Bates named area's top defender 12/22/2009 12:57 AM By CAM HUFFMAN Sports Editor
Quick, name three of Williston-Elko High School's top football players.
Did you get Dexter Staley? How how about Kendric Salley? If you saw the Blue Devils play at all on their run to the Class A, Division II state title, you probably didn't forget quarterback Tamyn "Gator" Garrick.
But did you get linebacker Marcus Bates?
If not, don't feel too bad. On a team full of offensive weapons that can put the ball in the end zone at any given moment, Bates is often the forgotten man. But if you think the undefeated Blue Devils would have had the same type of season without the junior on the roster, you are sadly mistaken.
What did Bates do for the Blue Devils? To put it simply, he was a one-man wrecking crew on defense. He led the area with 147 tackles in 14 games, 73 of them solo stops, and he finished the year with 19¬½ tackles for loss and two sacks. He recovered four fumbles and forced another, and he was also a factor in Williston-Elko's pass defense when needed.
"He's a kid that we counted on week in and week out," said Blue Devil head coach Dwayne Garrick. "He doesn't say a whole lot, but we knew he was speciaal last year. He's about 6 feet and 210 (pounds), and he is one of those guys that once he gets his hands on you, you aren't going to go any further. He has really come a long way in the three years that I have been here. He's just a junior, so next year he will really shine. I think he will be a Division I/I-AA type player."
Bates, who edged out teammates Dexter Staley and Silver Bluff linebacker Tavaughn Gaines to earn recognition as the 2010 Aiken Standard Defensive Player of the Year, was also a valuable force in the huddle. He was the unquestioned leader on a defense that gave up just 10.3 points and 185.4 yards per game this past season.
"Ultimately, if you are going to win it all, you have to win it on defense," said Garrick. "I am a firm believer in that. I started off as a defensive coordinator, and we won a lot of football games defensively this season. Our offense shined because we put up so many points. But if you can't stop people, at some point it is going to be tough to outscore them. We came up firm on our defense. To have a kid like Marcus Bates made that easier.
"He made all of the defensive calls and all of the adjustments," Garrick continued. "He was definitely a leader by example. He plays really hard, but he is really a shy, quiet guy. He is not like some of our other characters, but he sets a great example."
Garrick said Bates, a South Carolina Class A All-State selection, has already drawn some interest from collegiate scouts, who originally came onto the Williston-Elko campus to take a look at Dexter Staley and Kendric Salley. At this point, Bates doesn't have a firm scholarship offer, but Garrick expects that to change if he can continue to improve for the remainder of his high school career.
"We are going to work on his lateral movement a little bit," said the Blue Devil coach, a candidate for the Aiken Standard Coach of the Year award that will be announced tomorrow. "Right now, he is more of an explosive guy. We are going to work on his agility, but he already has all the other tools."
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