By: J. Daniel Pearson
For Positively Osceola
One week into fall camp last year, Harmony head coach Don Simon knew he had something special in freshman linebacker Dalten Phelan.
“Although he was young, you could tell he had played the position a lot in youth football and had some good coaching. He has a natural instinct to get to the ball and he simply was not intimidated or fearful of anything. That is something you rarely see in a first year player but there was never any question that he was going to be a starter from day one.”
Not only did Phelan start, but he excelled—leading the Longhorns in total tackles (71). He was also second in tackles-for-loss (15) and tied for third in quarterback sacks (3). His top games included 12 tackles and two sacks against Liberty, eight tackles in a 17-14 win over Palm Bay Heritage and 10 stops with three tackles for loss against Gateway.
Although he had an outstanding first season, Simon says the best is yet to come. “Physically he looked pretty good last year as a freshman, but you could tell he worked his tail off in the weight room to get bigger and stronger. He’s getting ready to start his sophomore season and frankly he already looks like a senior. A lot of the players on this team have already started to look at him as one of the team leaders.”
That should not be all that surprising when one considers that Phelan eats, drinks, and sleeps football. And when he isn’t playing the game, he is studying it or physically training for it.
By: J. Daniel Pearson
For Positively Osceola
“My ultimate goal is to play in the National Football League,” Phelan says. “I really don’t have hobbies or outside interests. When the season is over, I am in the weight room just about every day trying to get stronger and faster.”
It’s been that way from the beginning for the North Carolina native. “I’ve been playing this game for as long as I can remember,” he says. “When I was three I was playing in a league for five year olds. I love this game and it’s just always been a part of my life.”
In just one year of playing at the high school level, Phelan is already turning the heads of college scouts. Division-1 Eastern Illinois has already offered him, while countless other schools have contacted him to begin the recruiting process. Phelan says he was honored with attention but says the coming season has his full attention.
“My immediate goal is to get better. I want to hit 100 tackles for the season but the main goal is to help get this team to the playoffs. Last year, I was a little wild, flying around and getting out of position on some plays. I need to do a better job of reading the guards and making sure I am where I should be on every play.”
Although he is hard on himself, Simon says Phelan football education is coming along just fine. “He’s a super smart player, who understands the game. We plan to move him around this year – inside, outside on the edge. We think we can create some mismatches for him.”
And for as good as he was a freshman, Simon says he hasn’t started to touch his potential. “He’s only going to get bigger, faster and stronger,” the sixth year head coach said. “This year he’s going to be playing alongside two experienced senior linebackers but starting next year, this will be his defense. He will be making all the defensive calls. If he keeps improving like I know will, he’s going to a handful for a lot offenses to deal with.”
