Parkersburg South’s Demetrius Gearheart looks on during this season’s Class AAA state championship game against Huntington at Wheeling Island Stadium in Wheeling. Gearheart will play on the interior defensive line and study business at Marietta College. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

PARKERSBURG –A mainstay in the trenches for Parkersburg South is headed to the gray turf of Marietta College’s Don Drumm Stadium. Demetrius Gearheart, a Class AAA second-team all state defensive selection joins MC head coach Andy Waddle’s squad, which went 6-4 this past season.

The impact Gearheart made was a big one. During Parkersburg South’s run to the Class AAA championship game in Wheeling, Gearheart was front and center on the offensive and defensive lines. 25 pancakes and 75 total tackles on the interior of the lines led him to that all-state honor. He followed up last year’s second-team spot with another, as that consistency is what made him the ideal weapon. Gearheart is going to Marietta College to study business, as his love of numbers and drive to continually better himself will pay dividends. He reflected on his time as a Patriot.

“I’m really going to miss high school football. Some people say that’s the best kind of football in your whole career, but I’m ready to take the next step. Marietta’s a good school. They have a good football program, and the defense really led me to the school. They run a lot of stunts. They use their defensive alignment a lot, so I’m really excited. Back then, I was a little, chubby kid. I had dreams of going to college ball and the NFL, but back then, I didn’t really think I’d be able to do it. I worked hard in the weight room,” he said.

“Coach (Nate) Tanner really helped me with my agility and speed. Coach (John) Price helped me learn about the defensive line. Back then, I was a running back. It’s really a big jump. If you work hard, you can really succeed in anything. I’m very grateful. My dad tells me this all the time. He says, ‘It’s 90 percent mental, 10 percent physical.'” That’s real, and it’s a big step in my life.”

Coach Tanner saw great improvements in Gearheart, as the defensive threat leaves the program riding high.

“Demetrius grew a lot from the first day he stepped into our program. He got here his 10th-grade year. His first day, I actually thought he was going to quit, but he decided to stick it out,” Tanner said. “He grew astronomically every single year. He did a good job bonding to the program. Not just with the weightlifting and whatnot, but with how we do everything. What was really cool was not only did he change a lot as a player, but he changed a lot as a person, as well. For me, that’s what it’s all about. It’s really cool to see him get to continue his career playing at the next level. He was an absolute bus on the defense. He was really good against the run game and was a really good pass rusher. He was pretty dynamic as a defensive lineman. Demetrius has a good, low center of gravity, so he plays with good leverage He had a very productive year for us. The younger guys saw how steady and dependable he was during this past season as a senior. He was a team captain for us, as well. He didn’t miss practice, got all of his lifts in. He was a good practice player and wasn’t scared to hold people accountable. A lot of kids looked up to him because of those things.”

Gearheart will play on the interior of the defensive line at MC, as he looks for South to continue doing great things on the gridiron.

“The brotherhood (this past season at South) and the way everybody connected on the football field on both offense and defense, it was really fun,” he said. “We were brothers, and a lot of them are signing, too. I’m proud of them. They were there for me at my signing, and I’m really going to miss that. Everybody on that team, even the future squad (that’s our JV squad), they work hard every single day. These kids coming up are going to know what to do. This past season was really good. We fell short, but it was a very good season. Only two teams can make it that far, but we did win OVACs. This team has been very, very good to me.”

Marietta College rolled out the red carpet on multiple occasions for Gearheart.

“I visited and saw their whole facility and dorms. I went to a couple games, and I went to an overnight, which was really fun. It was me, Logan Knight and Brayden Whipkey,” he recalled. “They really welcomed us with open arms, and we had a good time. Coach Waddle really knows how to talk to you and persuade you. He knows how to talk to his players. It’s not like you’re just a player. He’ll be a really good coach.”

As for the future of Parkersburg South, Gearheart was optimistic.

“A lot of these freshmen and sophomores are cleaning 225, 240. I wasn’t doing that at their age. They’re very athletic,” he said. “There are juniors coming up who started last year. The D-line and O-line are going to be nasty in a couple years. The backfield is going to be nasty. I really see them doing big things in the next couple years. I could see them making the playoffs next year and see them doing big things in the next 2-3 years. I’m proud of the team their going to become. I was excited to be a part of that and to be a captain. The juniors, sophomores and freshmen are going to be a big part of this team next year.”

Contact Josh Hughes at jhughes@newsandsentinel.com