“I want a state championship.”
Those were the words of Javontay Smith and Jawon Pass when I asked each one what their goals were for the 2015 season. I spoke with them separately, on the phone about 15 minutes apart. They didn’t have time to get together and discuss their answers. They answered independently of each other and without hesitation.
I got the message loud and clear. These two players, both Division I prospects with bright football futures ahead of them for years to come, want a state championship. And they feel like the 2015 Carver High Tigers can deliver.
Winning a state title isn’t easy. It takes more than talent alone. Certainly talent is a part of the equation, but it takes commitment, tremendous work, a steadfast refusal to accept defeat, and more than a little luck. In all honesty, there aren’t but a handful of teams in each classification that can win a state championship. Most players, regardless of what school or where they are located, start each season with dreams of state titles in their eyes. For most, it’s not a reality. For a variety of reasons, the overwhelming majority of football teams in the state aren’t built for a championship run.
But the Carver High Tigers are. And these two are big reasons why.
The 2015 Tigers are good. Really good. They are loaded from top to bottom with talent. After a 3-7 campaign in 2006, Carver hasn’t played a season of fewer than 13 games – except for last year. During that run, they’ve been to the semifinals four times and the finals once – in 2007 when the Tigers won a state championship. Last year was an anomaly. Carver went 8-3 and lost at home in the first round to Jones County by a single point. That shouldn’t have happened, and everyone has had a bad taste in their mouths since that night – none more so than this trio. They didn’t like the way the season ended, and they don’t want this season to end the same way. They feel like they have 15 games in them this year – and they feel like they can win that last one.
Javontay Smith, a 6’2”, 195-pound senior safety, is the leader of Carver’s defense. A starter since his sophomore year, Smith has experienced success with Carver. And last year wasn’t what he would consider a success. “Our season was pretty fair,” he says, “but we lost in the first round.” When he uttered those words, the disappointment in his voice was almost palpable. He wants to win, and he understands the urgency of this season.
Smith is a fast, physical safety who knows how to find the ball. He finished last season with 59 tackles and seven interceptions. He returned one pick for a touchdown in Week Five against Columbus High. For 2015, he would like to double all of those statistics. “I enjoy hitting and tackling. It’s what I want to do. When you’re on the field, there are no limits. Anything goes, and it’s legal,” he says.
Several schools approached Smith with scholarship offers. He’s a good student – he has a 3.5 grade point average – and an elite-level football player. Rated a three-star recruit with most recruiting services, Smith gets high marks for his speed, hands, and the physical manner in which he patrols the secondary. He’s not one of those defensive backs to shy away from contact. Instead, he seeks his targets and makes them pay. The All-State and All-Bi-City selection had his choice of schools to attend but ultimately decided on North Carolina. “They’ve been there since day one. They wanted me, and I decided to stick with them,” he says.
Carver quarterback Jawon Pass has just about everything – a solid GPA (3.5), size, strength, speed, work ethic, and a knowledge of the game that belies his youth. Scouts
and recruiting services can’t get enough of him. Opponents can’t wait until he graduates. His coaches, meanwhile, hope this will the year that he truly realizes his potential and leads his team well into December. Pass is a big kid – 6’5”, 225 – with a cannon for an arm and lightning bolts for legs. He’s a true dual-threat quarterback and has posted some monster numbers during his career. In 2013, according to 247sports.com, Pass threw for 2,197 yards and 23 touchdowns. He also rushed for 404 yards and 11 scores. Last season, he threw for close to 2,500 yards, ran for nearly 500 yards, and accounted for 40 touchdowns (27 passing, 13 rushing). Pass is a four-star recruit, one of the most sought-after quarterbacks in the country, and the kind of player who can take over a game.
He’s been the center of attention since he took over at quarterback as a sophomore. He solidified his place in Carver football lore as a sophomore when, in the first round against B.E.S.T. Academy, he connected with Dreilon Freeman on a 10-yard pass in the fourth overtime to win the game. Pass has been making plays ever since.
The brother of Khane Pass, now a defensive back at Louisville, the quarterback cites his brother as helping him become the player he is today. “I used to play against him every day in practice. I always had to bring my ‘A’ game then. I won some, he won a few. But yeah, he helped me get better,” Pass says.
The senior signal-caller had up to 23 scholarship offers. He’s narrowed the list down to five, which includes Auburn, Alabama, and Louisville. When asked about what he’s looking for in a college, Pass doesn’t say much. He’s keeping his cards close to his vest but has pledged to make a decision on July 16 – shortly before this edition hits the streets. (So by the time you’re reading this, you’ll already know where he plans to continue his career. At the moment, however, one can only speculate.)
So, after nearly 1,300 words on Carver’s Division I trio, do the Tigers have a chance to win a state title? Indeed they do. Since these two arrived on the Carver campus, the Tigers have played 37 games. That’s almost an extra season of practices and games. That kind of football fitness gets in players’ bones and pays dividends for years to come. They’ve played on big stages; they have big-time players and a history of deep playoff runs. They’re also motivated. The 2014 season was a disappointment, and this team doesn’t want to let down its fans or community. Yeah, the Tigers can make a run at a state championship. And these two players will be a big reason why.
Player Spotlight/Columbus Valley/August 2015
Javontay Smith and Jawon Pass
Carver High School
Columbus, Georgia
Robert Preston Jr.
