Coleman chosen as the Reporter’s top male athlete

Darrius Coleman spent the year fielding questions.

In the fall on the football gridiron, could he replace Dimitrius Bronson in the Kentwood High backfield?

In the winter on the basketball court, could he supply a defensive spark off the bench?

In the spring on the track, could he be even better in the hurdles after not taking up that event until his junior year?

Coleman answered all of those questions — rather emphatically and successfully at that. He proved to be the key offensive cog in Kentwood’s return to the state football playoffs. He delivered high-energy lock-down defense on the basketball court. And then, he took a giant step forward as one of the state’s elite hurdlers.

Boil it down and there really wasn’t anybody better than Coleman this school year. And because of that, the KW senior has been chosen from a strong field as the Reporter’s Male Athlete of the Year.

“I was frustrated with my junior year (in football),” Coleman said. “Dimitrius told me to keep playing, that my time would come.”

Coleman’s time did indeed come.

At 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, he wasn’t the biggest running back in the South Puget Sound League North Division. However, few ran with the same heart, determination and vision.

More impressive, however, might have been Coleman’s coming-out party.

Fully aware that people were asking who Kentwood’s next great running back would be, Coleman wasted little time supplying an answer, rushing for 80 yards and three touchdowns in the team’s 28-14 season-opening victory against Class 3A powerhouse Kennedy.

“Darrius just has some really good vision,” Kentwood football coach Rex Norris said. “At times, he was even better at seeing the field than Dimitrius (Bronson). He didn’t have the physical presence, but did a lot with what he had.”

Coleman finished the fall among the state leaders in rushing, going for 1,489 yards and 13 touchdowns on 176 carries. The high point came in Kentwood’s 35-28 overtime win against Edmonds-Woodway that clinched a spot in the Class 4A state playoffs. Coleman compiled 254 total yards, including a game-winning 40-yard touchdown run in OT.

“I’ve been playing football since I was 7, so it did come a bit natural,” said Coleman, who hasn’t yet decided on college, but still is being recruited by Idaho State, among others. “I just had fun with it.”

The fun didn’t end for Coleman in the fall.

Though he wasn’t among Kentwood’s starters on the basketball team, not many in the SPSL North could match the spark he provided off the bench. A defensive menace, it wasn’t uncommon to see Coleman hurl his entire body at a loose ball or trade elbows in the paint with much bigger opponents.

Matter of fact, when the Conquerors became complacent on the floor, Coleman was the first player into the game for coach Michael Angelidis.

“Something good always happened when he was on the floor,” Angelidis said. “He really took an aggressive approach and we wanted him to do that. It also came natural to him. It was a role that he cherished.”

For Coleman, it was always defense first, shoot second.

“I loved playing defense, because nobody else (loves it),” he said. “I have been a defensive player since I started in basketball because I was scared to shoot (when I was young).”

He kept going in the spring.

Despite just beginning the hurdles as a junior, Coleman showed growth beyond his years this season, taking eighth at the state meet in the 110s after stopping the clock in 15.98 seconds. That time, however, was a bit marred as Coleman strained a hamstring midway through. His top time this season of 14.69 would have placed fourth at state.

“I was surprised that he picked it up so quickly (as a junior),” Kentwood hurdles coach Rhamu McCoy said. “I wasn’t as surprised of his success this year because he’s a great athlete.”

An athlete who answered every question all year long.