Ball High grads return to work with athletes

DICKINSON — It doesn’t happen often.

In some towns, hardly ever. But former football players Cephus Scott, Derrick Pope and Roland Deyon found a way to succeed despite growing up in a tough neighborhood.

“We saw a lot growing up in Palm Terrace,” said Pope, who played in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins and the Minnesota Vikings. “It was a tough neighborhood, but we beat the odds.”

The Ball High graduates grew up in Galveston’s Palm Terrace projects, awakening to days of life-and-death struggles over street corners and gang turf. Now, years removed from the low-income housing community which was demolished because after it was decimated by Hurricane Ike, they’re giving back to the community.

“You always hear people talk about change, but what are they really doing to help the situation?” said Scott, who played free safety at Kansas State and graduated Ball in 1995. “We’ve all had success at some level in sports, so what better way to give back than to help athletes improve.”

Scott began Competitive Sports, better known as CS Sports, four months ago. He made the decision after Ball High’s football team went 1-9 last season. Pope and Deyon were later hired as trainers.

“I want to give back something that I didn’t have growing up in Palm Terrace,” said Deyon, who is a football coach at Dobie High School. “Just seeing kids train and put forth the effort motivates me to continue to be a trainer and mentor. I want to help them prepare for any sport they decide to play.”

CS Sports uses unconventional ways to train athletes. It deals with strength, speed and agility in all sports.

“They’ve done a great job improving my son’s speed,” said Holly Frank, whose son Michael helped the Power Alley Pride 14U baseball team win the World Series on July 7 in Spring. “They’re a good influence on my son.”

CS Sports, 1314 FM 646 in Dickinson, trains athletes in all sports. Zumba, kickboxing and yoga also are available.

“We offer you the best training in the county,” Pope said. “I was fortunate enough to be successful, and I don’t mind training and demonstrating to kids what it takes to get them to the next level.”

The gym also offers weight loss training for singles and married couples.

Learning experience

Scott admits he relied on his talent in high school to get by.

It wasn’t until he reached college when he fully understood all aspects of football and what it took to become successful. He regrets his slow progression, but he’s satisfied his talent pulled him through.

“I can still remember practicing at Kansas State and the coach yelling, ‘Who taught you how to play ball,’” he said. “‘You can’t play ‘G-town ball’ here. I realized then that I needed to learn the game more.”

Despite his lack of football knowledge in high school, Scott is considered one of the best hitters to play at Ball. Going into his senior year, he was fourth-ranked defensive back in the nation and ranked No. 2 in the state. He verbally committed to Florida.

Things looked promising for him until disaster struck during the opener of his senior against La Marque in 1994. Scott injured a nerve in his left arm, which paralyzed that arm for the next seven months. Doctors told him his football career was over and never released him to play.

“I thought I was finished with football until midway through my freshman year of college when feeling came back in my arm,” said Scott, who attended Texas A&M-Kingsville. “The doctor never released me to play, so Kingsville didn’t sign me. I transferred to a junior college in Kansas.”

Scott spent two seasons at Garden City Community College before he transferred to Kansas State. He was a two-time All-American.

“I went to Garden City because I was hiding the fact that I was never cleared to play,” said Scott, who is married with three kids. “I had some nerve damage the entire time, but I didn’t care because I wanted to play. I failed physicals for the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons.”

Welcomed additions

The trio of train compliment one another as they work out young athletes.

Deyon is known as the drill sergeant. Scott, the soft-spoken one, while Pope is loud and in your face. They allow each other to excel in what they’re good at when it comes to training.

“Derrick was a blessing to have because of his playing experience,” Scott said. “And Roland is a great asset because of his high school coaching experience. He takes everything to a higher level.”

The three trainers work hard and work the athletes hard so they understand their sport and what it takes to excel.

“I want kids to play, not because of talent, but because they know the game and know the intangibles,” said Scott, who has 52 clients. “We show them what was taught to us in college and the NFL.”