Ryly Jane Hambleton: Beatrice's Coleman stands out regardless of his position

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To appreciate what Justin Coleman can do on a football field, one must look at nearly every facet of the game.

It’s tough to pin a label on the Beatrice standout, who earned second-team Super-State honors last season as a split end after producing 2,228 all-purpose yards. He rushed for 671, caught passes for 609 and racked up the rest in returns.

The 6-foot, 175-pound senior now starts at quarterback, helping Beatrice to a 4-0 record and the No. 2 rating in Class B. So far this year, he has rushed for 469 yards and passed for 242 yards. He also starts at cornerback to anchor the Orangemen secondary and returns kicks. And when junior Phil McClure takes a turn at quarterback, Coleman has taken snaps at tailback and receiver.

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Justin Coleman (1) of Beatrice attacks the Waverly defense during their Class B playoff game on Oct. 31, 2007. (LJS File)

“I don’t know what you should label me,” said the soft-spoken Coleman. “It just depends what our opponent gives us. That’s how it’s decided, I guess.”

Coleman, who was a quarterback in middle school and on the freshman team, switched to receiver his sophomore year when Zach Ruiz moved in from Virginia.

“I was at a clinic where they talked about putting kids in situations to take advantage of their strengths,” said Beatrice coach Bob Sexton. “They call it cross-training. You hate to see a talented kid stand and watch the game. We tell the kids they can benefit from playing several different positions.

“We’re even doing that with some of our young kids, hoping it pays off down the road and we maybe develop a few more Colemans.”

Since Ruiz had a year of starting under his belt back East, Sexton and his staff had to find a spot for Coleman.

“Justin enjoyed playing receiver. It would have been tough for him to step in at quarterback as a sophomore,” Sexton said. “He caught a lot of big passes and made a lot of big plays with Zach throwing it. And besides, in college football, that’s probably his No. 1 position, as a receiver.”

Until McClure, who transferred from Southern, became comfortable with the Beatrice playbook and players, Coleman handled the majority of the signal-calling duties.

Last week, Coleman ran 14 yards for a touchdown, caught a 30-yard pass from McClure for a score and threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to James Rivers. McClure finished the night with 227 yards on 9-of-10 passing.

Sexton said the opponent dictates which quarterback is behind center.

“It depends on the team we’re seeing and what they’re allowing us to do,” he said. “Last week, Blair was loading the box with eight guys and bringing them a lot, which put their secondary in a tough situation.

“Justin’s strength is his feet and Phil’s strength is his arm. Justin can throw it, too, so you can’t load up the box when you see him standing back there.”

Coleman said he’d like to play football in college and perhaps go on to be a football coach.

“That’s if I don’t choose to do baseball. But I’m leaning more towards football,” he said.

When it was mentioned that many people would suggest playing baseball might allow him to still be walking when he’s 50, he said, “I think my mom is one of those people.”

Still, playing baseball and football has helped him in both sports.

“In baseball, when you’re batting, you’re only going to win three times out of 10, if you’re a good hitter,” he said. “In football, you’ll feel a lot better with the 50 or 60 percent you’re throwing for. Your success is different in the two sports.”

He continues to work on his skills and on the mental aspect of sports.

“I’ve gotten a lot better in baseball with my temper. I used to get pretty mad, but if I strike out now, I’m a little bit calmer,” he said. “That definitely carries over to football. My coaches help me because they wouldn’t tolerate my bad temper. If I throw an interception or something and I accidentally say a cuss word in practice, I’ll be running. That would be how I stopped my bad temper.”

McClure said from his vantage point, Coleman has corralled his temper.

“If he does get mad, he wants the ball and makes the play,” said McClure. “That’s one of the things you learn in sports. If you fail at doing something, throw an interception or make a bad play, you have to figure it out and hopefully it works out for you to do better. Maybe you throw it a little higher or harder or on a different trajectory. You learn from it.”

Those lessons go beyond the football field or the baseball diamond.

“Sports teaches you about handling different situations and adversity which you come across in your life that have nothing to do with sports,” said Coleman. “That’s one reason I like sports.”

Reach Ryly Jane Hambleton at 473-7314 or rhambleton@journalstar.com.