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Lions' injured Dahmer feeling better

His shoulder has improved, and he hopes Hernando Christian Academy is better

By VINCENT THOMAS
Published October 5, 2005

than last Friday night.

The Hernando Christian field was empty.

Nathanial Dahmer and his teammates and coaches were nowhere to be found.

"You're looking for the football team? They're all in Mr. Derrico's room," said one student standing in a group of girls that looked to be finishing their own practice.

It turns out, Mr. Derrico's room dubs as the Lions' film room.

Dahmer stepped out of the dark room for a moment, still in his pads and sweaty from the afternoon practice, having spent the past 30 minutes critiquing his play in last week's 32-14 loss to Providence Christian.

"Ah, I didn't do too well last week," Dahmer said. "See, I had pulled this muscle underneath my shoulder the week before, so I wasn't tackling too well last week."

Lions' coach Steve Johnson said Dahmer's shoulder had gotten to the point where he could barely lift his arm over his head, the result of an injury sustained against Lake Mary Prep.

Dahmer's shoulder is feeling better now, though, after his father, a chiropractor, helped him with the discomfort.

Dahmer hopes his healing shoulder will translate into better play Friday when the Lions travel to Winter Garden to take on Calvary Christian (2-2), the same place he injured his ankle during last year. That injury forced him to miss all but three games.

This season, Dahmer seems to be making up for lost time. He leads Hernando Christian with 16 catches for 263 yards. He's also the team-leader with two interceptions, to go with 123 yards rushing and 19 tackles.

He attributes his productive season to the film sessions in Mr. Derrico's room, the past summer that he spent jogging and jumping rope, and a change in the Lions' practices.

"Last year was our first year, so we all were just out there trying to figure out what to do," Dahmer said. "But this year it's more controlled and we have more one-on-one time with the coaches, too."

Mark Johnson, coach Steve Johnson's brother and assistant coach, is the one whom Dahmer credits most for his improvement. He said Mark Johnson has taught him how to "run my routes better, turn on the ball, footwork, stuff like that."

Last week, with Dahmer playing injured and a sick quarterback, Stephen Johnson, going 2 of 11 for 15 yards, the Lions' passing game suffered right along with their most prolific pass tandem.

Steve Johnson is looking forward to getting his improved receiver back on the field and healthy.

"Our passing game really struggled last week. We could really use Nate back out there," Johnson said. "The kid is a player."

Vincent Thomas can be reached at vthomas@sptimes.com or 352 424-0177.

[Last modified October 5, 2005, 01:14:17]