Jacksonville State's Walker O'Steen made a game-changing impact goal in the quarter-final match, securing his team's spot in the semi-finals.
Head coach Charles Kelly praised O'Steen's leadership and work ethic, saying, "He doesn't say a whole lot, but he's got a really good personality. … He has a big influence on people. You don't have to talk a lot to influence people. If you just work really hard, and people see results, they start following what you do."
O'Steen, a fifth-year linebacker, has been a key player for Jax State, moving into the starting lineup at linebacker and finishing the season with 84 tackles, second only to Mac Sanders on the team. He also tied for the team lead with six quarterback hurries.
The team's defense has benefited from having worked in the system last season, with O'Steen saying, "We all know how things go and what to do, so like all those guys back there, like Marc (Woods), Caleb (Nix), Mac (Sanders), Jawaun (Campbell), the D-line, the corners, like Tre'quan (Fegans) — we all know what to do, how to do it. We all know what we're doing, so it's a lot easier. We can communicate, and we're not really guessing on what to do."
Off the field, O'Steen is known for his love of fishing, with the best place to catch the biggest fish being Guntersville, according to him. However, he prefers to fish at Logan Martin because it's closer to his home.
As Jax State prepares for the semi-finals, O'Steen's impact on the team is clear. His work ethic and leadership have been instrumental in their success, and fans will be eager to see how he performs in the next match.
The team will face off against their semi-final opponents on Saturday, with the match expected to be a closely contested one. O'Steen's influence on the team will be crucial in determining the outcome of the match.
Source: Yahoo Sports