Brooks-Darden meetings have paid off in 2014
By Allen Etzler
Published in Sports on October 31, 2014 1:51 PM
aetzler@newsargus.com
PIKEVILLE -- When Charles B. Aycock's football coaches talked about Damien Darden, they all recognized the physical gifts the player possessed.
But they also saw a player with no motivation.
A kid who had everything he needed to be a special athlete, didn't have the desire to be great. But when Golden Falcons head coach Steve Brooks called Darden into his office for multiple one-on-one meetings during the offseason, he challenged his sophomore to prove everyone wrong.
Brooks put Darden, who hoped to be a game-changing tight end, on the bench for offense.
"We told him 'you're not going to be given anything,'" Brooks said. "You're going to have to go earn it."
Darden started the season as a defensive end. In his first game of the season, he racked up three sacks and caused havoc in the backfield during the Golden Falcons' 43-15 win over Rosewood.
"I had to show them that I wanted it," Darden said. "I didn't like hearing that coaches were saying 'oh he has no motor, he doesn't want it.' I'm showing them that I do."
Darden has since earned the tight end spot and has become the team's best red zone threat with five touchdown catches and 18 receptions for 283 yards overall.
On defense, Darden has emerged as one of the team's top pass rushers. He has 29 tackles, and leads the Golden Falcons in tackles for loss and sacks. He recovered two fumbles, one for a touchdown, blocked a punt, registered a safety and batted down a pass.
But Darden's biggest impact is that with playing both sides of the ball, he rarely -- if ever -- takes a play off.
Most importantly, he has earned the full trust of Brooks.
"That kid has really played with a chip on his shoulder and wanted to prove us wrong. It's like every time we've challenged him, he's said 'you don't think I can do this? Good. Now watch me prove you wrong,'" Brooks said. "And I think people have noticed that."
One person who certainly has noticed it is Aycock quarterback TJ Morrow. The area's leading passer, Morrow has been bitten at times this year by his receivers dropping the football. But Darden hasn't dropped anything that's come his way, which has made Morrow look his way more and more often.
"He's such a big target, and when he gets down the field and is open, all you have to do is throw it near him and those big 'ole mitts will pull it in," Brooks said. "I don't think it's just TJ who trusts him to catch it."
A big portion of that trust was earned against Southern Wayne a few weeks back. Aycock was backed up on its own goal line on third-and-28 and off to a rough start. Morrow hit Darden down the seam for a 35-yard pick up to move the chains and get the Golden Falcons rolling to a 51-12 victory over the Saints.
Darden knows there's room for him to grow. He wants to stay at tight end, but to do that and go to the next level he'll have to get faster. The 6-foot-4, 230-pounder would be a matchup nightmare for defenses if that happened. He would be too big for a safety or a corner to cover him, and too fast for linebackers to keep up with.
But aside from the feeling of pride he gets when a school sends him a letter to come to a camp and show what he can do, he's not thinking too much about college -- even though a letter from N.C. State showed up on his doorstep in the offseason.
"It makes me feel really good because you know that people are watching you," Darden said. "But right now I'm focused on doing what I can to be a better leader and just getting after it."
Now, you can bet that motor is running at full steam.