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Parker's Shelton enjoys life on the other side

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Photo by Dan Lassiter

Parker's Ryan Shelton is a 3-sport athlete, currently playing cornerback for The Vikings.

JANESVILLE — Ryan Shelton’s football career at Janesville Parker can be summed up by Sheryl Crow’s 2008 pop hit—“A Change Will Do You Good.”

After playing quarterback since he was old enough to throw a football, Shelton was switched to free safety midway through last season.

Talk about a quick learner. Shelton now quarterbacks a Viking defense that leads the Big Eight Conference in fewest points allowed (78) heading into Friday’s crosstown showdown with Janesville Craig at Monterey Stadium.

“Ryan’s kind of the face our program, in the sense that he’s a four-year, three-sport athlete who has done everything needed to be a successful athlete at the high school level,” Parker coach Joe Dye said.

“The longer I coach, it seems, the more I appreciate those student-athletes like Ryan. He’s done a phenomenal job of staying grounded and keeping his priorities straight, all while playing three sports at a high level.”

Shelton wasn’t upset over the coaching staff’s decision to move him to defense to utilize his athletic ability, but he was frustrated. He knew Tyler Teubert was more than capable of handling the signal-calling duties, but quarterback was the only position he knew going back to his early days in Janesville Youth Football.

“Interesting,” was the first word that popped into Shelton’s head when asked about the switch to defense. “And once Tyler stepped in, I didn’t know what the plan was for me.

“But as it turned out, everything worked out for the best. I’m really enjoying it now, and I can honestly say, I don’t miss being quarterback.”

Shelton didn’t have much time to make the adjustment from offense to defense. He was immediately “thrown to the wolves,” and that might have been the best thing Dye and the Parker coaching staff could’ve done. Shelton gained instant confidence at his free safety position by going one-on-one at times against the Big Eight’s best receivers, including Janesville Craig’s JoJo Pregont—a second-team all-state selection last season.

An all-around talented athlete who has run twice at the state track meet, Shelton had the speed to stay with the quicker receivers, and the jumping ability to contest balls thrown to the 6-foot-6 Pregont or 6-5 Marquis Mason of Madison East.

Parker defensive coordinator Dick Schuh said Shelton is a natural at his position.

“Ryan’s found a home as a free safety,” Schuh said. “He could probably play cornerback and match up against the other team’s top receiver, but I want my best guy in the middle of the field, and that’s why Ryan plays there.

“And to be playing at the level that Ryan is right now is pretty remarkable. When you consider he missed all our two-a-days last season and didn’t make the switch until about halfway through the year, he caught on very fast. He’s still directing traffic for us, just on the other side of the ball.”

Shelton hopes the Vikings (3-2) can return to the postseason after a one-year absence, but first there’s the little matter of winning back the Monterey Rock on Friday.

“As a senior, I’d like to be able to say I beat Craig, and we got the Monterey Rock back from them.”

Shelton said. “Just to be able to say that for the rest of my life is a big deal.

“It comes down to which team comes to play, and for us, that means having a total team effort Friday night.”

And that kind of effort wouldn’t be a change for Ryan Shelton.