Player: Spencer DeMedal Position: QB/RB/S Height: 6' 0" Weight: 195 lb Academic: Senior School: Wilmington

By Clayton Sauertieg

New Castle News

It’s not often that a high school football player scores four touchdown in one game.

It’s even less often that said player finds three separate methods of scoring. That’s what Wilmington High senior Spencer DeMedal did Friday night.

DeMedal, a quarterback/running back/safety for the Greyhounds, found the end zone twice on the ground, once on an interception return and once on a kickoff return to lead his team past District 10, Region 2 opponent Mercer, 56-13.

“When I went out there before the game, I felt really confident,” DeMedal said. “I had my teammates backing me and it was just one of those games where you feel like you’re going to go off.”

“Go off” was exactly what the returning all-star did for the ‘Hounds. DeMedal ran for 80 yards on just three carries to go along with his two touchdowns while intercepting two passes. He also added 70 yards through the air, going six of six in the process. The versatile star returns both kicks and punts as well.

“Spencer is just a great athlete. He can do just about anything,” Wilmington coach Terry Verrelli said. “We’ve been able to get him involved a lot in the wing-t at running back and then he moves to quarterback when we go to shotgun. So it gives us a lot of options.”

DeMedal’s versatility has paid off early and often for the Greyhounds, as he’s found the the end zone 17 times in five games this season for an average 3.4 touchdowns per game. Whether on offense or defense, he’s proven to be a game-changer.

“Great athletes like him have a nose for the football. It’s instincts, and that’s an instinctive thing that he has that makes him such a good player. He’s a force on defense as well as he is on offense,” Verrelli said.

DeMedal’s performance against Mercer took him to 440 yards on the ground for the season, with an impressive 11.8 yards-per-carry average. His 17 touchdowns on the year are more than twice as many as the next highest player in the county.

DeMedal comes by it naturally. He is a son of former Wilmington High standout Katy Killmer DeMedal, who remains Lawrence County’s 37th all-time leading scorer in girls basketball. Additionally, his brother Jake was a standout football player at Saint Francis University in Loretto, while sister Liz was a multi-sport athlete in her time at Wilmington.

But don’t be fooled by DeMedal’s calm, cool and collected demeanor off the field, the Wilmington star is as intense as they come when the lights comes on.

“I love the physicality of the game. It’s a sport where no one can punish you for hitting someone as hard as you can,” DeMedal said. “You just get to leave everything out on the field. It’s part of what I love about playing defense.”

DeMedal’s star power has led the Greyhounds to a 5-0 start and a tie for the lead in the region with Hickory. But he knows there’s still work to do.

“Teams tend to look ahead when they get on a roll,” he said. “But we’re focused on taking it each game and each week and getting the win.”

(Email: csauertieg@ncnewsonline.com)