Staff Photo by Dan Henry / The Chattanooga Times Free Press- 9/19/14. East Hamilton’s Frankie Campo (#22) celebrates a fumble recovery during the first half of play between the Hurricanes and Owls at East Hamilton’s home field on September 19, 2014. Pedal to the metal
Frank Campo was an undersized outside linebacker who led East Hamilton with 101 tackles last season while adding nine sacks and recovering five fumbles.
The 5-10 1/2, 185-pounder was obviously good at what he did, yet he has been moved within the Hurricanes' defense for his senior season. Coaches have decided to make him a safety, a position that may be his best spot in college.
The move, though, wasn't so much to benefit Campo as it was his teammates.
"Number one, we had depth at outside linebacker. We felt he could shore us up in the secondary," coach Ted Gatewood said. "We needed somebody that will provide support against the run, a guy that will 'bring the wood.' He fills that bill, and I think that's the position for him if he goes to the next level."
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EAST HAMILTON HURRICANESRegion 3-4A2015 Ooltewah-Ringgold Road, Ooltewah, TN 37363Driver’s seat: Ted Gatewood (32-35 in his seventh year here and 77-79 overall)Road tested: 5 offensive, 7 defensive starters return
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Pump the brakes: Key battles that began in the spring and have carried over are on the offensive line — loads of heavy-duty contact work — and in the defensive backfield.
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Route ’15: After back-to-back three-game runs into the playoffs, the Hurricanes fell off last year, their final season in Region 3-AAA, where they were competing against Class 5A and Class 6A teams. They expect to be back in the playoff picture this year and should finish no worse than third among a group that includes Hixson, Central, Livingston Academy, Stone Memorial, Sequoyah and Cumberland County.
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Taking the wheel: He lost most of the 2014 season after suffering a knee injury in the first game, but junior QB Nick Woods is back to resume what looked to be a promising career. RB David Whiteside is small (5-6, 160), but the Hurricanes are planning to create enough creases for him to slip through, especially with the passing game expected to click with WRs Jordan Gorman and Christian Smith.
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Cruise control: The ’Canes look strong in the skill positions and on defense, where the talent includes S Frankie Campo, who moved from OLG, and LB Isaac Hembree.
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Backseat driver: An opposing coach said, “They’re rarely going to make mistakes, and they have been strong enough in the past because of coaching to overcome what mistakes they do make. Even with a relatively young team, they would have won at least five games and maybe six if they hadn’t lost Woods.”
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Rearview2014 game resultsAug. 22;Signal Mountain;lost, 28-19Aug. 29;Dobyns-Bennett;lost, 38-7Sep. 5;Walker Valley;won, 19-13Sep. 12;Riverdale;lost, 42-24Sep. 19;Ooltewah;lost, 41-7Oct. 3;Cleveland;lost, 16-14Oct. 10;McMinn County;lost, 25-15Oct. 17;Soddy-Daisy;won, 43-27Oct. 24;Rhea County;lost, 14-42Oct. 30;Bradley Central;lost, 27-243-7, 2-4 in District 5-AAA
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On the horizon2015 schedule (all times 7:30)Aug. 21;at Signal MountainAug. 28;ClevelandSep. 4;SequoyahSep. 11;at OoltewahSep. 18;HixsonSep. 25;Soddy-DaisyOct. 2;at Livingston AcademyOct. 9;Cumberland CountyOct. 16;at CentralOct. 30;at Stone MemorialRegion 3-4A games in bold
Campo, if surprised, never let it show. He and other members of this year's senior class had come together immediately after the conclusion of the team's disappointing 3-7 season in 2014.
"We met and have been working since the day after the season," he said. "We'll do whatever it takes to win."
A college scholarship would be a dream come true for him. Several Ivy League schools have been in contact - Campo has a 3.8 GPA and has scored a 28 on the ACT - but Gatewood believes Campo can play higher up the football food chain.
"He can play FCS or even mid-major," Gatewood said. "He's going to be fine speed-wise. He's just learning a brand-new position right now."
Yet even Campo's personal goals are secondary in his scheme of things.
"The main goal is to get the (championship) ring," he said. "Personal success is great and all that, but getting that ring is all I care about. I will do what I can for my teammates to win. All of us intend to leave our hearts on the field."
Capsule by Ward Gossett; contact at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or follow on Twitter: @wardgossett