Tigers’ Petersen Returns Focus To Playing

RECRUITING BECOMES DISTRACTION

By Ryan Malashock

Posted: November 3, 2009 at 5:49 a.m.

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BENTONVILLE — His mind inevitably strayed from the task at hand.

Chase Petersen didn’t want distractions to divert his attention from football matters. Bentonville’s 6-foot-4, 275-pound left tackle didn’t intentionally peer into the crowd during the Tigers’ first few games this season. He didn’t purposely let his focus wane.

But all the recruiting attention, and the normal stresses of a senior year in school, had simply overwhelmed Petersen.

“I didn’t feel like I was playing to my ability,” Petersen said. “I was overthinking everything instead of just playing ball. The fi rst few weeks, I thought about who was in the stands and who I had to send film to. I was a little paranoid about what was going to happen.

“I just had to get back to having fun, to not doing it for the glory but because I love the game.”

Petersen and Bentonville offensive line coach Benji Mahan credited a heart-toheart conversation on Oct. 8 as the turning point. Petersen spilled his concerns, and Mahan said he understood them.

Mahan, a former Arkansas lineman, also wanted Petersen to understand the value football could have toward relieving such stress.

“That’s the good thing about football,” Mahan said. “For 60 minutes out there, you can release those problems. He’s played with more of a passion, and he’s playing faster. He’s had a smile on his face. It’s too bad that all has to come with the recruiting process.

“You feel pressure to play at a higher level and impress people and sometimes you won’t play as well.”

Those days of Petersen performing below expectations are long forgotten.

Petersen has steadily improved ever since their blunt talk. And despite already having received four Division I scholarship o◊ers, Petersen sounded genuine in explaining he only had Friday night opponent Springdale Har-Ber on hismind Monday.

“I think about the recruiting as little as possible now,” said Petersen, who has o◊ers from Louisville, Southern Mississippi, North Texas and Tulane and is receiving interest from Arkansas, Kansas State and Oklahoma State. “Sometimes it’s not even there. When the time’s right, I’ll commit.”

Bentonville coach Barry Lunney said Petersen has worked hard to put himself into position to play major college football.

Petersen faced a tough offseason of losing weight, Lunney said. But Petersensucceeded in reshaping his body, even while traveling to summer camps at Alabama, Arkansas, Baylor, Oklahoma State and Tennessee. Petersen had gained almost 40 pounds before and during his junior season.

It was the wrong kind of poundage, though. So last summer, Petersen dropped from 285 pounds to 265, then added 10 pounds of muscle through the “right eating” and the Bentonville weight room.

“My junior year, they wanted me to get bigger, and I just ate and ate and ate,” Petersen said. “But I wasn’t doing it the right way. This summer, I ate the right foods and more of them. I cut out all the crap: all the fast foods, all the stu◊you don’t need toof agility and strength.

Lunney said it’s rare to see the kind of flexibility and quickness Petersen has fl ashed.

“He’s very fl exible in the hips and he bends well in the knees,” Lunney said. “That’s one of the things colleges want to see. It’s not just about being big, but having flexibility. He really bends well. He also has long arms and can keep pass rushers o◊him.

“He’s really built well to thrive in the position he plays.”be eating.”

The result has impressed Mahan, Lunney, teammates and college coaches alike. Mahan and Lunney both lauded Petersen for his mix

Sports, Pages 9 on 11/03/2009

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