Eric SorensonWhat can Brown do for you?
It’s a common theme this summer at Copper Canyon High School as the Aztecs look to build around Swiss Army Knife senior Keith Brown who does a little bit of everything for head coach Shawn Kemmer.
Already a standout at cornerback and on special teams, his role will expand even more on Friday nights this fall.
“We’re trying to come up with some kind of package where we can throw him in on offense,” Kemmer told Sports360AZ.com in an interview last week. “Allow him to do what he does best. He’s a true football player.”
Seeing him on the field, the rangy 6’2, 180-pounder certainly looks the part.
Not bad for a young man who started playing less than five years ago and took an unconventional route to the west Valley school which sits in the shadow of University of Phoenix Stadium.
“My first year [playing] was in eighth grade,” Brown told Sports360AZ.com. “I didn’t start. I played one year at Kellis [High School], then sat out a year and played at Phoenix Christian. That’s when I really started blooming.”
His success has caught the attention of colleges. Adams State and Mesa Community College have offered, while Arizona, NAU, Montana, UC-Davis and South Dakota State have sent coaches to Glendale to watch him.
Brown, who plans to study marketing in college, understands his academics will likely dictate his direction after this year.
“I’ve really learned grades play a big role,” he said. “The recruiting process has been fun.”
His first order of duty is leading the Aztecs to new heights in his final prep season. Canyon won only one game in 2014 but figures to be improved talent-wise with more players around their under-the-radar star.
Kemmer understands opposing coaches always know where number six is on the field.
“They rave about him,” he bluntly explained without hesitation. “They say he cuts the field in half. It intimidates quarterbacks seeing a 6’2 corner…being able to move and get into his drops. It makes it very difficult for [receivers] to get off the football.”
What’s even scarier?
The best is likely yet to come.
