An All-Yadkin Valley Conference selection as a sophomore, 6-foot-41/2, 312-pound Camaron Thomas is one of the team leaders on both sides of the ball this year, and according to his coaches, a major college prospect.
The leading rusher and tackler on a Mustang team that won one game a year ago, head coach Bryan Lee hoped to limit Thomas’ duties to line play this season. But when the rushing attack sputtered early, Thomas was pressed into action as a fullback four games ago.
He gained 101 yards against Albemarle, the state’s top-ranked 1-A team, three weeks ago, and picked up 133 and two touchdowns in the 33-12 victory over Chatham Central the next week. Defensively, he has 31 tackles, including seven for losses, intercepted a pass and recorded two sacks.
A situation in the fourth quarter of the game against Chatham Central told a lot about the confidence Lee has in his big fullback, as well as his football team in general.
Leading 26-12, the coach called a timeout to make sure his team was set up properly to punt the ball on fourth and two from North Moore’s 24-yard line.
“I’m pretty conservative and I like the ball control we have,” he said in talking about the situation. “We’ve got a two-touchdown lead, so I’m thinking let’s punt it. Then Cam said, ‘Coach, give me the ball.’”
Lee said that he looked at the other players and they were nodding their heads affirmatively.
“That told me two things,” the coach said. “One, they believe in Cam, because he’s got a leadership role in that huddle. And second, it’s Cam’s team and it’s their team. If they believe they can do it, they’re the ones that put in the work — so we went for it.”
The play gained 40 yards. Several snaps later, Thomas scored an insurance touchdown from 12 yards out. Thomas, a soft-spoken 16-year-old who said he prefers to play defense, gave credit to his offensive line.
“When the linemen said they would block for me, I knew I could get it,” he said. “If the linemen weren’t there I couldn’t do what I do.”
Lee believes that Thomas is a natural fit for taking a leadership role on the team.
“He pushes people every day in practice,” Lee said. “If they take a play off, he gets in their face. But he doesn’t do it in a showy way. He’s got broad shoulders and he carries some of these kids with him.”
Thomas says that the leadership role his coach attaches to him is not something he consciously pursued.
“It just kind of happened,” he said. “If they want me to be a leader, I’ll try.”
Thomas is the son of Janet and Milton Person and lives in Eagle Springs. He was also a member of the Mustang basketball team last year. He has been timed at 5.1 in the 40-yard run. He said that he wants to make football a part of his life. He mentioned North Carolina State and Georgia as a couple of his favorites along with Fayetteville State in the small school ranks. He is on track to graduate at the halfway mark of his senior year.
“He’s got the natural ability college scouts are looking for,” said Mustang defensive coordinator Winford Lee, a former player at Western Carolina. “He’s got a future ahead of him. He’s only going to get better, stronger.”
Once as high as 325 pounds in the weight department, the coaches feel his ideal football weight will be about 295. Head coach Lee said that Thomas has a lot of work to do in the weight room. He said that until his arrival as coach in the spring of 2002, there was no organized weight program at the school.
“It has been hard to get him in the weight room,” Lee said. “He needs to realize recruiters aren’t going to care if he likes to lift weights or not. A lot of kids are that way, but he’s got to lift. It’s a part of his life. We have a weight lifting class for football players only and Cam is in there every day. He’s had two years of lifting and it shows.
“His 40 time is better, he’s much more athletic, and he’s lost some of his baby fat.”
Along with the physical attributes, Lee sees someone who really wants to become a good football player.
“Cam calls me at home about three days a week to talk about football,” the coach said. “He’s very focused about it and knows what he wants to get from it. He really has a drive.”
Shutout in more than half of its games a year ago, North Moore kept its streak of scoring in every game this year intact in last week’s 27-7 loss to Thomasville. This week’s opponent, Jordan-Matthews, like North Moore, has beaten Chatham Central for its only league win of the season.
