Stevenson’s Thomas Simmons has long considered himself a wide receiver.
That has been true even when Simmons wasn’t playing the position for his team. Such was the case last season, when he played on the defensive side of the ball for the Patriots.
“I had always played receiver at lunch or at recess, just telling people to throw it to me,” he said.
But Simmons doesn’t have to tell anyone to throw the ball to him this season. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound senior is a significant part of the game plan as a starting wide receiver, and he’s proving to be a productive one as the Patriots (2-0) prepare for a North Suburban Conference game against Libertyville on Friday.
Simmons surpassed 100 yards receiving during Stevenson’s season-opening 52-14 win against Kenosha Bradford of Wisconsin. He then made two touchdown catches during the Patriots’ 42-7 win against Taft last week.
“To even be an option at receiver now is exciting,” he said. “It’s definitely a big change from last year.”
Indeed, Simmons learned a new position on the fly last season, when he got on the field as a safety in Week 2.
“The defensive coordinator was talking to me about how I’d like defense,” he said. “But the playbook was so much more complicated, so there was a learning curve.”
Simmons recalls an inauspicious start to his tenure on defense.
“I think on the third play I was out there, I gave up a touchdown,” he said. “The quarterback was scrambling, and my guy turned upfield.
“I learned pretty early how important it is to keep your man in front of you. It was an interesting first experience as a defender.”
Simmons found his footing in due time and finished the season with 26 tackles, three pass breakups, two fumble recoveries and an interception.
“What’s really cool about Thomas is how he’s the ultimate team guy,” Stevenson coach Brent Becker said. “He wanted to be a receiver and said that his preference is playing offense, but he stepped in on defense and did a really nice job.”
Of course, Simmons was eager to return to the offensive side of the ball this season. He and classmate Zach Hersh, who’s playing the slot after backing up then-sophomore quarterback Aidan Crawley last year, began the offseason by training twice per week at Win Performance in Highland Park. They were joined by several local quarterbacks and also put in extra time with Crawley.
“We would stand there for hours and catch balls,” Hersh said. “He’s worked a lot for this, and he’s catching everything.”
That fact has helped balance the Patriots’ offense, which returned two known commodities at running back, senior Christopher Thorndyke and junior Frank Costabile.
“We thought there would be a ton of running, but the passing game has really opened up because he’s making plays downfield,” Hersh said of Simmons.
During 7-on-7 work and preseason camp over the summer, Simmons got things started by running a deep post. That also worked like a charm on the first play of the season opener. Stevenson tried it again Friday, but the safety ran with Simmons down the field.
Simmons still reeled in two touchdown passes, though. On one of them, he took a hard hit in the end zone and held onto the ball.
“I had to jump up for it, and I got smacked pretty good, but I figured I might as well hold on,” he said.
Simmons, who also made all four of his extra-point attempts while subbing for the Patriots’ injured placekicker, has been even more successful in track.
Simmons qualified for the Class 3A state meet in both hurdles events in the spring and placed sixth in the 110-meter hurdles. He recorded a school-record 14.42 seconds in the 110 in the state preliminaries, shaving more than a tenth of a second off the previous record of 14.54.
Simmons also competed in the USA Track and Field National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships at Texas A&M in July.
“I made it through to the semis and raced against the fastest kid in the nation in the next lane over,” he said. “That was an eye-opening experience, but a good experience seeing what else is out there.”
Simmons has come a long way in the hurdles. Just three years ago, his father gave him a not-so-subtle nudge to pick up another sport.
“My freshman year, I would stop in front of the hurdles and would jump over,” Simmons said. “A lot of hurdling is mental and understanding that the hurdle isn’t going to come up and hurt you.”
Becoming a track star, Simmons has seen parallels between clearing hurdles and route running.
“It really helps with explosiveness coming out of cuts and when I jab-step and want to change directions,” he said. “Football is super exciting right now, but I love sports and am glad I’ve got a whole year to go with them.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.
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