When John L. Smith signed Isiah Mayberry, the famed college football coach expected the Durango High School alum to be able to play early.
Mayberry, a 2014 graduate of DHS, will have a chance to start at linebacker for the Fort Lewis College Skyhawks in 2017 as a junior. He took a redshirt and sat out the 2014 season. Since then, he has competed in 21 games for the Skyhawks and has totaled 32 tackles, including two for a loss.
Though Mayberry mostly has played special teams, he saw plenty of time at linebacker off the bench last season. Coach Smith may be gone, and Mayberry is now on his third head coach in as many year, but his tenacity, athletic ability and love for football has only increased.
“It’s a privilege to play for this Fort Lewis team,” Mayberry said. “I can’t wait to get back on the grind and see my fellow teammates.”
FLC will open fall practice Monday and the season Sept. 2 at home against Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference foe Chadron State.
Joe Morris, the Skyhawks’ interim head coach, was promoted from defensive coordinator to the head coach position in June. He has been with this FLC class since 2013 and is excited to see Mayberry and a crew of new linebackers replace a strong senior class from a year ago.
“Our local stud Isiah Mayberry, he’s ready to step in and show what he can do,” Morris said.
Mayberry and Darrian Stickney from Colorado Springs are projected as the team’s top interior linebackers. Stickney is a red-shirt freshman with six career sacks in eight games at FLC.
Mayberry, Stickney and the team’s other linebackers have a big job to do in replacing the team’s leading two tacklers from a year ago. Andrew Ike was one of the top linebackers in the RMAC with 87 tackles and three sacks. Shane Nelson also had a strong senior campaign with 68 tackles and 3½ sacks.
“Those guys were phenomenal football players,” Mayberry said. “Hopefully I can fill their shoes and make some plays on the gridiron.”
Mayberry will work directly with former head coach Ed Rifilato, who resigned in June because of health concerns but stayed on the staff as a linebackers coach. That won’t be anything new for the son of George and Tonya Mayberry.
“Even when he was the head coach, he was always there for us linebackers and was a really good mentor to me,” Mayberry said. “I’m excited to play underneath him and do the best I can for him.”
Mayberry also will have competition for playing time from some new recruits, but he is mentally and physically ready to take on the starting role on a defense that ranked in the top three in the conference last season.
“We have a lot of pride in what we do on that side of the ball,” he said. “I’m going to play to my fullest, 100 miles per hour and try to be smart and physical.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
