As the season progressed for the Teays Valley football team, senior Zion Bowling found himself in an ever expanding role.
“Zion is so darn athletic that he’s going to succeed in anything he wants to in sports,” Teays Valley coach Mark Weber said. “When people hear me talk about Zion’s athleticism they think I’m just talking from a defensive line perspective, but Zion was one of our better athletes on the entire team.
“We switched his number to 45 during the season so he could play tight end for us, and we also put him back to return kicks later in the season and he’d get us about 20-to-25 yards. He’s just a special athlete.”
While Bowling made a number of contributions to the Vikings that Weber outlined, the senior defensive end was a dominating force on the line with 43 tackles, including 11 for loss, and 10 sacks.
Bowling was recognized for his season by being named the area’s defensive player of the year.
“Zion was the heart and soul of our defense,” Weber said. “He’s a passionate player with a tremendous motor and he always plays with an edge.
“He’s a three-year starter on our defense and had a sensational senior season and career for us.”