“He’s a war daddy,” Douglass said. “He’s pound for pound the toughest dude that I’ve ever coached or played with.”
Stinnett is 5-foot-8 and 190 pounds. He’s the Wildcats’ shortest starter on defense. Douglass was an NFL contemporary of Mills in the 1980s and ’90s. At 5-11 and 220, Mills was a five-time Pro Bowler and played 12 seasons with the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers. Mills played at a Division III college and was always “too small.”
"He's Sam Mills," Douglass said Friday after the Wildcats defeated Fairmont 34-7. "He gets everybody in the right spots. He does it in such a way with his confidence and his leadership and the guys believe in him."
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The challenge against Fairmont on Friday was to stop the run and defend it mostly between the tackles. The Firebirds didn’t throw a pass and rarely ran to the outside. Stinnett made a season-high 15 tackles, and the Wildcats held the Firebirds to 181 yards.
“Their line was getting to the linebackers, but when the defensive line smashed down we stopped them,” Stinnett said. “So I just want to thank my defensive line for helping me see the gaps and where I had to go.”
Stinnett leads the Wildcats (4-1) with 49 tackles, which ranks him third in the GWOC. He led the team last year with 74 tackles and recovered five fumbles. As a sophomore starter he was third on the team in tackles. But Stinnett’s job is much more than those numbers.
Stinnett relays what defensive coordinator Conley Smoot calls for on each play. Being on the job as long as Stinnett has makes the coaches’ jobs easier. Stinnett is also a mentor to the linebacker next to him – freshman Jaivian Norman, who stands 5-10 and weighs 190.
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“Because Xzerious makes it so easy with the communication, he can put Norman in positions where he can be successful,” Douglass said.
Stinnett’s leadership style – “He’s not one of those all-in-your-face guys,” Douglass said. “He just does his job” – is helping the entire defense be successful.
The Wildcats lead the GWOC in scoring defense at 9.4 points per game and are second in yards allowed at 242.8, which is only four-tenths of a yard behind Centerville.
“We’re playing good defense because we want to work together and we want to be the No. 1 defense in GWOC,” Stinnett said. “The best part is that we can all make a play and we all get together and celebrate when we make a play.”
While Stinnett wins most of his one-on-one battles with ballcarriers on Friday nights, there is some debate about practice.
Jeff Tolliver is half of the Wildcats’ vaunted running attack with Tay’Veon Smoot. Tolliver averages 10 yards a carry and has scored five touchdowns. He has three inches on Stinnett at 5-11 and is seven pounds heavier.
“He wants the tough touchdowns,” Stinnett said. “He wants the hard-earned yards.”
And the yards are hard-earned in practice when Stinnett and Tolliver collide.
“We’re going to meet in the middle and we’re going to stand each other up,” Stinnett said. “It’s a good battle. I win.”
Tolliver may see the same Sam Mills toughness in Stinnett that Douglass sees, but he has a different take on their collisions.
“No, no, it’s me all the time,” Tolliver said. “He got me like one time, but the rest of the time it’s me.”
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