TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A lot of times you see skilled players in the open field making an impact, but one of the most important positions in football is who’s protecting the quarterback.
The offensive lineman.
“God gave me the ability to play football, so I’m going to utilize it as much as I can,” said Tampa Catholic senior Eddie Pierre-Louis.
He is the heartbeat of Tampa Catholic’s offensive line.
“Right now he’s playing tackle for us, but he can play guard. Some colleges have recruited him as a center. He also plays defensive line. He’s really athletic, he even runs track,” said Tampa Catholic head football coach Jeris McIntyre.
That’s right.
Eddy Pierre Louis, who stands at 6’3 and 335 pounds, runs the 100-meter dash.
“At first I was like, ‘Are you serious?’ and then once I saw him run, I was like man this kid can really run,” said McIntyre.
“I didn’t even really want to run track until my running back Coach told me just to run it big dog so I got in there. I didn’t know what I was doing. I ran the hundred with just shoes on no spikes,” said Pierre-Louis.
“As he was running, I was like man he’s kind of moving. The crowd was cheering,” said McIntyre.
“They were like I haven’t seen a big boy run that fast,” said Pierre-Louis.
“Everybody was like, ‘that big boy moving,'” said McIntyre.
Pierre-Louis hopes one day it’ll help him at the NFL combine in the 40-yard dash
“He’s been showing me the way on and off the field helping me build myself up. I want to be in the same situation as him so that’s a dream me and him had as kids,” said Pierre-Louis.
Family is everything to Pierre Louis – especially his mother, who is the biggest inspiration in his life.
“Her just working a lot of jobs and being able to come to my games and still support me and still give it her 100% for her to come out like that just shows me a lot and her being a single parent. I love my mama,” said Pierre-Louis.