If James Schott were to, in theory, get dismembered during tonight’s Class 6A state final against Westfield, Center Grove coach Eric Moore wouldn’t get too stressed about it.
Provided the bleeding stopped, at least.
“He would tape it up and play,” Moore said of the junior defensive end. “He’s just a mean dude.”
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryJames and his older brother, senior linebacker Jackson Schott, bring a bit of an edge to a dominating Trojan defense that already had more than its fair share of advantages.
The meanness runs in the family.
“We just like to play football,” Jackson Schott said. “We’ve had older brothers that played, and they’ve made us tough.”
Toughness is particularly dangerous when coupled with freakish physical gifts. Both listed at 6-foot-4, the Schotts are blessed with a rare combination of length and athleticism.
“Kids in our program, sometimes they top out,” Moore said, “(but) in three years, they’re going to look like completely different people. Both of them are the same kid — they’re athletic as heck. They run hurdles, they high jump, they can play basketball, dunk basketballs. If you can do that stuff, you can play.
“They have great speed, but the thing that sets them apart is their tenacity to play the game hard and fast, and they practice the same way they play.”
Jackson Schott established himself as a big-play performer during his junior season, returning a pair of interceptions for touchdowns. His play earned the attention of college recruiters, and in March he verbally committed to play at Miami University.
This fall, his younger sibling has started drawing eyeballs as well. James, who has racked up five quarterback sacks during his junior campaign, recently picked up scholarship offers from Ball State and Western Michigan.
Opponents, focused more on highly touted linemen Caden Curry and Austin Booker, have slept on James Schott to their own detriment.
“I told him before the season, ‘You’re going to have such great stats because they’ve got to take care of those two guys,” Moore said. “If you look to the right side, you see those two guys, and you look over here like, ‘Well, this should be an easy job,’ and it’s not.”
James Schott doesn’t sweat being overlooked.
“I know they’re going to key on big names like that,” he said. “Caden Curry, Austin Booker, they both have multiple powerhouse (college) offers, and I feel like they’re going to key that side a lot, so if they’re going to run, they’re going to choose my side, and it’s a lot more opportunities for me.”
Both Schotts have taken full advantage of the opportunities presented to them this season. Jackson has picked off two more passes, and the two brothers have collected 36 tackles apiece for a defense that doesn’t really allow for racking up individual numbers because it’s seldom on the field for more than three plays at a time.
But statistics and individual accolades don’t matter to Jackson and James. Their singular focus is the same as it is for everyone else on this Center Grove team — ride for one another and win a championship.
“A team like this, the team we have, you’re not going to play on every single year, especially with your brother,” James Schott said. “We’re all just really tight, we all love each other; it’s just something to play for.”
“I wasn’t really too worried about stats or anything like that,” Jackson added. “Just doing my job. Really, the only thing I was worried about this year was just getting a ring.”
Now, it’s just 48 minutes away.
