Van Buren turns to Page

Van Buren’s Cha’Raun Page was already agile and mobile. Now, he’s added a little hostile to his game. Page has attacked his senior season with zeal, and he’s enjoyed the challenges of sports performance coordinator Nate Roberts even after a day of brutal deadlifts. “Coach Roberts, he’s pushed us,” Page said. “I’m hurting right now, but I enjoy it a lot.” Page isn’t just the typical big man in the middle of a defensive front. “He’s very agile for being down there,” Van Buren defensive coordinator Moe Henry said. “I know that gives O-linemen fits going against someone that’s moving. He gives us the ability that we can stunt him and keep him on the move. That’s going to be his biggest attribute as far as being agile and fluid on the defensive line.” Don’t be misled by just the agility of Page, though. “He has the ability to be physical as well,” Henry said. “He’s just not a 280 noseguard that you think of in the three-front, but he has the ability to put his hands on you and bull rush or he can show you he’s going to do one thing and use his athleticism for another.” Page’s athletic ability as well as strength as the nose will be a key for the Pointers on defense as they make the change to strictly a three-man front this year. “Having Cha’Raun back for his senior year is a big deal for us,” Van Buren head coach Crosby Tuck said. “We’re excited that he’s back. He’s had a great summer and put in a bunch of work for us. He’s noticeably better from an athletic standpoint already than he was from last year, which is nothing but good for us.” Henry has only been on the staff a couple of months, but noticed Page immediately. “When you’re installing the three-front and want to be in a three-front defense, one of the first things that anybody asks is how is your nose,” Henry said. “To come in and have a guy like Cha’Raun that has experience and reputation on the team that knows he is going to be able to get the job done is definitely satisfying for us.” Page has relished his leadership role as a senior and is putting in the work to prove it. “I can’t just be a leader and not do what’s expected of me so I had something to prove at the same time,” Page said. It’s been evident on the field through spring and summer workouts. “Cha’Raun is one of those guys that doesn’t take many plays off,” Tuck said. “He’s going to be here every day and he’s going to be accountable. He’s going to work extremely hard. For a talented player like that as a senior, it shows a lot of leadership when that guy is also the one that comes in here and busts it every day and tries to get the team to that next level. That’s something that Cha’Raun shows us every single day.” An area where Page has improved has been in pass rushing, which is necessary against the pass-happy offenses of today. “I think one of the biggest changes I’ve seen in Cha’Raun is the time he’s taken into developing his overall craft as a defensive lineman, and putting in the specialized work to become a better pass rusher,” defensive line coach Chris Elliott said. “He’s always done a pretty good of eating gaps up and stopping the run. As far as being a presence in the pass stopping game as far as putting pressure on the quarterback, that’s where I’ve seen the biggest improvement in his game over the past year.” It’s still his athleticism at 5-11, 255 pounds that makes him unique for the middle of a defense. “One of the things that sets Cha’Raun apart is how athletic he is,” Elliott said. “He can move laterally and he’s explosive. He’s deceptively quick. He has excellent hands, excellent feet. The work that he’s put in as far as his pass rush, he’s continuing to develop. He hasn’t rested on any of the success he’s had previously. He’s working hard to get better.” Last year, Siloam Springs led 35-32 and had the ball at Van Buren’s 10 with 3:56 left when Page broke through for a loss, grabbed a fumble and returned it 50 yards to Siloam Springs’ 39. It gave the Pointers one last chance in the loss. “His athleticism sets him apart,” Elliott said. “We look at film, and he’s making the play 20, 25 yards down field, sprinting and making those plays, picking up a fumble, he’s kind of a ball hawk in that sense. He’s willing to put forth that effort.” Page was one of the first players that Tuck talked to after taking over from Casey Dick as the new head coach in April, telling him that the Pointers needed his leadership. “There are a couple of guys that I talked to right off when I took the head job,” Tuck said. “There were several people that I talked with, but that’s also Cha’Raun’s nature. That’s his nature. That was something that he was going to do regardless, I believe. He’s going to show up and do what he’s supposed to do, and he’s going to lead while he’s doing it.”

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VAN BUREN TURNS TO PAGE

LELAND BARCLAY

Times Record | 8/13/2019

PHOTO CREDIT: Brian D. Sanderford