Kable Bolsters Strong Satellite Scorpions Defense

By  //  September 14, 2012

May Play For Coast Guard Academy Next Year

BREVARD COUNTY • SATELLITE BEACH, FLORIDA – Melbourne High coach Todd Wilson couldn’t leave the football field in the season’s first week without talking to Satellite High School linebacker Grady Kable.

Strongside linebacker Grady Kable is a defensive force to be reckoned with this season for the Satellite High School Scorpions. (Image by Derek Suomi)

The Bulldogs were limited to three first downs as they escaped with a 14-13 victory in overtime at home after the two teams finished regulation tied at 7.

“He (Wilson) was really impressed with our No. 3 (Kable),” said Satellite coach Andrew Disney, whose team hosts Viera tonight. “Grady calls our defense and makes the adjustments for our front seven.”

Satellite fell short in the season-opening loss to Melbourne when it was ruled that quarterback Cole Schell did not break the plane of the goal line on a quarterback keeper on the two-point conversion. Schell’s 10-yard scoring pass in overtime to Tyler Allen on first down set up the final play of the game.

Neither coach was sure whether Schell crossed the goal line or not and some observers thought he was pushed back after initially crossing the goal line, which would have been good enough to give Satellite an upset victory on the daring call.

“It was a tough loss,” said Kable, a senior, who is a four-year starter on defense for the Scorpions. “The team played well – it was one of our better performances as a team since I’ve been here. We fought our way back and ended up losing in difficult fashion.

“It’s terrible to lose, but it will help us grow and mature as a team. Whatever the ref calls is how the game ends. There’s no replay. We can’t use this as an excuse and think about it all season. We have to be ready for Viera. It’s not a district game, so it won’t hurt our eventual playoff hopes.”

Kable, who is leaning toward playing football for the Coast Guard Academy next season in New London, Conn., is part of a core group that is trying to dispel the notion that Satellite is too much of a surfing school to ever be competitive in high school football.

“It’s not who’s the best player, but it’s how we can make the team better.” Satellite linebacker Grady Kable

“This team is more physical and more mature than last year,” said Kable, who turned 18 last month. “This year, people have your back. It’s not who’s the best player, but it’s how we can make the team better. I’m stronger and smarter. I see plays better and read plays a bit better. I’m trying to use my strength to see blocks better.”

At 5-foot-9 and 205 pounds, Kable has to make adjustments against bigger and stronger opponents.

“His fooball IQ is off the charts,” Disney said. “He’s very much the football player. He studies and lives for football. Since his junior year, I don’t recall a game where he didn’t lead us in tackles. He led the Cape Coast Conference in tackles last season.”

As a freshman and during Disney’s first season as the Scorpions’ head coach, Kable played strong safety. He moved to linebacker as a sophomore and played middle linebacker as a junior before moving to strongside linebacker this season.

Satellite's Grady Kable is leaning toward playing for the Coast Guard Academy following graduation. (Image by Derek Suomi)

Physical game

“Grady is physical, plays the game with spirit and goes non-stop,” Disney said. “He’s a big fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers and their style has rubbed off on him.”

Kable’s friend and former Satellite High softball standout Morgan Kingston joined the Coast Guard Academy this summer, prompting Kable to look into leaving the state next year.

“They’ve showed some interest in me,” said Kable, who was enrolled in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program at Cocoa Beach Junior/Senior High as a seventh and eighth grader before transferring to Satellite High. “The coaches at the Coast Guard Academy see me as a hybrid – a strong safety or outside linebacker. I could maybe play inside linebacker as part of a 4-2-5.”

Tucker Kable, his brother, plays football for Oberlin, an Ohio school lauded for its academics.

“He’s doing well balancing football and school,” Kable said. “He’s got a 3.0 (grade point average). He’s told me it’s a great opportunity to play football for four more years and to get a great education. That’s the plan.”

Disney likes his chances at the next level.

“Grady needs to continue to maximize his body. He’ll also need to improve his speed and quickness. In college, they work out year round and he’ll like that. He’s a bright kid and a cerebral player. He’ll do well in his classes and he’ll love playing the college game.”

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