In his senior season, Corona Centennial Huskies safety and outside linebacker Calvin Pitcher is determined to lead the Huskies to a CIF Championship.
The Centennial Huskies (Ca.) have been a CIF Southern Division mainstay for the last four seasons but haven’t been able to get to the state title game in that same span. Under head coach Matt Logan, the Huskies have dominated the Big VIII Conference over the last 10 seasons with a 60-1 record. In 2019-20, they finished 9-3 (5-0 Big VIII).
The 6-foot-1 200 pound Corona, California native recorded 61 Tackles (19 Solo), two quarterback hurries, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one touchdown. As of now, he has offers from Eastern New Mexico University, Idaho State University, and Valparaiso University. Check out his junior highlights.
Calvin Pitcher played with his older brother Camron Pitcher Jr. on the Huskies defense for one season and the younger brother shared the advice the elder Pitcher gave about the recruiting process.
“Observing my brother go through the process taught me that recruitment isn’t always fair. He was a great football player and had the accolades to prove it but for some reason didn’t have the opportunity to go Division I,” Pitcher said. “As a result of that, it drives me to make sure that I can get over the hump that he never did.”
Camron had a decorated career with the Huskies. He was a two-time Big VIII Defensive Player of the Year, two-time First Team All-CIF, Second Team All-State (2016), First Team All-State (2017), First Team All-Area, First Team All-League, All-Area Defensive Player of the Year and Press-Enterprise Defensive Athlete of the Year as a senior in 2018.
Calvin was taken under his older brother’s wing and learned how to be a true student-athlete. Camron was a straight-A student and always had his priorities in line.
“By watching him I also learned what to expect from high school football. He was a very hard worker and it was cool to see him transform from my brother to the person he is when he’s playing. He never thought out there he just played. I envy that and try to apply what he did to my play.”
COVID-19 completely changed the recruiting landscape for high school athletes and college transfers. It has been tough to overcome for Pitcher who said visiting schools and having the face-to-face contact are things he was looking forward to. Additionally, the last spring camp he attended came to a halt before he could gain momentum and showcase his skill set.
“With the pandemic changing the recruiting process, it’s given me more time to work on myself and my physical components so that when a coach finally does get a chance to look at me he’ll know he’s looking at the real deal,” he said.
The first thing that sticks out about Calvin Pitcher on film is his ability to wrap up the ball carrier when making the tackle in space or a crowd.
“I feel like I’m most effective at stopping the run. Being able to align right and recognize the play once it begins is half the battle. I think I greatly improved from the beginning to the end of the season in that. Coming down and filling the run became a major component of my position.”
He believes that he could bring his versatility, a strong work ethic, and his ability to be coached to a college football program. When a coach tells him to do something, he doesn’t argue or dispute it, he applies it to his play.
The best part of his game is his ability to finish plays on the ball consistently. He needs to work on his speed and knowledge of the game. “An athlete can always get faster if he works hard enough and a student can always get smarter. The game’s always changing and will continue to change, especially when you make a transition to the next level, so I should as well.”
Calvin Pitcher has the mentality of win no matter what. By thinking that way and playing to win, he’ll play well, hold himself accountable [and] lift his teammates up.
“When I’m all through with Centennial I’m going to miss the coaches. There’s no one else like Coach Logan and Coach Herring. They are the epitome of “Earned not Given.” Centennial doesn’t get the biggest, baddest, players of the bunch but we will always outwork the other team. When I am gone, I want to be remembered as a leader. I want to set an example for the class after me so they can do the same for the next.”
Thank you for the great article on Calvin Pitcher.