A new position worked out just fine for Hough’s Eddie Conover, Observer player of the week
Hough High football coach Shawn Baker said he knew he was taking a bit of a risk asking senior transfer Eddie Conover to switch positions last spring.
As a defensive end at Northwest Cabarrus, Conover — The Observer’s high school football player of the week — had 82 tackles, 22 tackles for a loss and 13 sacks as a junior.
But almost as soon as he moved into the Hough district and started to work out with the Huskies, Baker had other ideas of where he thought Conover should be playing.
“We looked at his length, his long arms, and we said, ‘He’s a wheel (weak side) linebacker,’” Baker said. “He’s got the good body size for it. But it took him a long time to figure it out.”
At 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, Conover was a bit undersized for a defensive end, especially one with aspirations to play Division I in college, but Baker felt all that could change at linebacker.
As the season wore on, Baker said Conover got better and better. He began to draw some Division I attention.
“N.C. A&T came in to see him and they loved him,” Baker said. “They saw the potential in him and they took a chance.”
And Conover’s play has continued to get better.
In a 47-3 win over Independence in the second round of the NCHSAA 4A playoffs Nov. 22, Conover had six tackles, four of which were for a loss. He also had two sacks of Independence quarterback Justin Little.
After that game, Observer readers voted him player of the week. He’s the fourth Huskies’ player to win the award this season.
And during last week’s 34-0 third round playoff win over Mallard Creek, Conover added another sack and four tackles. For the season, he has 44 tackles, 13 tackles for a loss and five sacks.
Plus, he got the D1 scholarship he was after.
“It took him a little bit,” said Baker, whose team plays a state quarterfinal at unbeaten Grimsley on Friday, “but he’s played huge against Independence and Mallard Creek. And I mean he had some big games. To see his confidence level go up this year has just been great to see.”
Previous winners
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Week 1: Carson Clutter, Charlotte Latin
Week 2: Sean Brady, Hough
Week 3: Fernando Zelaya, Olympic
Week 4: Cameron Cyr, Hough
Week 5: Jayden Jones, Independence
Week 6: Cameron Johnson, Corvian Community
Week 7: Titus Ivory, Charlotte Latin
Week 8: Noah Best, Corvian Community
Week 9: Trey Blakeney, Hough
Week 10: Ziere Brooks, Chambers
Week 11: Jayden Jones, Independence
Week 12: Cash Hunter, South Mecklenburg
Week 13: Cam Winnegan, Forest Hills
Week 14: Eddie Conover, Hough
