Cyclones’  Pendleton becoming a playmaker

The Eastern View High School football team began the season with more questions than answers on the offensive side of the ball, but the Cyclones may have answered them all in one fell swoop Friday night.

Even though the program is only in its second season in existence, Eastern View lost star running back Stevie Strother and starting quarterback Cody Whitlock to graduation last year and that had EVHS coach Greg Hatfield a little concerned about his spread offense.

Hatfield’s worries melted away Friday as quarterback Simon Pendleton decided to replace Strother and Whitlock all by himself.

“Obviously you like experience,” Hatfield said. “But Simon worked hard in the spring and summer and we’ve watched him get better every week.”

The sophomore accounted for 346 yards of offense and threw five touchdowns as the Cyclones demolished King George 41-7.

“He (Pendleton) did a great job of making his reads,” Hatfield said. “He ran into some coverages he hadn’t seen before, but I think the most impressive thing about his five touchdown passes was that they were to four different receivers.”

Pendleton completed 14-of-22 passes for 228 yards and threw two touchdowns to Carl Lacy and one to Matt Case, Drayton Shanks and Connor Settle. He also became the first Cyclone to eclipse the 100-yard rushing mark by posting 118 yards on the ground.

“King George really over pursued so that gave Simon a chance to make some plays,” Hatfield said. “Plus our line and receivers did a great job of blocking.”

At 5-8, 165-pounds Pendleton isn’t exactly what you would call an imposing figure, but he also showed his toughness during the win.

After taking a hard shot early in the game, Pendleton left the field with an apparent shoulder injury but after just a couple plays on the sideline he was right back in the game directing traffic.

“He’s a competitor,” Hatfield said. “And what I really liked was how our kids responded when he went down. What we’re seeing is this team growing and learning how to work together.”

Pendleton and Courtland’s Ryan McBroom — 166 yards and five touchdowns against Spotsylvania — were the Battlefield District’s top quarterbacks Friday, and with his signal caller only being in his second year of high school ball, Hatfield is sure this won’t be the last time Pendleton’s name is atop the district’s leader board.

“We’re a young football team,” Hatfield said. “And we’re going to get eight offensive starters back next year. That just means they’re going to know each other better and be that much more comfortable with one another.”

Through the first five games of his varsity career, Pendleton has amassed 943 passing yards and 16 total touchdowns — 11 through the air and five on the ground. In fact, the only game Pendleton didn’t find the end zone was the Cyclones’ 42-0 loss to Chancellor.

Those numbers should really excite Eastern View fans because with a young gun slinger under center and a host of young, speedy receivers around him, the best is almost certainly yet to come.