By Joe Sager

New Castle News

Big plays are just waiting to happen at New Castle.

The Red Hurricane possesses plenty of speedsters in its offensive backfield. On any snap, quarterback Julian Cox, tailback Jalen Holmes or receiver Malik Hooker — among others — can escape for a long touchdown sprint.

All three got into the act in Friday’s 50-22 win at Chartiers Valley. Cox passed for 50 yards and rushed for 115 more and three touchdowns in the team’s Parkway Conference triumph.

The performance earned him Lawrence County Athlete of the Week honors, an award sponsored by Washington Centre Physical Therapy and selected by the New Castle News sports staff.

“I know that nothing I did individually would have happened without my team. That’s the main reason why we won last week. It’s good to say I am athlete of the week, but as long as we get the ‘W’ that’s all that matters,” Cox said. “Our team, we have a lot of athletes and a lot of speed. We know that we have a lot of playmakers. Coach always says that it just takes one play. You never know when one play is going to happen. You can give the ball to Malik or Jalen, or if I keep it, we expect to get big plays and big yards. That’s what it’s going to take to get this victory on Friday.”

The victory kept New Castle (1-3 conference, 2-3 overall) in the hunt for one of the Parkway Conference’s five WPIAL Class AAA playoff berths. The ’Canes welcome Blackhawk (1-3, 1-4) at 7:30 p.m. Friday in another key conference matchup.

“You can tell we had a big game last week. The tempo and energy at practice was a lot better. We know it’s going to take the exact same effort this week to get the win,” Cox said. “This week we have to come out and play big-time ball. This has been a long rivalry for us. It’s in our best interest as a team to come out and get a victory this week.”

Cox, a junior dual-threat quarterback, spent his freshman year at New Castle and transferred to Ellwood City Lincoln for his sophomore year. He helped the Wolverines reach the WPIAL Class AA quarterfinals. Back at New Castle, he’s settling into his role leading the ’Canes.

“He is a dual threat if there ever was one. He’s starting to get familiar with what we expect from him as a coaching staff. He certainly was explosive on Friday. That’s really what we need from him. That’s what we expect from him. The big-play ability that he has is rare,” New Castle coach Joe Cowart said. “He had a great game. I am proud of him, where he has come from at the beginning of the year, when he had some adversity, to now. I haven’t been more proud of a young man than I am of him on the field on Friday nights and at practices Mondays and Tuesdays and so on. He’s really taken the leadership reigns. The kids are buying in and he’s buying in and it’s an exciting thing to watch.”

Cowart enjoys the big plays, but knows his troops need to find some consistency in order to reach the postseason.

“When you can hit a home run and have that ability, it’s a unique thing. It’s something that we can’t necessarily count on, though. We tell the kids we never know when the big plays will happen. We don’t count on it or expect it,” he said. “We have to be able to execute and sustain drives to keep our defense off the field. If the big plays happen, that’s gravy. But, we have to be the meat and potatoes offense.

“We’re definitely getting better, but we don’t want to overlook the things we did wrong last week. We still have a lot of things to clean up and a lot to get better at. We’re focused on a huge game Friday.”

*****

THE JULIAN COX FILE

POSITION: Quarterback/Defensive Back

TEAM: New Castle

GRADE: 11

KNOWN FOR: Cox rushed for 115 yards and three touchdowns and passed for 50 more in New Castle’s 50-22 win at Chartiers Valley.

PARENTS: Erica and John Cox

FAVORITE PRO PLAYER AND WHY: Ray Lewis, Ravens. “Ray Lewis symbolizes respect. Everyone respects him because he comes out and plays every Sunday like it’s his last game.”

FAVORITE PRO TEAM AND WHY: Pittsburgh Steelers. “If I wasn’t, I feel like I wouldn’t be able to live in my house. My parents are crazy Steelers fans.”

FUTURE PLANS: Cox hopes to help New Castle reach the playoffs. “Our big goal for this year is to just get into the playoffs. We’re in a little bit of a hole now, but all it takes is one win here and one there; anything can happen.”