From Scout Team to Sack Leader and Back; Football Journey for Cole White Still Going Strong
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
IOWA CITY – For the first three years of his prep career Cole White followed fairly standard path for a varsity football player.
White went from freshman scout teamer to a rookie varsity starter as a sophomore to one of the most disruptive defensive lineman in the state last season.
The football journey for White took a U-Turn this fall.
After transferring from Clear Creek Amana to Regina last winter the all-state defensive end opened camp for his senior season the same way he started his freshman year – on the scout team.
His role on the team may have changed dramatically from one season to another but the attitude White brought to the field every day never wavered.
“It wasn’t a perfect situation but I enjoyed it every day,” White said. “You just have to make the best of the situation and have as much fun as you can in the situation you are put in and that’s what I did.”
Transfer rules dictated that White would sit out the first three games of the season.
As his Regina teammates prepared to open the season against Class 3A powers Cedar Rapids Xavier and Solon White was limited to a role as a scout teamer.
One year removed from an all-state season some seniors could see the scout team designation as a demotion.
Not White who viewed his time on the scout team as a mere detour and a chance to get better.
“Oh yeah, I did scout team all the time, I love scout team,” White said as an excited smile flashed across his face. “I was trying to give my teammates the best look whether that was trying to be as strong as I could up the middle or fast on the outside edge as they got ready for those teams.”
Rather than getting rusty during his three weeks without a game White says he got better going against the likes of Steve Sehl, Alex Moore and Luke Stein.
“He practiced so well during the whole process that I knew he’d be ready to go from day one,” Regina coach Marv Cook said. “He’s a great football player and a really good kid.”
White had 30 tackles for loss and 16 sacks among his 77 tackles over the last two seasons at Clear Creek Amana.
The breakthrough for White came last season when he had 20 tackles for loss and a state-best 15 sacks.
“He brings a different edge, he’s a difference maker,” Cook said. “He’s a disruptive menacing factor on defense.”
After his late start White has picked up where he left off last season.
In his first game in a Regina uniform White made a team-high 6.5 tackles in a 42-20 win over Sigourney-Keota.
“It was a huge relief just to get back out there,” White said. “I needed to make sure that I got back into the game which I am still doing. It always takes a little bit to adjust.”
That was just the warm up for White.
The 5-foot-11, 225-pound defensive end has 12 tackles over the last two games with half coming behind the line of scrimmage.
White has five sacks in the last two games, wins over Highland and Wilton that moved Class 1A fourth-ranked Regina to 4-2 on the season and 4-0 in District 4 play.
“I still think I can be way better,” White said. “I still have to learn the defensive scheme, it’s all new for me so I think I can improve a lot. As time goes on you need to get better or else you are getting worse.”
In three games White ranks third on the team with 18.5 tackles and his five sacks rank sixth in Class 1A.
White has improved every week.
Last week he had five tackles, three for loss and two sacks and his first career interception in a 49-7 win over previously unbeaten Wilton.
“I love him on the edge defensively,” Cook said. “He plays with great pad level and great energy and it’s fun to watch. He’s always doing his assignment and then he rallies about as good as anybody as far as getting to the football.”
White isn’t just a defensive menace he is playing offense for the first time at the varsity level and has impressed Cook with his play at center.
“Offensively he’s a leverage nightmare,” Cook said. “He plays with great intensity, he plays with great passion. You can feel it, you can sense it when he’s on the field.”
White had to wait a little while to make his Regina debut but he’s not trying to make up for any lost time.
That’s just not how he looks at things.
Instead, he is focused on helping Regina make another postseason push and hopefully closing out his football journey at the UNI-Dome
“I’m not making up for lost time, it’s in the past there is nothing I can do about it I just have to look forward to the next game,” White said. “It’s always about what’s next and who is next but it’s also about preparing ourselves for the post season.