Cardinal O’Hara football coach Mike Ewing wasn’t expecting his senior defensive back and running back Keon Powell to be so quiet, writes Aaron Carter for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

“Some kids, you ask them about themselves, and you have to get them to stop. He’s soft-spoken. Humble is the word that comes to mind,” Ewing said.

The coach was concerned Powell’s personality wouldn’t work on the field at a time when O’Hara needed to prove itself in the Catholic League.  

“And then we put the pads on him, and instantly we knew we were good,” Ewing said.

Powell rushed for nearly 200 yards last week and led the Lions 2-1 into Friday night’s PCL opener against West Catholic. Cardinal O’Hara won that game 7-0.

“It’s a chance for us to show everybody in the Catholic League that we’re for real this year,” Powell said, “and that O’Hara is about to turn it around.”

Powell can do it all as a running back with the speed to score from anywhere, the agility to work the tight spaces, and he can also catch passes out of the backfield.

Ewing expects Powell’s exploits to attract the attention of college coaches.

Read more about the two sides of Keon Powell in The Philadelphia Inquirer.