Valwood Valiants senior offensive guard James Peterman is always pulling to clear the hole for his teammates.
Peterman, whose football career started at Georgia Christian right up the road from Valwood, played his eighth and ninth grade football with the Generals.
Coming into tenth grade, Peterman went up the road to play with the in-town rivals. That same season, Peterman and the Valiants reached the GISA Class AAA state championship game.
“A state championship, I was with that 2019 team as a sophomore that made it and I want to go back and take that championship,” Peterman said.
Peterman is a leader on the Valiants’ offensive line, paving holes for the running backs and keeping their quarterback upright. As the only senior and longest-tenured offensive lineman, Peterman brings veteran leadership.
Peterman is making sure the underclassmen are soaking it up as they are the future for the Valiants.
“Supporting my underclassmen and making sure they are doing their best on every play to make us a winning team,” he said.
Peterman used this offseason to get stronger and improve his blocking to make sure he is at his best for his senior season.
Peterman knows Henderson is going to be on him and his teammates.
“He taught me to be detailed and pay attention to the underclassmen and not just the starters to make sure everyone is giving their best,” he said.
This week, Peterman gets the opportunity to play his old team in the Generals.
Ahead of the matchup, Peterman downplayed playing his old team this week; instead, he’s focusing on doing his job between the lines.
“I will treat it as a normal game,” Peterman said. “I have to go out there and perform to the best of my abilities. I want to do my best because I know those guys will be doing the same.”
Peterman steps up as lone senior on Valiants’ O-line | Local Sports | valdostadailytimes.com