SOUTHSIDE SENIOR WILL HELP LEAD DEFENSIVE CHARGE IN 2019

Accountability. It’s the one constant that’s driving Jeremiah Van Hook from the time he put on his first pair of shoulder pads. It’s made an impression with his Southside position coach, too. “He’s one that shows up, he works real hard, and he’s one of those guys you’ve got to have,” Southside defensive line coach Brooks Witherspoon said. “He’s one of those day-in and day-out guys; he’s going to plug away.” “He’s (Witherspoon) taught me a lot about technique,” Van Hook said. “He’s helped me become the player that I am. Without him, I definitely wouldn’t be close to where I am.” And the yelling? There are few practices without Witherspoon getting under some player’s skin. Van Hook is good with this. “When he yells at me, I get frustrated at myself, but it makes me go harder,” Van Hook said. “He’s telling me what to do. But he’s also getting me going.” “A lot of that has to do with the kid and the coach and the relationship” Witherspoon said. “It’s different with every kid. Some kids respond one way, and some kids respond that way. As coaches, you have to figure out what works; you can’t coach kids the same way. “You can’t discipline kids the same way.” A 6-foot-2, 225-pound defensive end, Van Hook was thrust into playing time as a sophomore. He’s isn’t necessarily on every opposing team’s radar. But he’s not a player programs can do without, either. “Those are the kind of guys every program’s got to have,” Witherspoon said. “You hope that have a bunch of those guys that are really, really good, because you win with those guys.” Van Hook’s official position is called “rock.” “It’s kind of like a defensive lineman and outside linebacker in one. I’ll move around a lot,” he said. Van Hook finished 2018 with 27 tackles, including a quarterback sack and three tackles for lost yardage. He’s a player the Mavs can’t do without. And, one that’s blossomed since junior high. First time Jeremiah Van Hook grew up an only child, the proud son of hard-working single mother Sarah Van Hook. He had nothing to fall back on — no advice from older brothers — when he signed up to play football at Chaffin Junior High. “I didn’t play Boys Club because we really didn’t have the money,” he said. But Van Hook didn’t shy away from seventh grade. “Football has pretty much been all I’ve known since seventh grade,” he said. “I didn’t play Boys Club (football) or anything, and starting in the seventh grade, I just fell in love with it. Football has been one of the reasons I try so hard in school.” Single mom “I live in a single-family household,” Van Hook said. “We’ve been in and out of my grandpa’s house since she’s been in school. She’s been working on her degree; she’s going to be a therapist soon. There’s been a lot of struggling, but it’s been really nice, too. We’ve had some ups and downs, and it’s really nice to be there for each other.” Jeremiah Van Hook is happy. “It’s nice to see her succeed,” he said. “It’s like we’ve both been in the weight room a lot, trying to move up. I’m really proud of where we’re at.” First mentor Ramsey coach Matt Neissl, then a Chaffin seventh-grade coach, took Van Hook under his wing — convincing him that defensive linemen were just as important as running backs and receivers. “Coach Neissl taught me a lot about myself,” Van Hook said. “The first day we ever practiced, he said, ‘You’re not over here because you’re not athletic enough; it’s because we think you’re athletic enough to handle the trenches.’ That gave me a lot of confidence.” Speed kills By the time he took the field at Rowland Stadium in 2017, sometimes grasping at air while trying to close in on opposing running backs, “It’s a lot different,” Van Hook said. “Especially teams like Greenwood, where they run a really, really fast offense. Then you have North Little Rock. They run fast, and they run hard. That’s kind of what my sophomore season was; getting adjusted. “My junior year, I felt like I got better, and now that it’s my senior year, hopefully I can show everyone what I’ve been working toward.” True colors Van Hook’s small senior class will become the first to finish four seasons of football with the school’s newest nickname, Mavericks. Southside dropped the “Rebels” moniker following the end of the 2015-16 school year. “That’s a big thing,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what it says. A lot of people get frustrated with that; with what it says on the jersey. But it’s always been Southside. You’re representing the whole the school; the whole town. I guess it’s an honor, technically, and it’s the same for Northside, too.”

SOUTHSIDE SENIOR WILL HELP LEAD DEFENSIVE CHARGE IN 2019

KEVIN TAYLOR

Times Record | 8/27/2019

PHOTO CREDIT: Brian D. Sanderford