'I'm so proud of him': This freshman defensive standout steps up for Aquinas football
There were a lot of things that could have gone better for Aquinas football on Friday night. But a freshman defensive lineman wasn’t one of them.
Jaden Wuerth has been a force for the Fightin’ Irish defensive unit, entering Friday with a team-high tackles for a loss (13) and quarterback sacks (six). At 6-foot-2, 224 pounds, Wuerth is capable of punching well above his weight class and is doing just that through five games, including the 20-12 win over Greenbrier Friday.
His performance couldn’t have come at a better time.
Aquinas lost both its senior leaders on defense for the season when linebacker Wesley Michaelson went down with a broken wrist against Harlem last week. His ‘Bash Brothers’ mate Clark Jackson tore his ACL during the season-opener against Jefferson County. That put the spotlight on the freshman Wuerth.
“Jaden Wuerth is a very, very special player,” Aquinas coach James Leonard said. “To lose Clark and Wes this early, we’re leaning on him a lot as a freshman and he’s stepping up. I’m so proud of him.”
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Despite the win, Leonard’s squad has to tighten up things before next week’s region-opener against Lincoln County (which will also take place at Greenbrier). After racking up 42 points against a strong Harlem team last week, it was obvious there were some missed opportunities on the turf tonight.
“We’ve got to play better defense,” Leonard said. “We’ve got to get more possessions, we’ve got to throw and catch better. We’ve got a lot of stuff to fix.”
Aquinas (4-1) opens Class A-D2 Region 8 next week against a tough Lincoln County squad. They'll see the Red Devils and then Towns County before a much-needed bye week.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Freshman star Jaden Wuerth steps up for Aquinas football
