As soft-spoken as Michael Turner might be, his voice can be heard plenty on football Friday nights.
Turner, a senior inside linebacker, helps with shouting out calls for the Eagles’ defense in accordance to the offensive formation on the other side of the ball.
“I direct the defense the best I can,” he said. “I look for where tight end is or how many receivers are on one side. Then, I figure out whether to call ‘Rip’ for strong side to the right or ‘Liz’ for strong side to the left.”
Eagles coach John Perry likes to joke that the only time he hears Turner talk is when he’s shouting out calls to the defense.
“I can't imagine he talks a whole lot around his house. He's not a big vocal guy in general. But he knows what he is doing,” Perry said. “He is an intelligent dude. He's going to be able to make adjustments and get everyone situated. He can make all the calls.”
Turner has put himself in position to succeed, thanks to an off-season in which he was often busy working out before and after school. He wrestled in the winter and qualified for the Class 5 State Tournament.
“We had off-season weights in the morning before school, then I’d go through school and have wrestling practice at the end of the day,” he said.
As a result, Turner’s body weight stayed about the same, as he added a modest 10 pounds since last year. But his appearance has changed, as he added muscle.
“I had a lot more chub on face last year than I do this year,” Turner said. “My maxes were low last year. I’ve raised them. My max in the bench press now is 305 and I think I can hit 315.
“I’ve still got to work my butt off everyday,” he added. "People beneath us are gunning for our spots, so you’ve got to keep going hard.”
Meanwhile, newcomer Jordyn Turner has made himself an offensive weapon at wideout. He had a touchdown reception in the Eagles’ season-opening win over Branson.
Like fellow wideout Kael Combs, Turner is a basketball player making his return to the gridiron.
“It feels good to be back on the field. I hadn't played football since the eighth grade,” Turner said.
Turner made a late rush for playing time during the last couple weeks of pre-season practices.
“The last week and a half I was getting a lot more reps than I had been,” he said. “I don't really know why, but I wasn't really remembering the plays. But I finally started remembering them. I was going over them every night.”
