As a sophomore last year, Ashton Belaire had success on defense for VC.
Ashton Belaire
Vermilion Catholic’s Ashton Belaire wants to top last year by winning state title
Last year as a sophomore, Ashton Belaire exploded on the prep football scene. He became a starter for the Eagles at linebacker, the District 8-A Defensive MVP, and was an honorable mention Class A All-State selection.
Now the question is, how does he top that as a junior?
“Last year, I averaged about 10 tackles a game, three interceptions, one a pick-six that was returned for a touchdown, and I had eight sacks and two forced fumbles,” Belaire said. “I know that everyone says it, but this year we need to win a state championship. It’s past due.
“As for the personal goal, I want to be first-team All-State and keep that District MVP. There are no specific numbers I would like, but if the team wins, I win, and that’s good enough for me.”
Belaire is a special player. If you don’t believe that, ask VC coach Broc Prejean.
“He’s a fun kid to be around,” Prejean said. “He jokes around with the coaches and has a good time with everyone on the team.
“He works incredibly hard and reminds me of Deuce Wallace, who I coached a few years back in the way that you have to get him out of the way. He’s constantly asking you to stay later. I guess that he doesn’t realize that I have a home to go to sometimes. But, he emerged last year and just had a knack for making the play.
“It was almost comical in that when we needed a play, everyone just assumed that 18 was going to find the ball or make the big hit. He has a standard that he wants to live up to, coming off of a sophomore year where he was fortunate enough to win an MVP. We just need him to keep doing that this year.”
Prejean said there was just something special about him that he saw last year.
“There’s no flinch in him,” the VC coach said. “He had a wonderful relationship with our senior group last year, and you could see that they believed in him like he was one of them. So to have the upperclassmen embrace him in that starting role, knowing he would have some growing pains.
“Collectively from fans to coaches to players, we knew we were better as a team when 18 was on the field.”
High praise indeed.
But it just goes to show just how special Belaire is as a person and as a football player.
“I play all three linebacker positions, and this year I’m making a move from running back to tight end. So if they need me to go back to running back,” said Belaire, who stands 5-foot-9, weighs, 180 pounds and runs about a 4.8-second 40-yard dash. He can also go 10 reps at 225 pounds on the bench press, so he has some strength and a little speed to play the linebacker spot for the Eagles.
Belaire also knows that his role on the field will change a little bit this year as well.
“I know that I’m going to have to be more of a leader this year,” he said. “We had good senior leaders last year, and I knew that I’m going to have to pick up some of that slack.”
Belaire said that he wasn’t going to let Covid stop him last year, which is why he was able to step up as a sophomore.
“During Covid, I had a little weight set that my parents bought and every day for about three hours working out,” Belaire said. “I also have a field across from my house, and I got everyone out there. We’d run routes two or three times a week. I was socially distanced of course.
“I worked my butt off last year to be able to compete as a 15-year old against 18-year-olds. I think I did a good job of hanging with them.”
The results bore that out with his numbers and accolades.
“I was nervous at first, and I made a mistake here and there,” Belaire said. “It took until about week three before I was comfortable with what I was doing.”
As for this year, Belaire is more than ready to take up where he left off last season.
“I think I understand more now,” he said. “I understand the defense more, and honestly, I think I can call the whole thing. To exceed what I did last year, I worked harder and put on more muscle, and got smarter football-wise.
“I think I’m ready for whatever will happen this season. I’ll do my best to be the best player I can be.”
