Loston earns Defensive Player of Year honors

Eisenhower High free safety Craig Loston was named the Northeast News’ Defensive Player of the Year for the 2007 high school football season. Loston’s penchant for big plays was a key factor in the Eagles winning the District 19-5A title.

By MIKE KEENEY Contributing Writer
Craig Loston is a defensive coaches dream. He’s big, fast, agile and has a knack for making big plays when his team needs them.
That was evident during the 2007 season with the 6-foot-3, 205-pound free safety saved three key games for the Eagles during their 7-0 run through District 19-5A, which earned them the league title and a trip to the playoffs.
Loston recorded 85 unassisted tackles, 15 assisted tackles, forced three fumbles, received three fumbles, came up with three interceptions and scored twice on a fumble recovery and an interception.
He also made his presence felt on special teams and offense as he returned a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns. When called upon to assist on offense, he came through there, as well. Loston carried the ball three times for 74 yards, but scored on two of those rushes. He also caught one pass for 37 yards, and you guessed it, a touchdown.
Interim head coach Ray Evans said Loston is one of the best athletes he’s come across during his 31 years as a coach.

“I’ve been doing this for 31 years and he’s one of the best athletes I’ve ever been around,” Evans said. “He’s a very physical player who had a lot of big hits for us this year. He does a very good job of separating the football from the ball carrier. He has a talent for making that particular play. But he’s also a dangerous return man. We used him a bit on offense and it seemed like every time he touched the ball he made a big play for us.”
Evans said Loston was a key reason why the Eagles won the 19-5A title this past season. He pointed to three key plays he made in games against Nimitz, Aldine and Stratford that allowed the Eagles to pull out all three victories in key league games.
“In the Nimitz game, Craig ended the game with a one-handed pick (interception). In the Aldine game, he returned a fumble for a touchdown to kill their late rally and in the Stratford game he came up with a game-saving interception of an Andrew Luck (Luck is considered one of the top quarterbacks in the nation and will attend Stanford next year) pass to put an end to that game.”
And while Loston has been blessed with God-given talent, he also has something else working in his favor, Evans said.
“Craig is an extremely hard worker. As a sophomore he was hurt and was unable to practice very much, but he would be ready come game time. “
Evans believes if Loston continues to work hard, he could take his game beyond just the college level.
“Craig possesses the types of physical qualities that could lead to a professional career,” Evans said. “If he doesn’t get hurt I can see him playing on Sundays.”
Loston is also a good citizen, Evans added.
“He’s all about the team and not himself. Craig is a very respectful young man. He’s never been in any trouble at school.”
In addition to playing football, Loston excels at track and is a vocal presence among his teammates.
“Craig is our leader on defense,” Evans said. “He’s handled all this attention very well. He’s starting to get a lot of attention from major colleges, but he’s keeping things in focus. His focus right now is on the off season.”
And that’s a good thing for the Eagles, but not such a good thing for Eisenhower’s 2008 opponents.