LAKEWOOD — Yes, the questions cross Joe Hemschoot’s mind, and they often are asked of him.
What if he didn’t begin kindergarten earlier than most?
What if elementary school didn’t begin for him in second grade instead of first because he was considered gifted?
How many 15-year-old junior starting middle linebackers have there been in Colorado Class 5A football?
In order, the answers are: He isn’t sure; he doesn’t know; and not many.
Quiet and introverted, Hemschoot will graduate from Lakewood High School in 2010, a little more than a month into his 17th year — he was born April 15, 1993.
He pleads indifference. Hemschoot is young, not restless.
“I try not to think about it,” he said. “The way I see it, if I emphasize it, it’s just an excuse. I like to be held to the same standard and try not to worry too much about it.”
However, others do.
“I was shocked at his age,” Lakewood head coach Mark Robinson said. “His apprehensions? He has none. He is mature beyond his years.”
Hemschoot doesn’t look, act or play 15. He’s 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, with speed and a lean, muscular build.
Arvada West coach Casey Coons didn’t know Hemschoot’s age before assessing his play.
“He’s good,” Coons said. “After our game (in Week 3), I kind of grabbed him out of the line and told him, ‘Hey, you are a player, dude.’ ”
Hemschoot (pronounced HEM-skot) is one of four Tigers captains, rotates on offense at slot and fullback, and stepped in at quarterback when senior Connor Eppard was injured.
Ironically, Eppard is 18 and began school later. If there’s a Tiger who appreciates Hemschoot, it’s Eppard.
“I don’t look at him as a 15-year-old; he’s more like one of the seniors,” said Eppard, who also plays baseball with Hemschoot. “He’s taking control like a leader.”
According to Colorado High School Activities Association assistant commissioner Bert Borgmann, the association’s concern is more about older student-athletes. Competitors are not eligible if they turn 19 before Aug. 1.
While Borgmann acknowledged Hemschoot’s success in a contact sport “is not something that has jumped out at us year after year,” he was “surprised by the fact he’s playing 5A football, in that class and good league (Big 8) and against that many good people.
“It seems to have worked pretty well for this young man.”
Hemschoot can only shrug his shoulders. It’s what he does, what he knows.
“It’s just something you deal with,” he said. “Not being happy about it won’t change it.”
The path reaches back to when he was 2. His parents, Paul and Teresita, were convinced their son was exceptionally bright and needed to be challenged.
Eventually, Paul Hemschoot said, “his teacher kind of ran out of appropriate books. He could read the biography of Harriet Tubman.”
There was never an instance when his parents considered holding him back.
After skipping first grade, the race of age, academics, athletics and social skills was on. Handling the class load of the gifted — Hemschoot also plays the violin — he has had little trouble fitting in and developed a passion for football.
There was a conflict — the native Coloradan from the Green Mountain area chose the Tigers for their International Baccalaureate program, then opted out after ninth grade.
“IB is definitely a really good course; it kept me challenged and taught me good time management skills,” Hemschoot said. “It’s rigorous. But as a 10th-grader, I wanted to have more time to devote to other things.”
One was the weight room and its added importance for a 15-year-old among those primarily 17 and 18.
It’s where Hemschoot has noticed diligence in academics also works in sports. So has his father. Both are confident — if Joe is good enough, college scouts will be after him, no matter his age.
And wouldn’t a 15-year-old high school junior be prime redshirt college material?
“I think it carries over, and he’s always been somebody who has benefited from good coaching,” Paul said. “He learned and retained. And that’s the important thing with his peers. . . . If he gets a little bit of attention and doesn’t get hurt, then, hopefully, that will be the fruition. Already, there have been expressions of interest (academically).”
Said Robinson: “If he was in the right class, he’d be a Division I recruit. I don’t think there would be a question.”
For Hemschoot, there are no questions. At least, none he can’t answer.
“In a way, that motivates me,” he said. “I’m going to get (a scholarship) anyway. It’s definitely one of my goals.”
Neil H. Devlin: 303-954-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com
