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Jonny Sitton fitting well with new Shorter Football family
By Jim O'Hara
ROME – Growing up, Jonny Sitton found himself facing difficult decisions about what sport to play.
Blessed with speed, agility and toughness, albeit in a 5-foot-7 frame, Sitton was torn between playing soccer and football – the first a game he learned to love and the second one that didn’t become dear to his heart until his sophomore year in high school.
He wound up doing both at Indian Rocks Christian School in Largo, Fla., located west of Tampa, and earned All-State honors in each sport. After another round of soul-searching Sitton decided to play football and achieved his intention to play for the University of South Florida.
Last year, the red-haired, easy-going Sitton faced another choice, one that ultimately landed him on the Shorter University football team.
For Sitton, those days of choice only confirmed his faith.
“My dad quoted from Corinthians 10:13 almost every day when I was growing up,” said Sitton, a kick returner and slotback that leads Shorter in all-purpose yards. “’Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.’ Every day I walk with the Lord it’s a blessing. The Lord worked it out perfectly.
“First of all, he’s a strong character kid and he works hard,” Shorter head coach Phil Jones said of Sitton. “Right off the bat he demonstrated he can make plays, especially when he’s given the space.
“He’s been an exciting player for us early in the season.”
In Shorter’s season opening win over then-No. 22 ranked Webber, Sitton demonstrated his explosiveness when he averaged 48.5 yards per punt return – one went for 70 yards – and returned his only kickoff for 71 yards. Both set up Shorter touchdown passes.
Sitton also caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from David Byrd for Shorter's first points of the season and finished with 44 yards receiving on two catches. Sitton earned Mid-South Conference Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance.
Last week against an undefeated and Pikeville team, Sitton rushed for 34 yards and a touchdown and caught a 29-yard pass late in the fourth quarter that set up the game-winning field goal with 28 seconds left in a 29-21 victory. Daniel Hazard returned a blocked field goal 65 yards for a TD as time expired to account for the final margin.
Pikeville did find ways to limit Sitton’s effectiveness in the return game, however. Sitton, who is ranked No. 3 nationally in total punt returns, didn’t return a single kickoff and fielded just four punts for 49 yards, his longest a 31-yard breakaway.
So concerned was Pikeville about Sitton’s return ability that they opted to run two successful fake punts and recovered an onside kick.
“If you feel that the returners can beat you it allows you to try fakes and onside kicks,” said Jones. “Pikeville had a good game plan, especially with their punt team. We hadn’t seen that before. Jonny, with his ability to change direction, affects the other team’s kicking game and can provide momentum changes.
Said Sitton: “A lot of people have said I make quick cuts because of soccer.”
When he runs, it’s easy to imagine Sitton moving the ball up the field with his feet, using quick cat-like direction changes that can stop defenders in their tracks. Only now, Sitton carries a ball and makes moves that leave foes grabbing for thin air.
“Soccer is all I played as a kid,” said Sitton. “I didn’t want to play football, but the coach kept begging me to play. And when I graduated, I first looked into playing soccer in college.”
Instead, Sitton chose to play football at nearby South Florida in Tampa. He earned a spot on the Bulls’ roster as a walk-on and after being redshirted in 2009, played in three games last year and returned three punts.
Aware that he was unable to get any financial or scholarship help and that he would not see a lot of playing time, Sitton was pointed in the direction of Shorter thanks, ironically enough, to USF head coach Skip Holtz.
In addition to receiving a call from Holtz about Sitton, Jones says that Holtz sent a video of Sitton filmed when, during the week prior to South Florida’s game against West Virginia last fall, he played the role of speedy Mountaineer tailback Noel Devine to perfection. Consequently, the Bulls held Devine to just 27 yards.
“[Coach Holtz] wanted to help Jonny so much,” Jones said. “We could see that Jonny had the tools.”
“I wanted the opportunity to play and get some financial help, but more than that, after I graduate, I want to go into mission work and ministry,” said Sitton who is a Christian Studies major. “I was excited to come to Shorter and all the guys were welcoming and friendly, so it was easy to adjust.”
It was just as easy for the Hawks to adjust to Sitton, who now grabs the attention of his teammates every time he touches the ball.
“The rest of the team feels good about him,” said Jones. “He fits in well.”
