FAYETTEVILLE — Like he does each year, Daryl Patton went through old junior high rosters and current high school yearbooks during the offseason to see if there was someone not playing football who should be.

What the Fayetteville coach found was senior Nathan Grady. It’s a find that has resulted in a new starting safety for the Purple’Dogs, and one that haseven surprised Patton with how well it’s worked out.

After moving into the starting lineup against Fort Smith Northside, Grady quickly made an impact - leading Fayetteville’s defense in points earned on its production chart. The chart gives points for a variety of positive defensive plays and takes them away for negative ones.

After the Northside performance, Grady didn’t slow down. He went on to lead Fayetteville in production in wins over FortSmith Southside and Rogers High - capping his four-game run as a starter with an interception in a loss to Springdale Har-Ber last week.

“We probably should have put him in earlier, to be honest with you,” Patton said. “But once he got his chance, he’s taken it and run with it.”

Grady (6-foot-3, 195 pounds) didn’t play football in either his sophomore or junior seasonsafter last playing at Ramay Junior High. He elected not to in order to concentrate on baseball and because many of his friends at the time weren’t playing football anymore.

So, imagine Grady’s surprise when he was pulled out of class last year and called to the front o◊ce - only to be met by Patton.

“I didn’t know why I was getting called up to the office,” Grady said. “When I got called up there, I was real nervous.”

Patton had been going through the yearbook looking for more potential players and his son - senior kicker Drew Patton - recommended Grady based on their playing days together at Ramay. The opportunity to return to football was something Grady quickly jumped at, and his return has paiddividends for Fayetteville.

“We gave him a chance, and man has he taken advantage,” Fayetteville defensive coordinator Brian Early said. “He has really settled in and has gotten more and more comfortable every time he’s played.

“He’s had a huge impact on our defense. He’s been a di◊erence-maker for us.”

After returning to o◊season workouts, Grady added 15 pounds of muscle during the spring. He continued his quick reacclimation to football during the summer, earning outstanding defensive player honors at a 7-on-7 tournament in Little Rock during the summer.

“He got better every tournament,” Patton said. “It seemed like every time someone threw a ball, he was there.”

However, Grady’s return wasn’t all smooth sailing.After the 7-on-7 season ended, Grady struggled with tackling - most notably missing a key tackle that led to a long touchdown run by a Je◊erson City (Mo.) in a nonconference loss early in the season. All the while, the frustration built for the senior.

“You could tell he had some potential,” Patton said. “But he was real raw. He’d have one good play, then one bad play. The bad play wasn’t from a lack of talent or effort. It was just not knowing what to do, which you would expect from someone who hadn’t played (in two years).”

Then Grady got his chance to let that frustration out after Fayetteville’s 50-49 win over Springdale High, a game he didn’t see action in. Fayetteville’s coaches, unhappy with the defense’s performance to that point,told the Purple’Dogs they would have to earn their jobs during a physical week of practice.

“I couldn’t even concentrate on anything,” Grady said. “I just kept thinking, ‘I’ve got to do something in practice to get on the fi eld.’”

And Grady did something - punishing running backs during Oklahoma drills and doing everything he could to secure a starting spot. He did just that, and he’s done everything possible to keep that spot since.

“I just started hitting people,” Grady said.

It’s made his decision to return to football one he’s glad he made.

“I knew I had a lot of work to do to make up for not playing,” Grady said. “There’s been ups-and-downs, but it’s been worth it.

“I’ll never forget this.”

Sports, Pages 7 on 11/03/2009

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