P'field C. linebacker has been defensive ‘Superman’

Superman's cape has been the subject of several genres, including a Jim Croce song. Like it or not, Plainfield Central middle linebacker Ryan Carr inherited that type of handle after playing 10 varsity games last year.

As a matter of fact, Wildcats coach John Jackson mentioned senior end Nicoli Trevino and Carr as his lone returning regulars on defense. Thus, during camp, defensive coordinator Ray Shields almost caught the sense of "It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Carr."

A legitimate 6-foot-3, 235-pound senior, Carr has snagged the Division I recruiting interest of Michigan State, Iowa State, Colorado and Western Illinois. But when practice initially commenced in Plainfield, Carr's thoughts came to a crashing halt.

Now, it was his defense.

"I pretty much lost the whole group from last season and we were pretty good," Carr recalled. "It always sucks when you graduate everybody like that. You get frustrated because you know what varsity football is all about and the other kids don't.

"You're trying to give advice, while at the same time, you're trying to do your own job. It's all hard work and dedication, and we had a rough start, but we've been picking it up toward the end and we're fighting to get into the playoffs — that's our goal."

To borrow a phrase from futbol, the European moniker for soccer, Plainfield Central needs a shot and a goal Friday night. Unfortunately, the Southwest Prairie Conference schedule-maker did not do the Wildcats any favors.

League co-leader Minooka (6-2, 5-1) travels to Plainfield (4-4, 4-2). And the Wildcats — who have gone 4-1 after an 0-3 start, the only loss a 27-24 setback in double overtime to Oswego — want to cruise into the playoffs with their Carr.

"It's his size," Jackson said. "Ryan's a strong, physical kid who reads and fills pretty well. He has good lateral movement, and he's a heckuva athlete for a big kid. You look at him, he's a big, big linebacker, and he has that experience you look for in this situation."

PLAYOFFS. IT'S the magic password for Illinois high school football players entering Week 9. A year ago, Plainfield finished off a smooth 7-0 splash through the SPC before concluding an 8-2 season with a 17-15 first-round Class 8A loss at home to Belleville East.

This time, with Carr in the driver's seat on defense, the Wildcats have been on a roller-coaster ride. Among Carr's team-best 78 tackles, 32 are solos and 2.5 for loss. He also has an interception and a pair of passes broken up to his credit.

Praise has been universal.

"Last year really showed him the way and he took on a big responsibility in what he has to do," Shields said of Carr. "He's our leader. He'll make all our check calls, he calls the defense and he tries to keep everybody in line; make sure they're in the right places."

"That goes without saying," Jackson nodded, referring to Carr's experience. "It was our biggest problem earlier in the year. Basically, we had Ryan and Trevino who had actually seen playing time, Ryan the only starter, so he was only the stable thing out there."

The result: Plainfield Central allowed 101 points in its three-game losing streak to start 2009. In the

past five games, four of which were wins, the Wildcats have relinquished 98 points, lowering the average to 24.9 per game or as Jackson noted, "still giving up a helluva lot more than we should be."

"Coming out this season 0-3 was really hard on me," Carr confirmed. "I wasn't used to it. We struggled as a unit picking up the various defenses, but we looked at each other, we got down to business, and I'm proud of where we are right now."

Positioned right behind Carr in Plainfield Central's 4-4 is senior safety Vito Cerino (41 tackles, 2 interceptions). He knows he can rely on No. 5.

"He's a big help in the middle," Cerino said. "If the D-line doesn't fill the holes, he's there. He plays hard every game, plays his heart out, and if he gets tired or hurt, he always comes back. He hurt his collarbone one game, but came back like it was nothing."

"I would say with Ryan and Cerino, they do a good job of keeping things together in the middle of the field for us," Jackson said. "And with Ryan there, we know that we have somebody who we can count on to get the job done."

PLAYOFF MODE. Jackson described Plainfield Central's mentality since Week 4 in those unconditional terms, tossing in a "do or die" and "fighting for our playoff lives" for good measure. Carr sounded much like his coach, repeating the same standards.

Still, his teammates view Carr as anything but a cookie-cutter defensive standout. Just ask the 5-10, 160-pound Cerino about the inside linebacker who pursues like he was made from the mold of the Bears' Brian Urlacher.

"I wish, I wish," Cerino said, shrugging. "Every day, I wish I had his size. And he plays hard, too. He comes to work, and he's probably one of the fastest kids we have sideline to sideline. His 40 time is not amazing, but he'll fly to the play and catch you."

"Ryan flies to the football," Shields agreed. "He reads and flies to the ball, he covers sideline to sideline, and his overall speed at linebacker is very good. He understands, and the kids understand, Friday night is the real deal. Minooka's the real deal."

Of course, that sounds like a professional wrestler's nickname. You could call Carr "The Real Deal," except he tends to lean toward the tried-and-true methods.

"I take pride in my ability to play and my ability to read the game," he said. "I definitely would say my style of play is fast. I like to move around out there, I like to be in on every play, and I'm an all-around kind of guy. I like to get my head into things."

On Friday night, Carr will want to wrap his head around a victory. Plainfield Central will be seeking its third straight playoff appearance, sixth since 2000. And whatever happened in the first three weeks, the Wildcats have worked back into the mix.

Now, this is their chance.

"We know — we have to win to get in," Carr said. "It's probably going to be our hardest game of the season and we have to get it done. It all depends on who wants it more and, personally, I don't want to see the season end. I want it, and I'm going to do all that I can do to help that out."

CAPTION

Plainfield Central senior linebacker Ryan Carr (right) leads the Wildcats with 78 tackles, including 32 solos and 2.5 for loss. He also has intercepted a pass this season. herald-news file photo