West Brook High School football coach William Peevey considers it the ultimate compliment to Deonte Simpson that he’s always changing the way he uses his senior star.
“He just works his tail off and does everything we ask of him in playing multiple positions and making use of his versatility,” Peevey told Empower Texans. “As a sophomore, he played quarterback for us just because we needed a quarterback. He just holds everything together, even still playing some quarterback in our Wildcat offense.”
With West Brook off to a 6-2 start, the 5-foot-11, 190-pound star has three punt return touchdowns, a kick return score and two passing touchdowns to go along with nearly 500 yards receiving.
Peevey said he knew Simpson was special from the first time that he saw him roaming the halls as a freshman.
“He just does everything right, and not just on the football field,” he said. “In the classroom he’s a straight-A student and a member of the honor society. He’s just the real deal in every way you can imagine.”
The speedy Simpson, who also runs track at the school, has signed to attend North Texas University on a football scholarship.
“The coaches at North Texas think he can come in and play and contribute right now at multiple spots,” Peevey said. “They know they want to use him as a receiver, but they also relish the thought of him being able to do more.”
A team captain, Simpson has always sought to lead by example, Peevey said, like when he went on a weight-room tear and recorded the heaviest squats and bench press the coach had seen in his eight-year tenure.
“He’s not a big guy, but he’s as feisty as they come and all the guys look up to him,” Peevey added. “He’s set a standard that all our guys now strive to hit.”
