SHEPHERDSTOWN – Opponents undoubtedly dread kicking or punting to Shepherd University because the outcome usually is undesirable, thanks to a special talent on special teams.
Deante Steele is one of the most dangerous players in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Although he touches the football only three or four times per game on average, the two-time NCAA Division II All-American makes every opportunity count.
“At those two positions, you either have a feel for it or you don’t,” said Shepherd Coach Monte Cater, the winningest coach in league history, who enters his 24th season at the Eastern Panhandle school with a 161-80-1 record.
“He has a nice feel for it. If he gets a chance to catch it with some running room and he doesn’t have somebody breathing down his neck, then he has a chance to do something special with it. He has been real, real solid for us for three years.”
Entering his senior season, the 21-year-old Steele has returned 54 kickoffs for 1,444 yards and four touchdowns and 60 punts for 1,027 yards and six touchdowns in his 30-game college career.
He averages 26.7 yards per kickoff return and 17.1 yards per punt return, and he scores once every 11 or 12 times he catches the ball (11.4, to be exact).
“Honestly, it’s the guys in front of me,” said Steele, who is from Woodbridge, Va. “We have 10 guys up front who block for me. God blessed me with vision and speed, but if there aren’t lanes for me to see and hit, then vision and speed aren’t necessary.”
Steele also praised Shepherd special teams coordinator Josh Kline, who also coaches the Rams’ defensive line.
“Coach Kline can adjust on the fly,” Steele said. “He always knows what we need to do.”
Asked to describe a typical kickoff return and a typical punt return, Steele offered the following breakdowns:
“On a kickoff return, normally, in my mind, I’m trying to figure out where it will land, the spot and the angle. The first thing you have to do is catch the ball. You can’t do anything else until you do that. Then, I try to go from one side of the field to the other because it makes the kickoff team slant and gets them off balance when they are trying to tackle. From there, we have areas where the return is designed to go. I just look for the lanes and hit the holes. If there are 11 players on the field, one of them should be unblocked, and if that player is the kicker, then the returner should win that battle every time.
“On a punt return, it’s very different. You have to worry about somebody being in your face or not. I don’t fair catch. I trust the guys in front of me, and I tell them that. I tell them, ‘Guys, I’m putting my trust in you. Please don’t miss your blocks.’ You have to wait for the ball and focus on catching it. If you don’t and you drop it, you won’t have time to pick it up. After you catch the ball, you have to make that first guy miss. Then, it kind of turns into a kickoff setting. The gunner is going to be down there a lot quicker than anybody else. If you make the first guy miss, it will open up and you will have 15 or 20 yards before somebody else gets down there because they all have to stay in and make sure the punt doesn’t get blocked.”
The 5-foot-8, 192-pound Steele also contributes on defense, where he is preparing for his third season as a starting cornerback. He had two interceptions, broke up nine passes and made 52 tackles last year.
“At cornerback, I have had to work at it a lot and I’m still working at it,” Steele said. “It isn’t as natural for me as returner.”
Cater agreed.
“I don’t think he is a typical cover corner who is more rangy because he isn’t tall, but he can change directions and gain some ground if someone gets a step on him because he has exceptional speed and quickness. He has done a good job there.”
Steele prefers special teams over defense.
“I like having the ball in my hands,” he said. “On defense, I’m always reacting. On special teams, I’m the one making them react.”
Steele is one of 15 returning starters (seven on offense and eight on defense) for the Rams, who finished with a 6-4 overall record and 5-3 conference mark in 2009.
Notable returnees on offense include quarterback Kevin Clancy, running back Tommy Addison, running back Jimmy Sutch, wide receiver Neal Hardie, left tackle Geoff Fry, center Carl McIntyre, right guard Josh Spring, right tackle Steven Jackson and fullback Bobby Humphries.
Notable returnees on defense include end Will Wheeler, tackle Ryan Peacock, strongside linebacker Brian Taylor, weakside linebacker Jon Schwartz, outside linebacker Ben Minturn, strong safety Chris Patton and cornerback Elijah Davis.
Also back is kicker Eric Dobratz, whom Cater considers to be one of the best in the country.
Overall, 38 letterwinners are back for Shepherd, which was the only team other than defending champion West Liberty University to receive a first-place vote in a preseason poll of the league coaches.
“West Liberty has beaten us by one point each of the past two years,” Cater said. “We feel like we can play at that level. But we can’t just worry about West Liberty.
“Concord has probably come farther than anybody else in a one-year coaching change. Charleston is really good. We have really had trouble with Glenville. Anybody can get you in our league. It has really improved an awful lot in the past four or five years.”
The Hilltoppers were picked to finish first with 80 points and eight first-place votes, followed by the Rams with 62 points and one first-place vote.
“I feel like we have a shot at a conference championship and a national championship,” Steele said. “We are going to have a couple of surprises, recruits who came in this summer and are going to contribute immediately this season.
“Right now, there isn’t anything in front of us,” he added. “Everybody is focused on West Liberty. But we know what we have now. It’s going to be a very fun year for us.”
Shepherd will visit Shippensburg (Pa.) University on Aug. 28 at 1 p.m. in the annual season-opening Great Valley Classic.
The Raiders lead the series 26-18, but the Rams won last year’s meeting over the eventual Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference champions 34-23.