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01/31/2018 11:00 PMErnest Jean-Pierre is the type of player that coaches love to have on their team, because he makes his teammates better with his presence. Ernest recently finished his final season with the Valley Regional-Old Lyme football squad and helped the Warriors make the playoffs for the third time in his four-year tenure with the team. Ernest is also a senior captain for the Warriors’ boys’ basketball team, which recently clinched a berth in the Division IV State Tournament.
It’s no coincidence that Ernest plays on winning teams. On the football field last fall, Ernest garnered several accolades for the Warriors, including their Most Valuable Player Award, New Haven Register All-State Honorable Mention and a spot on the Connecticut High School Coaches Association All-State Class S Team at defensive back, along with a spot on the All-Pequot League Sassacus Division Team as a wide receiver.
However, even with all these honors, Ernest cares more about helping his teams succeed than receiving any personal recognition.
“My biggest achievement in football is being back-to-back Pequot champions and getting to the State Playoffs,” says Ernest, a Deep River resident. “In basketball it would be qualifying for the playoffs this season. This year, we’re looking really good.”
Ernest got his start in both of his sports by watching his brother Chris Jean-Pierre compete for Valley Regional. Ernest says that he models himself after his older brother.
“When I was a freshman, he was a senior. I was always looking up to him when I was little. I was striving to those goals, and it was really special to me,” Ernest says. “Seeing him and what he did in the offseason and on the field, it helped me know what I needed to do to be the best team player I could be. It feels really special, carrying on a legacy that my brother started. To see the hard work pay off is something really special to me.”
Ernest turned in a stellar season while playing wide receiver, safety, and punter for Valley-Old Lyme football team last fall. He finished the year with 34 receptions for 683 yards and four touchdowns to go with five interceptions and 48 tackles on defense. He also totaled 817 yards on 27 punts and dropped 10 of them inside 20-yard-line. It’s a lot of responsibility for one athlete to take on, but Ernest believes that he’s become a much better player from seeing tons of time on both sides of the ball.
“Playing defensive back helped me know where the open space was as a receiver and vice versa,” says Ernest. “To be able to get the cornerback to bite at a spot, I learned that from playing both positions.”
Valley Regional boys’ basketball Head Coach Kevin Woods is also the offensive coordinator for the Warriors’ football squad, and he’s seen Ernest thrive on both the court and the gridiron. Woods believes that Ernest’s selflessness and focus make him a special player.
“He’s a great athlete in both sports. He’s a guy that can stretch the field. He can catch short passes, go over the middle, and has good comeback routes,” Coach Woods says. “I think, more importantly, when the ball wasn’t thrown to him, he ran his routes to open up the field for other players. It shows how good of teammate he is. If it were up to him, he’d give up his MVP Award to play another football game. He’d give up any accolade to get a Shoreline or state title in basketball, too.”
Ernest has been a captain for the basketball team since his junior season, and he strives to set a great example like the leaders who came before him. Ernest cherishes his role a captain. If things start to look bleak, he makes sure that his teammates don’t get too down on themselves.
“Back in 7th grade, seeing all those kids in high school, it was a dream to me to be a captain. I see my job as leading by example and to step up and play late-game defense,” says Ernest. “I also have to be a vocal leader and let everyone know that when things go bad, it’s important to stay positive.”
On the basketball court, Ernest plays shutdown defense against the opposition’s top player while guarding the perimeter. Ernest knows that he’s the first line of defense for the Warriors, but he also steers his opponent toward his help in the paint. Ernest is averaging 9.4 points, 1.6 assists, and 2.9 rebounds per game this year, although he isn’t looking to fill up the stat sheet.
“I usually play man up, but we also have help defense. I trust my guys behind me to help, even if they do blow by me,” says Ernest. “I try to do a lot of stopping of one player or trying to help out in the gaps. I try to get steals and get the team into a transition offense. That all starts with the defense.”
Coach Woods says that Ernest always impacts the game whenever he’s on the court, regardless of how many points he scores.
“He’s the kind of guy that can score 25 points in a game or score two points and be just as effective,” says Woods. “He takes shots when they’re there, but he doesn’t force it. He can play back to the basket and move the ball around to other guys and make them better.”
Ernest wants to continue his football career at the collegiate level. He plans to major in criminal justice with a minor in sports management and has several schools in mind. Above all, Ernest knows that he wants to stay close to home in New England.
“I’m planning on playing college football, but I’m still undecided. [Southern Connecticut State University], Endicott, and Plymouth State have been interested, and there are various other schools in New England that I’m interested in,” says Ernest. “I want to stick around New England. I’ve lived here my whole life, and it’s always felt like home.”