Snatchy_McPants
07-12-2005, 04:01 PM
TOM WYATT COLUMN: Aldridge brings determination to offseason work as well
July 12, 2005
Taking a handoff and darting through a gap while every lineman, linebacker and defensive back is intent on burying your sternum about a foot into the turf involves little planning.
A running back will tell you it’s a matter of preparation for such moments and reacting when the time comes.
That’s certainly the way James Aldridge goes about his business on the football field. And that just happens to be the way the Merrillville senior-to-be handles everyday life, including his classroom duties.
For Aldridge, one of the nation’s top-ranked running backs and a Notre Dame recruit, it appears there’s a fine line between fretting over the future and simply doing what needs to be done to get there.
And here’s an impressive for instance: Aldridge will be eligible to graduate high school after the first semester. Afterward, he hopes to enroll for classes at Notre Dame and get a head start on his college education.
Aldridge needs just three classes to complete his high school requirements. He’ll actually take five, improving on his math and science requirements by taking statistics and advanced-placement biology.
Aldridge’s 2,067 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns last season for the Pirates after moving in from the St. Louis area tell you why every football school in the nation would love to have his services. Now you know why he’ll end up at Notre Dame.
“You know what, I really don’t even think about that stuff too much; I just do it,” Aldridge said. “My parents just tell me to be a step ahead of everyone.
“That’s pretty much how I go about it in football as well as in the classroom.”
In June, Aldridge began going all out in preparation for his senior football season. He had anterior cruciate ligament-replacement surgery in February.
He suffered the knee injury while fielding the opening kickoff in Merrillville’s season-ending loss to Penn in a Class 5A regional last November.
To the average person, an ACL injury might sound like serious stuff. Perhaps it is, but Aldridge isn’t concerned in the least.
He’s been working out like a mad man, taking trips to the dunes in Miller with teammates and strengthening his legs in the sand and water.
“Actually, I’m faster,” Aldridge said. “I can tell I’m faster.”
And with official high school practice set to start in less than three weeks, that’s bad news for the rest of the Duneland Conference and anyone standing in the Pirates’ way come playoff time.
Because not only does Aldridge have a dynamite team surrounding him, he feels he has something to prove.
“I’m just preparing to have another successful year and trying to establish myself and show that (last year) wasn’t a fluke,” Aldridge said. “I want to put my mark on Northwest Indiana football.
“It’s a personal thing for me. I want to come back and have a repeat year.”
Make that a repeat and then some. And don’t doubt that Aldridge is prepared to do so.
Contact Tom Wyatt at 648-3140 or twyatt@post-trib.com
........and what's this I read about early enrollment? GO IRISH!
July 12, 2005
Taking a handoff and darting through a gap while every lineman, linebacker and defensive back is intent on burying your sternum about a foot into the turf involves little planning.
A running back will tell you it’s a matter of preparation for such moments and reacting when the time comes.
That’s certainly the way James Aldridge goes about his business on the football field. And that just happens to be the way the Merrillville senior-to-be handles everyday life, including his classroom duties.
For Aldridge, one of the nation’s top-ranked running backs and a Notre Dame recruit, it appears there’s a fine line between fretting over the future and simply doing what needs to be done to get there.
And here’s an impressive for instance: Aldridge will be eligible to graduate high school after the first semester. Afterward, he hopes to enroll for classes at Notre Dame and get a head start on his college education.
Aldridge needs just three classes to complete his high school requirements. He’ll actually take five, improving on his math and science requirements by taking statistics and advanced-placement biology.
Aldridge’s 2,067 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns last season for the Pirates after moving in from the St. Louis area tell you why every football school in the nation would love to have his services. Now you know why he’ll end up at Notre Dame.
“You know what, I really don’t even think about that stuff too much; I just do it,” Aldridge said. “My parents just tell me to be a step ahead of everyone.
“That’s pretty much how I go about it in football as well as in the classroom.”
In June, Aldridge began going all out in preparation for his senior football season. He had anterior cruciate ligament-replacement surgery in February.
He suffered the knee injury while fielding the opening kickoff in Merrillville’s season-ending loss to Penn in a Class 5A regional last November.
To the average person, an ACL injury might sound like serious stuff. Perhaps it is, but Aldridge isn’t concerned in the least.
He’s been working out like a mad man, taking trips to the dunes in Miller with teammates and strengthening his legs in the sand and water.
“Actually, I’m faster,” Aldridge said. “I can tell I’m faster.”
And with official high school practice set to start in less than three weeks, that’s bad news for the rest of the Duneland Conference and anyone standing in the Pirates’ way come playoff time.
Because not only does Aldridge have a dynamite team surrounding him, he feels he has something to prove.
“I’m just preparing to have another successful year and trying to establish myself and show that (last year) wasn’t a fluke,” Aldridge said. “I want to put my mark on Northwest Indiana football.
“It’s a personal thing for me. I want to come back and have a repeat year.”
Make that a repeat and then some. And don’t doubt that Aldridge is prepared to do so.
Contact Tom Wyatt at 648-3140 or twyatt@post-trib.com
........and what's this I read about early enrollment? GO IRISH!