Every team, regardless of the sport, has what's termed as a "Mr. Consistency" and for the Eisenhower High School Eagles, that player is Shannon Coleman.

The senior, who is as quiet spoken as he is polite, is the one the Eagles look to when they need that little something; whether it's a block, running for a 5-yard pickup or picking up a much-needed first-down by pass, whatever's required, Coleman is Ike's go-to man.

"He's one of the most consistent players we have on this team," said Ike head coach Boone Copeland. "Whatever you ask him to do, no matter what it is, he's going to do it and nine times out of 10 he's going to be successfully doing it."

Almost modest to a fault, Coleman considers himself just another player on the team, doing whatever is asked of him so as to make Ike a better team.

"I just like playing," said the senior, who carries a weighted GPA that's higher than a 4.0. "I love everything about the game. I especially like playing wide receiver because I like running routes and catching the ball and then try to gain as much yardage as I can afterwards."

One of the many routes Coleman, who incidently is also used as a running back, runs is a crossing a pattern. Some of the most viscious hits in football are delivered to receivers running a crossing route, knowing that they're going to get pulverized by an opposing defensive back.

"Yeah, that goes through my head," Coleman said of running crossing routes. "When I first start out I think to myself, the safety is going to be there so I know I'm going to get hit. I just have to put that all out of my mind and concentrate on catching the ball. Sometimes it's pretty hard. All I can do is the best I can do."

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