After whirlwind offseason, Cox helps Statesville Christian defy critics
Doug Powell dpowell@statesville.com
Too small to be recruited by colleges. Problems with drugs and disrespecting authority. A hip injury that forced him to miss half the season.
Statesville Christian running back Canaan Cox needed a change after his “disappointing” 2015 season.
One adjustment was dropping soccer completely from his schedule. He played the sport during his sophomore year and was good, but noted he was mainly just faster than the other players. His skills weren’t quite there.
A second alteration was a major one: a change in scenery.
Lions second-year coach Angelo Cox, Canaan’s father, and Canaan’s mother decided it was best if their son stayed with some friends of the family starting in the new year.
So from January to mid-June, Cox packed his bags and changed addresses for five and a half months. His destination? Clear across the country to California.
“I needed really a life change,” Canaan said. “I had gotten caught up in really a lot of bad stuff. Drugs, disrespecting parents, the law, stuff like that... It really was the best for me.”
Canaan devoted his time during the spring and summer months to getting bigger and stronger.
While enrolled in California’s San Juan Hills High School – a school he came close to playing football for this fall – Canaan ate “nonstop” and worked out multiple times a day.
The result was a 25-pound weight gain in just half a year. Canaan went from 140 pounds as a sophomore to 165 entering his junior season.
“I wanted to come back this season and really make a name for myself,” Canaan said. “I was realizing that if I wanted to go somewhere in football I needed to get bigger. Colleges don’t sign 150-, 160-pound running backs. I wanted to come here and be something special.”
Not surprisingly, a 140-pound running back couldn’t hold up for very long during a rigorous 11-game schedule. Canaan rushed for 313 yards and scored one touchdown in 2015 before he broke the top crest in his hip. That ended his season.
Though not losing any of his quickness or breakaway speed, Canaan’s added bulk has enabled him to become the Lions’ workhorse back.
Canaan has handled 71 carries of Statesville Christian’s 151 rushes and has racked up a team-high 774 yards and nine touchdowns. He’s averaging over 154 rushing yards a game and has four games where he has went over the century mark in rushing.
Add in his team-high 168 receiving yards with a touchdown and that equals a total of 10 touchdowns and 942 all-purpose yards through the first five games.
SCS is 5-0 in those games and is currently ranked No. 1 in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association (NCISAA) Division III – its first year as a member of the division.
“I always thought in the back of my mind that he would be a tremendous component to our offense,” Angelo said. “But at the same time, we’ve got others as well. We’ve got great receivers and Brennan (Settle) has done a tremendous job as well… I always knew of (Canaan’s) talent, it’s just getting him to have the opportunity.”
The undefeated start to the season hasn’t surprised the Lions. Statesville Christian hammered its first opponent, Christ the King, 72-0 and turned right around and shut out its Week 2 opponent, Metrolina Christian, 49-0.
After a close 19-14 win over Pine Lake Prep, the Lions took down Tennessee’s Trinity Christian by a score of 34-13 and toppled Winston-Salem Prep 42-0 last Friday.
Canaan admits that the Lions haven’t faced the best competition. But the Lions have done their part to gain attention. Outscoring opponents 216-27 will do that.
Now, it’s just a matter of keeping the streak alive and proving that Canaan’s numbers are more than just a flash in the pan.
“Everyone that doesn’t believe in us…,” Canaan said, “we’re going to show them that we are what our record shows we are.”
Doug Powell dpowell@statesville.com
Too small to be recruited by colleges. Problems with drugs and disrespecting authority. A hip injury that forced him to miss half the season.
Statesville Christian running back Canaan Cox needed a change after his “disappointing” 2015 season.
One adjustment was dropping soccer completely from his schedule. He played the sport during his sophomore year and was good, but noted he was mainly just faster than the other players. His skills weren’t quite there.
A second alteration was a major one: a change in scenery.
Lions second-year coach Angelo Cox, Canaan’s father, and Canaan’s mother decided it was best if their son stayed with some friends of the family starting in the new year.
So from January to mid-June, Cox packed his bags and changed addresses for five and a half months. His destination? Clear across the country to California.
“I needed really a life change,” Canaan said. “I had gotten caught up in really a lot of bad stuff. Drugs, disrespecting parents, the law, stuff like that... It really was the best for me.”
Canaan devoted his time during the spring and summer months to getting bigger and stronger.
While enrolled in California’s San Juan Hills High School – a school he came close to playing football for this fall – Canaan ate “nonstop” and worked out multiple times a day.
The result was a 25-pound weight gain in just half a year. Canaan went from 140 pounds as a sophomore to 165 entering his junior season.
“I wanted to come back this season and really make a name for myself,” Canaan said. “I was realizing that if I wanted to go somewhere in football I needed to get bigger. Colleges don’t sign 150-, 160-pound running backs. I wanted to come here and be something special.”
Not surprisingly, a 140-pound running back couldn’t hold up for very long during a rigorous 11-game schedule. Canaan rushed for 313 yards and scored one touchdown in 2015 before he broke the top crest in his hip. That ended his season.
Though not losing any of his quickness or breakaway speed, Canaan’s added bulk has enabled him to become the Lions’ workhorse back.
Canaan has handled 71 carries of Statesville Christian’s 151 rushes and has racked up a team-high 774 yards and nine touchdowns. He’s averaging over 154 rushing yards a game and has four games where he has went over the century mark in rushing.
Add in his team-high 168 receiving yards with a touchdown and that equals a total of 10 touchdowns and 942 all-purpose yards through the first five games.
SCS is 5-0 in those games and is currently ranked No. 1 in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association (NCISAA) Division III – its first year as a member of the division.
“I always thought in the back of my mind that he would be a tremendous component to our offense,” Angelo said. “But at the same time, we’ve got others as well. We’ve got great receivers and Brennan (Settle) has done a tremendous job as well… I always knew of (Canaan’s) talent, it’s just getting him to have the opportunity.”
The undefeated start to the season hasn’t surprised the Lions. Statesville Christian hammered its first opponent, Christ the King, 72-0 and turned right around and shut out its Week 2 opponent, Metrolina Christian, 49-0.
After a close 19-14 win over Pine Lake Prep, the Lions took down Tennessee’s Trinity Christian by a score of 34-13 and toppled Winston-Salem Prep 42-0 last Friday.
Canaan admits that the Lions haven’t faced the best competition. But the Lions have done their part to gain attention. Outscoring opponents 216-27 will do that.
Now, it’s just a matter of keeping the streak alive and proving that Canaan’s numbers are more than just a flash in the pan.
“Everyone that doesn’t believe in us…,” Canaan said, “we’re going to show them that we are what our record shows we are.”
