Aug 23, 2016 5 min read

Jefferson-Morgan senior Joe Headlee would eventually like to study business in college.

That makes a lot of sense when you consider the business-like approach the running back/defensive back takes to football – Headlee likes to diversify.

You want somebody to run the ball, Headlee can do that, as his team-high 894 yards and 13 touchdowns last year suggest.

How about throw an occasional pass? Headlee can do that, too. A part-time quarterback as a sophomore, Headlee still has the ability to let one fly. He attempted three passes last season, completing two for touchdowns.

And as a defensive back, Headlee’s big-play ability has made him a two-way standout.

If the Rockets, who are coming off a 4-5 season that included a 4-4 record in the Tri-County South Conference, are going to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2012, they might need even more from Headlee.

“I don’t know how much more we can really ask of him,” said Rockets head coach Aaron Giorgi. “He’s a shutdown corner, he runs the ball, he catches it, he throws it. He really did a lot for us last season.”

One thing Headlee has provided more of already heading into this season is leadership.

Giorgi marvels about how Headlee would attend a football camp during the day, then show up that night to lead the Rockets through their drills.

“It would be easy for him to say he was too tired or he could ask not to do conditioning or something like that because he’d been working all day, but that’s not the kind of kid he is,” Giorgi said. “He doesn’t complain. He’s a natural team leader and he values every player on the team.”

Headlee sees the big picture. He knows that if the Rockets are going to get back into the postseason, it will take every player on the roster to make it happen.

“I try to set a good example and lead by example to the people coming up,” Headlee said. “It can be tiresome, but I feel I need to better myself to be what I need to be to help us win.”

Headlee has added 10 to 15 pounds of muscle to get to 175 pounds, something that should help him hold up to the pounding he’s sure to take.

Giorgi plans to use a rotation at running back just as he did last season when Headlee split time with Trevor Kniha.

“I know it’s hard for runners to be unselfish, but he and Trevor both were last season,” Giorgi said. “Both ran the ball and both blocked for the other. But I didn’t want to make either of them a fullback because they were both talented guys. The way we directed our offense was not to get the ball to Joe. But when we gave him the ball, he made things happen.”

Despite that shared load, Headlee was within shouting distance of 1,000 yards and was one of the area’s top scoring threats.

Giorgi plans to use multiple backs again this year, with junior Colton Davidson seeing time in the backfield. But Headlee will likely get more than the 174 carries he handled last season.

“I am going to try to do that, even though I know we have a special runner in Joe,” Giorgi said. “Colton’s a junior who wants the ball and he’s got a lot of moves. But neither of them is the biggest kid.”

And, for the first time in a long while, the Rockets won’t have an imposing line for them to run behind.

Size and strength has usually been the calling card for Jefferson-Morgan offensive lines. With 11 seniors gone from last year’s team, including four offensive linemen, that might not be the case this year.

“This is my fifth year at Jefferson-Morgan and this is the smallest line we’ve had,” Giorgi admitted. “But we’re going to make things easy for them. They might not be big, but they’re quick. We’re not going to move mountains up front, but we’re going to use what we have.”

Headlee thinks the line will be fine, even if it isn’t going to intimidate opponents getting off the bus.

“Those guys have worked hard,” Headlee said. “I think the size of our line, we can work with that. They put in the work this offseason and in summer practices. We’re going to be fine.”

If that works and Headlee approaches or surpasses the numbers he put up last season, then the Rockets could be playoff bound in a revamped Tri-County South. The PIAA’s move to six classifications swept longtime contender Beth-Center and Frazier out of the conference and brought in two other typically strong teams in Monessen and Fort Cherry.

“The goal for us is to win the section and go to the playoffs,” Headlee said. “I have confidence that we’ll be able to do that. I have confidence in this team and I think the team has confidence in itself.”