One Of The Top 5 Safeties In California: Calvin Pitcher
Calvin Pitcher is a 3 Star recruit who plays Safety at Centennial High School. Pitcher is ranked as a Top 140 recruit in the state of California and is ranked as a Top 125 Safety in the nation as well. In addition, Pitcher is listed as a Top 5 Safety in the state of California. According to 247 Sports, he currently holds offers from, Valparaiso, Idaho State, and Eastern New Mexico.
Growing up, were you inspired by any NFL Players?
Growing up and watching the Seattle Seahawks secondary inspired me the most. I didn’t watch as much NFL growing up as I do now but I easily remember seeing the “Legion of Boom” and watching them dominate on the highest level. It’s heartbreaking to see that both the starting safeties aren’t in the league anymore but Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor are some of my all time favorite players and safeties.
What high school is your biggest rival?
Santiago High School is our biggest rival, the school is on the same street as Centennial and is less than two miles away. Even though they’re technically our “rivals” it’s never a competition because we dominate each year, but I always look forward to that game because Santiago is actually my home school so playing against all my friends that go there is real fun.
What songs do you listen to pregame, to get you hyped up?
DMX is my go to, no matter the song once he starts rapping I’m ready for war. But I also have to add No Vaseline be Ice Cube. During warms up and when walking onto the field, you can hear me singing the whole song over and over again. That gets me fired up the most.
What is your offseason training like?
With this prolonged offseason due to Covid, getting bigger is my main goal. As I transition into more of a OLB position, I’ve been working to gain some more weight than last season. So far I’ve gained 10 pounds and I’m striving for more but I’ve also been working on my defensive back technique and Linebacker training getting my eyes and IQ right.
What is your favorite memory of your high school career?
’m still hopeful of having a senior season and making some new favorite memories but for now my favorite is holding Jserra to 0 points. That was suppose to be a big game and it was the first round of playoffs but we came out there as a unit and shut it all down. Being at a public school, we are not allowed to recruit like private schools such as Jserra so whenever we win big against teams like that it’s always rewarding to me.
Who is the best player you have ever played with or played against in your high school career?
It’s not usual to have the #1 player in the country on your team so I’d say Korey Foreman is the best player I’ve played with or against. Walking up to him, he just looks like a freak and makes my job easier a lot of times. Some plays I’ll be dropping into coverage or locking onto a man and before I know it the whistles blown because Korey already wreaked havoc on the Quarterback.
What do you look for in choosing a college?
Locations always been a pretty important thing to me. I’ve become more lenient as time ticks down on choosing a school but it’s always played a big role. My parents option also matters a lot too so if they’re on board then I am too, but at the end of the day the decision is still my own.
When did you start looking at colleges, and when did colleges start looking at you?
Before my junior season is when I started having my first contacts but it blew up the most after that season. Coaches were beginning to come onto campus and finally give me the eye test. I started to build a lot of relationships this spring before the pandemic brought everything to a halt, but those early months of quarantine is also when I received my first offers and I’m forever grateful for those schools giving me opportunities. I’m confident though that if we were never locked down I would’ve saw my recruitment blow up more than it did.
If you could meet one sports hero, who would it be?
Kam Chancellor, he is by far my favorite safety. He played with anger and made sure to let the receivers feel pain. The whole Legion of Boom from Seattle actually would be awesome to meet but he’s the guy I’d want to sit down with and talk to. During pregame, you can find me somewhere on my phone watching his highlights and visualizing myself making those same plays.
What is your favorite sports moment, as a fan?
Going to a Dallas Cowboys game at AT&T stadium. It’s hard to admit sometimes but I am a cowboys fan so being able to say that I was there and watched them play was definitely something I’ll never forget in my life. I’ll definitely go again some day, and who knows maybe they can win a game then.
