SPRINGDALE — Cam Wiedemann wasn’t sure he wanted to continue playing football following a sophomore season spent on the scout team at Shiloh Christian.
But the junior changed his attitude and his body in the offseason and emerged to play a key role on a Saints team that will play in the Class 4A state semifinals tonight for the second consecutive year. Shiloh Christian (13-0) will hit the road after three consecutive home playoff games to take on Crossett (9-3).
Wiedemann has run for 1,041 yards this season, becoming the first Shiloh Christian player to top 1,000 yards rushing in a season since 2010. He did it last Friday, punishing Nashville to the tune of more than 200 yards rushing on 30 carries and four touchdowns.
Former all-state quarterback Kiehl Frazier, who went on to play at Auburn for former Shiloh coach Gus Malzahn, was the last player to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season. He did it while helping lead the Saints to their third consecutive state title in 2010.
However, Shiloh Christian coach Jeff Conaway recalls a time when he didn’t know if Wiedemann even had a future with the Saints.
“He and I weren’t seeing eye to eye, and he was making some decisions we didn’t approve of,” Conaway said. “I was ready to dismiss him.”
It came to a head following an early morning workout in February.
Wiedemann had thoughts of quitting football altogether following his sophomore year. He wasn’t in great shape and was relegated to the scout team in practice. The running back, listed at 5-foot-11 and 220 pounds, finished the season with only 50 yards on 22 carries.
“I was kinda going through an awkward stage I guess,” Wiedemann said. “I was trying to figure it out. I wasn’t as athletic at the time. I wasn’t sure what football held for me.”
Senior quarterback and team captain Eli Reece said it was a difficult situation. He and a few other seniors met with Wiedemann and Conaway to talk about his future with the Saints.
“Tensions were high, and I kinda said, ‘Let’s just chill out and give it a week,’” Reece said. “If you feel the same way, we’ll talk about it again. I’m really glad we didn’t.”
Wiedemann’s transformation started that day, Conaway said.
“From that meeting, Cam has done a total 180, gotten really serious about playing football and gotten serious about his academics,” Conaway said.
One big change for Wiedemann was he lost more than 40 pounds, going from 220 to 175 by the start of preseason workouts in August.
But the junior running back joked football wasn’t really his first motivator to lose weight.
“We were going on a beach trip, and I didn’t want to look fat,” Wiedemann said with a laugh. “That’s why I started losing weight in the first place. This is just what it turned into.
“I actually didn’t even end up going on the trip, but it worked out.”
Instead, he focused on eating better and doing the workouts provided by strength coach Tyler Weddle.
“It was more about what I didn’t eat,” Wiedemann said. “I had to cut a lot of carbs, and at first I was counting calories. But ultimately I just ate better and did the workouts.”
When spring practice rolled around, Wiedemann had already trimmed down to around 185, and even Reece saw a difference.
“Cam had a lot better attitude, and that played into his production,” Reece said. “He set the pace a lot of days with his energy and his attitude.
“Being a sophomore is tough, you have to do the grunt work basically. But Cam’s taken on his new role, and it’s been awesome for me to watch.”
Wiedemann said it was just a different feeling getting the chance to work with the starting unit as compared to the scout team. He had more of a sense of purpose.
“I didn’t really have anything I thought I was really doing in practice,” Wiedemann said. “But this year felt a lot more productive. The success that I saw just made me want to do more.”
Conaway pointed to the graduation of all-state running back Jaret Russ as another motivator for Wiedemann.
“He knew he needed to get better,” Conaway said. “I think he chased it, and we’re glad he did.”
Wiedemann put up solid numbers throughout the regular season. But with the Saints dominating most 4A-1 Conference opponents, he seldom played more than a half, which kept his stats rather modest at times. However, he’s come up huge in the playoffs.
He has rushed for 457 yards and eight touchdowns in the three playoff games combined. Wiedemann is also the team’s second-leading receiver with 45 receptions for 540 yards and two touchdowns.
Reece said Wiedemann has become a powerful weapon for an offense that gets more attention for the passing attack. But the Saints scored the same number of rushing touchdowns as passing touchdowns — 45 of each — this season.
“It completely changes the offense in a positive way,” Reece said. “It puts so much stress on a defense when you have a guy like Cam that can pound the ball. Then you have a guy like Truitt (Tollett), it turns into who are you going to stop?”
Both Wiedemann and Conaway agreed his performance has been a surprise given the offseason trials.
“We knew Cam was capable,” Conaway said. “But from where he started to where he is now it’s a surprise. It’s a blessing, and there’s more out there for him. He’s not plateaued by any means.”
Cam Wiedemann
SCHOOL Shiloh Christian
HEIGHT 5-11
WEIGHT 175
CLASS Junior
POSITION Running back
NOTABLE Has become a force running the ball, especially in the playoffs for the Saints this season. … Became the first Shiloh Christian player to top 1,000 yards rushing in a season since Kiehl Frazier did it in 2010. … Rushed for 1,041 yards on 150 carries and 20 touchdowns for the season. … Has blistered defenses in the playoffs to the tune of 457 yards rushing and 8 touchdowns in three playoff games. … Ranks second in the team with 45 receptions for 540 yards and 2 touchdowns. … Carried the ball just 22 times for 50 yards as a sophomore.
Paul Boyd can be reached at pboyd@nwadg.com or on Twitter @NWAPaulb.