One shining moment
Liberty senior wins TCCA top honor
Tribune Chronicle file / R. Michael Semple Liberty’s Dra Rushton twists and turns as he tries to break the tackle of LaBrae’s Riley McCleary Sept. 29 in Leavittsburg. Rushton won this year’s Trumbull County Coaches Association Football Player of the Year Award.
Tribune Chronicle / Joe Simon Liberty’s Chet Allen, left, and his senior quarterback, Dra Rushton, right, were honored at the TCCA Football Player of the Year Banquet in Howland. Allen won coach of the year, while Rushton was the player of the year.
Tribune Chronicle file / R. Michael Semple Liberty’s Dra Rushton twists and turns as he tries to break the tackle of LaBrae’s Riley McCleary Sept. 29 in Leavittsburg. Rushton won this year’s Trumbull County Coaches Association Football Player of the Year Award.
Tribune Chronicle / Joe Simon Liberty’s Chet Allen, left, and his senior quarterback, Dra Rushton, right, were honored at the TCCA Football Player of the Year Banquet in Howland. Allen won coach of the year, while Rushton was the player of the year.
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HOWLAND -- There was a moment during Dra Rushton's career when the Liberty football player felt compelled to speak up and motivate his teammates.
That might not seem like a big deal to some, but it was a pivotal point for Rushton. It came at halftime, with the Leopards trailing Lakeview, 14-0, last year when he was a junior.
"I had a weird feeling in my heart," he said. "I knew I had to get up and say something to these guys and tell them to pick it up. When I did, and to see them actually take action and listen to me and go out there and get it done, that's when I knew, 'I'm the leader of these guys.' "
Liberty went on to win that game, 28-21, and Rushton, well, he went on to become the leader his coach envisioned.
Moments like that are part of the reason the two-way star was named the 2017 Trumbull County Coaches Association Player of the Year on Monday at Leo's Ristorante. Rushton became the fourth Liberty player to earn the honor (Brian Beinecke -- 1997, John Humphrey -- 2005, Fitzgerald Toussaint -- 2008).
The quarterback and defensive back ran for nearly 1,400 yards and a combined 34 touchdowns (24 running and 10 passing) as a senior, when he led the Leopards to the playoffs. His incredible speed and athleticism made him a standout on both sides of the ball and are why the 6-foot, 160-pound Rushton is being recruited by several schools.
As impressive as his physical skills were, Liberty coach Chet Allen looked back on that game against the Bulldogs as the turning point for Rushton.
"I wanted him to be that leader as a sophomore (when I took over as head coach)," Allen said. "He said, 'Coach, it's not my time. When I'm ready, I will.' And that was his time. That's what clicked. From that moment on, all those guys flipped right there, and we ended up winning that game.
"That's when he became the leader of our team."
Rushton ran for just nearly 2,400 yards the last two seasons to go along with 40 TDs. His passing improved dramatically during his senior year, when he completed 58-of-111 passes for 956 yards, 10 TDs and just three interceptions.
Rushton was just as important to Liberty's defense, too.
He made five interceptions as a corner over the final two seasons, despite teams rarely throwing his way, and had 55 tackles. His two-way ability helped power the Leopards to a season-ending victory over previously undefeated Girard, a win that propelled Liberty into the playoffs for the first time in Allen's three-year tenure.
Rushton admitted he and Allen "bumped heads" when the coach first took over, but the two eventually created a great relationship that played a key role in his and the team's development. Allen was certainly glad it all come together.
"He's going to be a tough one to replace, but we're going to try," Allen said. "He's got a great head on his shoulders. He knows right from wrong. He sees all the glitz and glamour, but he knows deep down inside he has to work to get anything, and that's what this award was. He worked for it, and he earned it."
Rushton has received equal looks from colleges on both offense and defense and said he doesn't prefer one side of the ball over the other. He said he hasn't decided where he'll play at the next level, but he's considering offers from the Air Force, Fordham and Albany, among others.
"I'm undecided," he said. "I've been thinking about a couple, but I'm not sure right now."
What he is sure of is how special of a year it was for him. With 15 other players seated next to Rushton, he said he "didn't expect to win," a rare feeling for a player that dominated in critical moments. The award was icing on the cake after the year he, Allen and the Leopards put together.
"It definitely topped off my senior year," Rushton said of reaching the playoffs. "To go out with those guys (my teammates), and we struggled those two years before that. For us to put it together, beat the rival, win our conference and go to Week 11, it was really a blessing. That's all my goal was coming into this year was to go to the postseason. For us to do it and do it in that fashion, it was great. It was a great way to top off my senior year."
Monday night certainly didn't hurt either.
COACHES OF THE YEAR: Four coaches earned coach of the year awards from the TCCA. The criteria was to win 80 percent of their regular season games or claim the conference title. The four recipients were Allen, Pat Pearson (Girard), Tom Pavlansky (Lakeview) and Dan Williams (McDonald).
COACH OF THE YEAR: The coach of the year award was voted on by all coaches in attendance at Monday's banquet. Pearson, who led Girard to a 10-1 record and to the regional semifinal, earned the honor.
KOREY STRINGER GOLDEN HELMET AWARD: This award is given to a former Trumbull County football player in the final year of college eligibility who has shown to be an outstanding student-athlete at their institution. This year's winner was Jalyn Powell, a Warren G. Harding graduate who played safety for Youngstown State University.