Hamilton Christian quarterback Javon Vital throws a pass during a nondistrict game against Welsh Thursday at Cougar Stadium. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press)
Javon Vital says his favorite position is wide receiver, but he has grown to be much more than that for the Hamilton Christian Warriors.
Since joining the team as a seventh-grader in 2021, Vital has played quarterback, running back, wide receiver, defensive back and returned punts and kickoffs.
This season he has scored 14 touchdowns in four games to lead the Warriors to a 3-1 start as they head into their District 4-1A opener against Grand Lake (2-2) on Friday.
Vital, a 5-foot-8, 170-pound sophomore, says his growth in the game and physically has allowed him to handle the pressure of playing so many roles as an underclassman.
"As I get older, I have learned to handle it," Vital said of dealing with the necessary adjustments. "There is no pressure. I feel like I have learned more about how to read defenses and coverages and be a better leader on and off the field.
"I am just growing up. I am trying to be a leader the best I can and bring my team to the playoffs and help my school."
Hamilton Christian head coach Dexter Washington said he saw the emerging two-sport star for the first time at his basketball camp as a fifth-grader.
"I knew his mother, but I didn't know of him," Washington said. "I knew of the kid and, you know, he came to my camp and he was explosive.
"And he was only in fifth grade at the time, getting ready to go to sixth grade. He won the MVP of my little camp that year, voted on by the coaches from different areas. He was a quiet kid. He didn't say much. All he wanted to do was just participate in sports."
But much has changed in the last few years. Vital is averaging 99.3 rushing yards and 120 passing yards a game. His top performance came in a 60-7 win over Highland Baptist in Week 2. He scored on a pair of rushing touchdowns, two punt returns and threw a pair of touchdowns.
"He was quiet, you know, he hadn't warmed up to the place," Washington said. "And I'll tell you what, he's warmed up now.
"It's like everything he does is very deceiving to me. He doesn't look fast, but he's fast. He doesn't look athletic, but he's athletic. The one thing that sets him apart from anybody is his competitiveness. He just believes he can play against anybody in the world."
Vital is working on improving his presence in the pocket to be able to distribute the ball around to the Warriors' receiving corps of Noah Menard, Seth Ned, Chris Rideau and Kaleb Bigwood.
"I have to trust my line and stay in the pocket more and trust the other receivers besides Menard," Vital said. "We have a very good team, and we can make it far. We push each other hard."
"He's starting to spread the ball around a lot more, he's becoming more comfortable," Washington said. "What we had to do was get him more comfortable in the pocket for him to just stand back there and be able to look at the defense and find the right guy with his eyes upfield so he can make the right throw. He's a great little kid."
Washington compares Vital to some of the Warriors' past versatile players such as Kennon Fontenot, who went to play for Grambling State, and Julian Marcantel, who played for Texas Southern.
"I'll stack him up against those two guys more than anything because they were probably the most all-around football players we had because they played multiple positions," Washington said. "One of the reasons we got him at quarterback is because the ball touches his hand. I think he's as good of a thrower as he is a runner."