he felt that the D-line played a role in East’s success Friday.
“I have never played with a group that had such amazing talent,” said Coleman. “Anything the coach asked we got it done. We had multiple stops. Multiple tackles for loss. Multiple sacks. The defensive line is really what helped keep them from moving the ball and scoring on us.”
Here recently, Coleman committed to NCAA Division I Furman University where he will play football for the Paladins. Friday’s contest, with its mesh of some of the best high school football players from Tennessee, mimicked the type of competition Coleman with will face at the collegiate level. Friday’s game saw 16 college-committed players take the field with three being committed to Tennessee and three being committed to Indiana.
“The coaches were telling us that this was going to be preparing us for college because almost everybody in that game is going somewhere to play college ball,” said Coleman. “They said every game you are going to be just as tired and sore. I didn’t even play as many snaps as I normally play in a high school game. Just the level of talent and every snap just having to hit somebody who is so much better, it was a different feeling.”
For Coleman, who has played under EHS head coach Shawn Witten in high school, this past week was the first time he has played under a different head coach in four years. Coleman played under the leadership of Smyrna head coach Matt Williams.
“It was a little different,” said Coleman. “Practices were different. It was a different style. It was something to get used to. That first night of practice was all about getting used to everybody. It was different going from having the same coach for four years and having to switch to a different coach and not know anything about him. There were new things to learn, and that coach taught us a bunch of things that Coach Witten hadn’t taught us. That was the best part about it. Learning new things.”
Saturday, while making the trip back home, Coleman, who recorded two tackles during Friday’s game, also took the time to talk about his commitment to Furman.
“Everybody always told me throughout my recruiting that if you go somewhere and you don’t absolutely love it, then it is not the place for you,” said Coleman. “Furman was one of those places I went to and fell in love with. It felt like home to me.”