High school football: It's always full speed ahead for Medina's Preston Pennington

Preston Pennington never takes a break when he's playing defensive end — or linebacker, outside safety or free safety — for the Medina football team. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound senior also never touches the brake, which is why he's been hugely successful despite being a bit undersized for someone who plays up front. "First and foremost, he brings energy," Bees defensive coordinator Kevin Bowers said Monday. "He plays with a very high motor. He's always looking to make a big hit or big play. There's no brake in him. He probably drives a car that doesn't have a left pedal." A huge car enthusiast, Pennington actually has three left pedals because he owns three vehicles. Fittingly, each has a trait that also can be found in the 17-year-old, who leads the team with 10½ tackles for loss and five sacks as Medina (7-1) prepares to play a non-league game at Lorain (2-6) on Friday. Pennington's "winter beater," a 2010 Ford Focus with 138,000 miles that he purchased for $250 and fixed up, is reliable. The vehicle he is currently driving, a 2015 Ford F-150, is tough and durable. Most similar, his 1969 Ford Mustang fastback can move at a high rate of speed. "He's fast," Bowers said. "From Point A to Point B, he's pretty quick. His motor doesn't stop. Most high school kids are going to stop at some point, but not him. That holds true the entire game. As fast as he fires off on Play 1, he's going to be just as fast on Play 80." In a football career that began at the age of 10, Pennington has played just about everywhere but the offensive line. He started as a fullback his first year, then played running back and linebacker through the seventh grade. As an eighth-grader, he played running back and defensive end, then switched to receiver and linebacker on the freshman team. As a sophomore who saw enough varsity action to earn a letter, he also played running back, receiver, linebacker, safety and on the defensive line for the junior varsity team. Pennington even played one game at quarterback when current varsity starter Danny Stoddard was out and threw a touchdown pass to Daniel Toth. "It was nothing special," he said. "We were on the goal line and my first look wasn't there, but I saw Danny creeping his way through the back of the end zone. He's one of my neighbors, so it was like backyard football. I just threw him the ball." Not destined to be Medina's next Drew Allar, who won Ohio's Mr. Football award last season, Pennington played as a backup hybrid safety on the varsity in 2021. When practice began this season, he got most of his work at outside safety before Bowers came up with the idea of switching him to defensive end. "I didn't exactly love it at first," he said. "It was a whole different ballgame. When you're at safety you think, 'Those guys up front have it easy. All they have to do is chase the ball.' It's really not easy. There's so much that goes into it. "I was so used to playing guys smaller than me and bullying receivers around that I came into defensive end thinking I was going to walk right through the (offensive) tackles. It was a great awakening." Struggling early on, Pennington talked to Bowers. "I didn't see how a skinny D-lineman was going to be a great fit," he said. "Coach Bowers said, 'Do you trust me?' I said yes and he said, 'You can be a great D-lineman.'" Already with a lot of smarts — a 4.0 grade-point average and plans to major in civil engineering in college — and great strength — a 245-pound bench press, 425 deadlift and 485 squat — Pennington spent extra hours working with 6-2, 235-pound Medina offensive tackle Pete Jarvis. Over time, he learned how to use his hands, developed a great swim move and realized his 4.7-second speed in the 40-yard dash could be a major asset up front. "It's quickness and speed and a huge desire to make plays for his teammates," Bowers said. "Pound for pound, he's one of the strongest guys on the team. He doesn't have great girth, but he has the strength. And he certainly has the speed. He's a big-play machine." About 65% of the time, Pennington lines up in a three-point stance. The rest of the time — if he isn't seeing spot duty at linebacker or free safety — he's standing up. Second on the team with 55 tackles, Pennington usually lines up over the offensive right tackle, but on occasion he moves to the other side of the line. "He just has speed and uses his hands," Medina linebacker Griffin Pay said. "He gets the edge and makes big plays, and that's very important. Knowing we have a guy who can make plays when we need it makes me so much more comfortable." While Medina's defense isn't renown for holding opponents to low yardage totals and consistently forcing three-and-outs, it has shown to be more than capable of coming up with key sacks, interceptions and fumbles recoveries. "Making big plays when we need big plays is crucial," Pennington said. "We know when we give the offense the ball, they're scoring almost every time they put their hands on it." Having switched from No. 20 to No. 17 this season because graduating senior Nick Nagel volunteered to hand down the number to him, Pennington is easily identifiable as a defensive end. That's especially true when he chases a quarterback across the field before registering a sack. It's all about not taking a break or hitting the brakes while putting the pedal to the metal. "When I know it's just me and the guy rolling out, the only thing I'm thinking is, 'Don't throw the ball, don't throw the ball,'" Pennington said. "Over and over I'm thinking that, because I know I'm going to get there. "Making big plays is great. I really enjoy it. I get a little too excited sometimes, but those are fun." Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4046 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @RickNoland on Twitter.