There are slightly more than 400 students enrolled in Stillman Valley High School.
At 6 feet 4 inches and 300 pounds, tackle Patrick Babcock counts for about half of them.
But it’s not Babcock’s size that makes him stand out as a football player, although it clearly helps. His will and desire are what set him apart.
“I’ve never seen a kid who wants to win as bad as Patrick does,” said Stillman Valley coach Mike Lalor, who will rely heavily on Babcock in Friday’s Class 2A championship game against Macon Meridian.
“Sure, it’s rare to get a kid his size in this smaller class, but it’s his leadership that really makes a difference. Anything you ask of him, even if it means lessening his role, he’s going to do it.”
With Babcock up front, the Cardinals run the wishbone. Most of the time they run behind Babcock.
The coaches on the sideline, the players on the field . . . even the fans in the stands know what’s coming. But they can’t stop Stillman Valley.
“On goal-line situations, (the defensive players) will be pointing at me, yelling, `They’re going behind him,’ ” Babcock said. “They all stack up on that side, and we still get in.
“The linemen usually try to stay low against me so I don’t get a chance to push them over. They just cut-block me. When I’m on defense, I see more cut blocks and a lot of double teams.”
Babcock is a two-way player, as are most of the best players in small-school programs. But his future is on offense, and he figures to make either the University of Illinois or Minnesota very happy in the next few weeks.
“Illinois and Minnesota are my big two,” Babcock said. “I’m waiting until the end of the season to decide, and the coaches have been very good about not pressuring me for an earlier commitment.”
Four years ago, Babcock wasn’t a top high school player, let alone one who would carry a team to a state title game on his back.
“As a freshman, he was really just a big, huge kid,” Lalor recalled. “I could see the potential, but I knew he would have to work awfully hard.
“Between his freshman and sophomore year, Patrick never came out of the weight room. He made himself into a tremendous ballplayer.”
Babcock is not just a football player, he’s an athlete, as evidenced by a Class A heavyweight wrestling state championship and a second-place finish in the shot put as a junior. He has run a 5.1-second 40-yard dash, which is not bad for a big guy.
“I try to be athletic,” Babcock said. “I haven’t found my athletic limits at my size.
“Every once in a while we run the ball the other way to keep things honest,” Babcock added with a laugh. “But usually, it’s behind me. There are no other 17-year-olds in our town at my size. There might be some adults.”
