Coupeville Sports

JR Pendergrass: “I must destroy you!!” (John Fisken photos)

With the parental units on Senior Night.

JR Pendergrass is an American Bad-Ass.

And I mean that in the best way possible.

The Coupeville High School senior, who celebrates a birthday today, was a rampaging force of nature on the gridiron, one of the real bright spots for the Wolves during a tough season this fall.

Anchoring the line, Pendergrass spent his season fighting off hordes of attacking foes, doing his best to give quarterbacks Hunter Downes and Gabe Eck time to learn under fire.

His name rarely showed up in the stats columns, because the positions he held down aren’t the ones where people get their names in the spotlight.

But that doesn’t mean he wasn’t valuable. Far from it.

JR was the glue that held an often-battered Wolf unit together during a year when most of the roster was very, very young and facing off with much more seasoned opponents.

I give Pendergrass a lot of credit.

For standing tall.

For showing up every game, (imaginary) lunch pail in hand and fighting until the final whistle.

For teaching his younger teammates to embrace their roles and to enjoy their time on the field, through good times and bad.

#64 had a heck of a year and I hope he knows it was appreciated.

As the Wolves build towards a brighter future, it’s guys like Pendergrass who are laying the corner stones for the grand structure we all hope to see rise.

He may not have always gotten his just reward (I’m sure he would have enjoyed a few more wins), but his impact was felt this season, and will continue to trickle down for years.

So happy birthday, JR, and thank you for the way you played.

Your school, your town, your fans, tip their hats to you.

You seem like a good dude off the field, and a kick-ass one between the lines, and it was an honor to have you wear the red and black.