Junior Ready To Show What He Can Do

Alton Custus has been patiently waiting for this time. The last two years, the 5-foot-9, 145-pound wide receiver/defensive back has been playing the role of the good soldier, like any underclassmen, biding his time for his chance to start.

Well, it looks like that time has come for Custus, who returned punts and kickoffs for Plymouth Whitemarsh last season, playing a back-up role at wide receiver and defensive back.

The Colonials are coming off a 6-5 overall finish last season, when Plymouth Whitemarsh closed strong, winning its last three games. The Colonials return a lot from a talented team, which features Custus, wide receiver Kenny Williams, quarterback Russhon Phillips and top tailback Xavier Ellington.

“I’m expecting to be more confident, and staying focused and being more of a leader this year,” Custus said. “I have more faith in myself that I can step up and start, and I think that’s what my coaches are expecting. I have been waiting for this time to show what I can do. We had a new offense last year that we were learning, and there were a lot of mental things I didn’t know then that I know now.”

Custus has good hands and he has exceptional jumping ability. He’ll be most likely be spread wide, with Williams in the slot. Custus can also be that deep threat receiver the Colonials need. It was something Plymouth Whitemarsh lacked last season.

“I want to be that deep-threat guy,” Custus said. “From playing this summer, my goal was to beat the cornerback, that’s the mindset I’ll have every game. Having Russhon’s confidence in me is real huge, too. It’s something we’ve been working on all summer. He’s even told me that he trusts me and believes anything he throws to me I’ll catch.”

Custus played basketball his freshman year and ran track his freshman and sophomore years. He competed in the high jump in middle school, and it’s an event he may think about this spring. He may test his jumping ability this fall, when the Colonials run the fade in the corner of the end zone.

It’s an area of the field where Custus may really shine. His one touchdown last year came in the red zone, on a 25-yard comeback.

Defensively, Custus relies on his physical style. He has the versatility of playing either cornerback or safety.

“We’ve been all together for a lot of years, the juniors and seniors on this team, so it’s a pretty tight group,” Custus said. “Every practice we have together, our motivation is making the district playoffs. We lost a lot of close games last year. We have the offense down and our conditioning is really good. I can’t wait for the season to begin. I’ve been waiting three years for this. This is my chance to show what I can do.”