Although John Peters was one of Merrillville’s top receivers last year, he didn’t mind moving to the other side of the ball this season.
In fact, Peters hoped for it.
“That was where I wanted to go,” he said. “I like hitting.”
So it didn’t take long for Peters to feel comfortable at cornerback. He recalled a moment during the Pirates’ season-opening win against Andrean on Aug. 18.
“I was nervous for the first game,” he said. “But then I had one crazy hit in that game, and it’s been good ever since.”
The 6-foot, 157-pound junior has been better than good while solidifying the secondary for Merrillville (9-2), which is ranked No. 6 in Class 5A in the final polls by the coaches and The Associated Press and will play No. 4 Valparaiso (9-2) in a regional championship game on Friday.
Peters has drawn the attention of Division I programs. Toledo and Ball State have made offers.
He still contributes to the offense. He leads the team with 359 yards on 17 catches after making 28 catches for 525 yards and five touchdowns last season.
But Merrillville coach Brad Seiss said the staff came to believe Peters’ skills made it more likely he would be recruited as a defensive back.
“It’s not only for the good of our team but it’s for the good of him, too, to show what we can do at corner,” Seiss said. “If he takes a break now, it’s more at wide receiver than at corner.”
Peters made an interception during the Pirates’ 42-18 win against Morton last week as they won their fifth straight sectional title, and he’s tied with junior cornerback Jaylen Ramsey for the team lead with two picks. Peters also has 23 tackles, with two for loss.
“He’s done a great job tackling, and he’s just been really good for us,” Seiss said.
Peters prepared for this. After track season — he finished 10th in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.69 seconds at the state meet — he started daily practice sessions with football assistant Anthony Curry. They focused on the fundamentals of the cornerback position.
Those regular workouts have continued this season.
“Whenever we’re working on special teams — I’m not on any of them — I go with my DB coach and work with him one-on-one, working on my technique,” Peters said.
Peters noted he also benefits from daily interactions with Ramsey. They still line up across from each other when Peters is working with the offense during practices.
“He always wants to go against me because he says that I’m his best competition,” Peters said.
But Ramsey said he looked forward to partnering with Peters in Merrillville’s secondary.
“I was excited when I heard about it,” Ramsey said. “I knew he was going to be on one side and I’d be on the other side. We both run track, so we’re both pretty fast. We’ve got the same attributes.”
Those attributes could be crucial for Merrillville on Friday. Valparaiso beat the Pirates 15-14 in the regional final last year and also won 26-24 in a Duneland Athletic Conference game on Sept. 29.
Peters is focused on mastering the fundamentals.
“I’ve just got to have the technique, know what I’m doing and go do it,” he said.
Dave Melton is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.