EAST ST. LOUIS — No nickname has stuck with standout senior defensive back Charles Bass, who makes his living sticking like super glue with the best receivers East ºüÀêÊÓƵ' football team faces.
Flyers assistant coach Brandon Gregory has a few ideas, maybe something with Bass' uniform number.
"I mean, he wears the number zero," Gregory said. "Hopefully, that means zero catches (for his opponent)."
With or without a true moniker for his lockdown ability, Bass' exploits have been well documented in his two seasons at East ºüÀêÊÓƵ. His mere presence on one side of the field has turned that area into a no-fly zone.
Opposing quarterbacks just don't try him.
"I've gotten that a lot with teams not throwing it to me," Bass said. "I've gotten a little frustrated before."
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Now he takes it as a compliment.
The 6-foot-2 cornerback had 56 solo tackles, one interception, one sack and recovered two fumbles last season as the Flyers limited five Southwestern Conference opponents to 28 points.
And Gregory still considers Bass' talents raw.
"His upside is up to the roof," Gregory said. "His willingness to work on his craft is what I think puts him over the edge. You get a kid that size, he can do the same things that 5-9, 160-pound kids do."
Bass flashed that lockdown potential when he matched up with Jeremiah Koger from Baltimore's St. Frances Academy and only allowed one reception.
"You know, that game definitely upped my confidence playing the level of competition that we played," Bass said. "I feel like East Side gets us ready for college, with the competition we play worldwide."
Over the summer, the No. 8 recruit on the Post-Dispatch Super 30 football countdown of the area's top senior college football prospects committed to the University of Missouri.
"It felt like home and I know a lot of kids say that, but it actually felt like home," Bass said. "I talk to Coach (Al) Pogue and Coach (Corey) Batoon every day. I talk to Coach (Eliah Drinkwitz) Drink every week and they stay in contact consistently."
Before pledging to become a Tiger, he also had offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Ball State, Cincinnati, Colorado, Colorado State, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa State, Kansas State, Kansas, Louisville, LSU, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Oregon, Purdue, Tennessee, Texas A&M, UNLV and Wisconsin.
As a junior, Bass' ability to flex into different parts of the defense proved key for the Flyers.
"I mean, it just makes you a more marketable defensive back," East ºüÀêÊÓƵ coach Darren Sunkett said. "We can play him at the nickel position. We can play him at the corner. We can play him at the safety. You know, he's he's a very versatile defensive back."
Gregory is prepared to stick Bass on the opposing team's best-receiving option and leave it at that.
"It helps us keep guys in the box and do different things we want to do defensively because we know we trust our best guy on their best guy," Gregory said.
After a runner-up finish in Class 6A last year, Bass said he hit the offseason harder than before to improve.
"I wanted to improve on my hitting and physical physique," Bass said. "It was a lot of work in the weight room, a lot of speed work. It was just a lot of overall work this summer, being the best I could do for my senior year."
The Flyers will face three defending state champions this season along with national power IMG in the regular-season finale.
But that's when Sunkett sees Bass at his best — when he faces the best.
"When you play against that competition, it shows the kind of football player you are, and he has shown that," Sunkett said. "The cream always rises to the top."
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