Freeport sophomore Colton Otterman set to take off after breakout freshman season

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, August 18, 2021 | 5:38 PM

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Colton Otterman is not the biggest dog in the fight. But the Freeport sophomore wide receiver and outside linebacker wants to make sure opponents experience his bite.

After a breakout freshman season in which he had 33 tackles and a team-leading six sacks, the 5-foot-10, 162- pounder is ready to take the next step.

“Playing a lot of varsity last year, the coaches know what I can do and want to give me more responsibility and trust what I can do to help lead the team,” Otterman said. “I want to build on last year and keep growing as a leader. It is exciting because we all are confident we can have a great season.”

Otterman said last year’s progress led him to dedicate himself to getting bigger, and he put on nearly 15 pounds in the offseason.

“Learning from last year, I was probably one of the weaker kids on the field,” Otterman said. “A lot of my success came from my speed. I knew that if I could add both speed and strength, it would really help me get better. (Senior tight end/linebacker) Cole Charlton really helped me in the weight room and showed me what I needed to do to get bigger.”

Otterman said he didn’t expect too much from himself coming into the covid-affected 2020 season.

“I thought I would do what I could to help the varsity team get better in practices and play on JV,” he said.

But in Freeport’s second game, a nonconference loss to Apollo-Ridge, Otterman got his chance. Junior Andrew Sullivan suffered a hip injury in the game, and Otterman went in at outside linebacker for the second half.

“(Linebackers) coach (Todd) Durand was like, ‘Otterman, we need you to step in. I know you never have repped this position before, but you have to step up.’ ” Otterman said.

“There was a little hesitation at first as I was only a freshman, and I wasn’t the strongest at that position. But I was there the rest of the season, and I was able to get progressively better and more confident.”

Otterman said veteran teammates such Charlton and senior defensive lineman Elijah Freeman helped give him that confidence boost.

“If I didn’t have them as teammates, I wouldn’t have been as successful as I was,” he said. “They really supported me and made sure I knew that I was an important part of the defense. We all needed each other.”

Otterman finished with eight overall tackles for a loss.

He recorded three sacks and nine total tackles in Freeport’s 38-18 victory over rival Burrell. He then made nine tackles with two sacks a week later in the regular-season finale against Class 3A semifinalist North Catholic.

Offensively, Otterman’s first varsity reception went for a 30-yard touchdown from quarterback Ben Lane in the fourth quarter of the Yellowjackets’ playoff loss to Elizabeth Forward.

“That was one of the highlights of the season for me,” Otterman said. “(Senior) Vinnie Clark got hurt, so I was in at another position I had never repped before. It was a tailback, but we were split out wide. We were running ‘go’ routes, and about the fourth time, they said it was going to me. I really felt the pressure, but it also was a great opportunity to make a play. I just ran and then I went up for it in the end zone. I brought it down and fell to the turf. I opened my eyes and saw everyone running towards me. It was an amazing feeling.”

Freeport coach John Gaillot said he is looking forward to seeing what Otterman can do for an encore.

“He started on special teams and was making plays there,” Gaillot said. “With injuries, we put him in there on defense, and he just took off. He continued to show us that we could count on him. He grew tremendously from the beginning of the season to the end. Now, you can see how much he has matured with being a student of the game and his athleticism. He carries himself with more confidence.”

As this season approaches, Otterman said he has dedicated his efforts on the field to close friend and teammate Billy Lyons, a senior linebacker who is sidelined while recovering from an automobile accident in early July.

The hope, Gaillot said, is to have Lyons, last year’s team leader in tackles, back on the field sometime around senior night. Gaillot stressed, however, that no specific timetable has been set for his return.

But Otterman, like many others on the team, are drawing inspiration from Lyons’ strength in his steps of recovery.

“I was with him shortly before his accident,” Otterman said. “When I got the call, my heart just dropped. My sister is dating him, so we’ve gotten a lot closer. I’ve been with him the whole time. He’s doing so much better. I am so glad to see him progressing. It lifts everyone’s spirits to see him get better.”

Otterman and his Freeport teammates will test themselves Saturday with a scrimmage at Slippery Rock.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Freeport