A quick look at Jarius Reimonenq’s Twitter account and you’d think he’s a huge Batman fan. His cover photo is from the movie “The Dark Knight Rises” and his Twitter name is “Dark Knight.”
Whether or not he’s a super fan of Batman, his nickname comes from the football field. The Oak Grove senior has made a name for himself at defensive back, and college coaches are starting to notice.
“They watched my film and they started calling me ‘Batman’ because I bat a lot of balls down,” Reimonenq said. “One of my friends, one day he just started calling me ‘Dark Knight,’ so it just kind of stuck with me. I’ve really embraced it.”
Reimonenq snagged seven interceptions last season, and that included a four-interception night against George County. He said he was feeling “hot” that night and the Rebels’ quarterback was throwing his way more than any team did all season.
The interceptions statistic is the flashy number everyone wants to see, and Reimonenq recognizes that, but there is so much more to his game than his seven picks from a season ago.
“My press technique and me being able to use my hands with tackling,” Reimonenq said when asked about some other areas to his game that might go unnoticed to the casual observer. “That plays a big part in my game because interceptions come from me reading the quarterback, batting balls down comes from me playing my technique, which is what I was taught.”
While he’s happy with how his junior season played out individually, he wants to show more of his game in his final ride at Oak Grove this season.
“I want to advance my game more,” he said. “Just show the colleges that I’m more athletic. I’ll still play DB, but I’ll play some on offense, kick return and punt return.”
In that game against George County, he proved defensive backs can catch, which is a popular misconception. Oak Grove coach Drew Causey believes in Reimonenq’s hands so much, he’ll spot play at receiver on the offensive side of the ball this season, too.
“He can catch,” Causey said quickly. “He’s got really good hands.”
On the defensive side, Reimonenq describes himself as a physical defensive back who tries to outwork his opponent in the film room. He emulates his game around current Houston Texans and former LSU safety Tyrann Mathieu.
“He’s not the biggest, most athletic, the fastest or anything, but he’s really smart and plays hard,” Reimonenq said. “That’s where I try to model my game from.”
The senior can play all over the defensive backfield, listing corner safety and nickel as his positions. While he’s quick to say he doesn’t have a problem playing just one position at the next level, his ideal situation is having the option to play all three.
Currently, Reimonenq is listed as a three-star prospect by most recruiting services, and he holds offers from Vanderbilt, Arkansas State and Florida Atlantic, among others. Recruiting has been stressful for the 5-foot-11 DB, who’s trying to find the right balance of summer workouts and recruiting, but he’s taking it all in stride in hopes of having everything taken care of before the season starts in August.
“Right now I’m just trying to narrow it down,” Reimonenq said of his college decision. “I’m just trying to visit schools, camp at some places and just really focus on making my decision.”
As senior, Reimonenq knows he has to step up as a leader of not only the defense but the entire team. The past few seasons haven’t ended how Oak Grove has grown accustomed to, but with the help of this senior class, they’re trying to right the ship.
“Just making sure everybody is on the same page and we all know that we’re fighting for one goal, and that is the state championship,” he said. “Last year, we started off really hot but our quarterback (John Rhys Plumlee) went down for a couple of games. Guys kind of stopped believing.
“What we were trying to instill in these young guys, we want to let everybody know that it is possible with or without our star players. It’s possible, so keeping fighting. That’s what we do in these drills. If we see someone start to quit, we let him know to believe. It’s just small stuff that we want to translate over into the season.”
Reimonenq was named to the PineBeltSPORTS All-Area as a junior in 2017. Oak Grove will begin its season with a home game against Purvis on Aug. 17.
