Syracuse, N.Y. -- Corcoran football coach Tyrone Fisher uncovered the most amazing stat about Diore Danzy almost by accident.
It happened two years ago when Fisher was reviewing Danzy’s personal information after the season. Fisher noted Danzy’s November birthday, did some quick math and was jarred by the fact that Danzy had played his whole sophomore year for the Cougars as a mere 14-year-old.
“I just assumed he was 15,” Fisher said. “I was blown away. I was like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe we had a 14-year-old who was good enough to start. I was impressed.”
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The best news for Fisher and the Cougars is that Danzy has only gotten better with time. He’s now a standout on both sides of the ball as a starting running back and defensive back and has earned recognition as the SOS Spotlight Athlete of the Week.
Danzy has rushed for 461 yards and two touchdowns and posted two sacks and an interception. His overall contributions are a big reason why the Cougars followed up a season-opening six-point loss to Utica Proctor to rip off a four-game winning streak in the middle of the schedule. The team sits at 4-2 heading into the final week of the regular season with a game vs. Liverpool.
“Everybody on the team is working, willing to learn more and actually put in the work,” Danzy said of the turnaround. “In the first game we were up, so I think at halftime we probably just let the game go early. After that we just worked harder on staying focused throughout four quarters.”
While Fisher was amazed in retrospect by Danzy’s impact as a sophomore, the player himself simply saw it as part of the overall plan. He had been too busy prepping for his debut to worry about what the calendar said.
“In the offseason, it was a lot of work to become a starter. The first game being a starter, I almost got a touchdown,” he said. “It boosted my confidence a whole lot. I feel like being a leader on my team, my position, I feel like I could do anything.”
Fisher praised Danzy’s ability to put his teammates in the same mindset.
“He is an extension of us as a coaching staff. He echoes exactly what we’re saying. He’s just got all the intangibles to be very successful in the future,” Fisher said.
“It doesn’t really come natural to me. It’s something that I worked at. I see my teammates go off my energy,” Danzy said.
Danzy said he prefers playing on the defensive side of the ball because delivering hits is preferable to taking them. That aggression apparently runs in the family: Danzy said Colts linebacker Darius Leonard is a distant cousin.
“Everybody works non-stop,” he said of Corcoran’s defense. “We all take each other’s criticism and just work together to get better.”
Now, as the Cougars’ season builds toward a possible deep playoff run, it’s just a matter of keeping Danzy’s body in one piece and quick to recover after each game’s busy workload.
“Yeah, that’s definitely a problem. But coach always be like, if you need time, we’re willing to work with you,” Danzy said. “He always says take care of your body first.”
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