Player of the Week: Captain Shreve’s Jamarcea Plater

SHREVEPORT, LA (KTAL/KMSS) — People say if you put your hand in a body of water in Louisiana and your hand comes out wet, chances are there’s an alligator nearby. At Captain Shreve the water must be deep in that running back room because there are gators aplenty.

The team rushed for more than 300 yards and 5 touchdowns against Airline, The Gator with the biggest bite was senior Jamarcea Plater.

“My confidence is through the roof right now,” Plater said.

Rightfully so. Plater rushed for 206 yards and two touchdowns in addition to three receptions for 112 more yards and a third touchdown. Plater now has more than 3,000 rush yards in his career, and most in school history.

“It’s just kind of a testament to the work he’s put in and how hard he works on his game. I mean, he studies the game. He is coachable. You know, a kid that’s got the most yards in school history sometimes can kind of be tough to coach because, they might think they’ve got all the answers. That’s not him” head coach Jeremy Wilburn said. “He is selfless. He’s coachable. He’s always want to improve. He’s always asking questions on how he can improve and get better.”

Plater’s willingness to learn stems back to goals set at a young age.

“Ever since I was a little boy, I always said that once I get to a certain level of life, I want to be the best in everything I could be and especially running the ball, playing football,” Plater said. “I always say, once I get that chance to play running back, I’m going to be there. I’m capable of what anybody else didn’t think of and the fact that I got the opportunity to show you that I’m that dog and that I could do whatever any other running back could do. It’s a wonderful feeling.”

During his career as a running back, he is avergaing more than 191 rushing yards per game, but he only began his role as a running back since the beginning of last year.

Starting at 5 years old, he’s spent time at many positions, quarterbacking early, then most of his teenage years were on the opposite side of the ball, all the while, preparing him for the moment with the rock steadily and consistently in his hands.

“Well, he played defense before I flipped him over last spring when I first got here. He’s a natural athlete and he can play anywhere on the field. He’s played DB a lot. He’s got a lot of experience back there fit and run and covering guys. That’s something he takes to naturally. And our ability to have Gabe Lockett to take some you know reps at the running back spot gives him that gas tank at the end of the games to go out there and play some corner.”

While Wilburn credits him with being a true three down back that can hit the a-gap on first down and catch a pass on third down, he can also play defense, proven by his solo tackle he had against Airline. While confident in his own abilities, Plater praises god and his biggest supporter, his mom, saying doing it in front of them, is a wonderful feeling.