About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oct. 21—Tuscola junior running back Sam Trantham has exploded onto the scene as one of the most exciting players to watch in Western North Carolina high school football this season.
"We don't have enough time," Tuscola Head Coach Jonathan Crompton quipped.
Trantham is third in the state and in the top 15 nationally in rushing yards, according to MaxPreps, the leading high school sports stats keeper. The stats comparison that places Trantham at the top of the leaderboard includes all football players on any size team in the state and nation.
So far this season, Trantham has rushed for 1,692 yards and racked up 24 touchdowns on the ground in just eight games. He's played a big role in every game, including a 208-yard, two-touchdown performance against rival Pisgah in the County Clash.
But he's been more than a rusher. He's a solid passer and receiver. Trantham has caught seven passes for 166 yards and a touchdown, while also throwing three touchdown passes this year.
It shouldn't be unexpected, however. As a sophomore, Trantham began getting his first playing time at the varsity level — and took full advantage. Last year, he rushed for 1,450 yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging 8.4 yards per rush.
"We knew what he could do coming up from middle school," Crompton said. "It wasn't a surprise for us at all in any aspect of what he has accomplished and what hopefully he's able to accomplish down the road."
Last year, Trantham burst onto the high school scene with a big debut season at running back. Trantham said it was a big step up going from JV to varsity.
"It was definitely something where I had to prove myself," Trantham said. "It was a lot of adversity."
But his teammates helped push Trantham to that next level.
When asked to name his biggest strength on the football field, Trantham didn't point to his high-level football IQ, vision or ability to make defenders bounce off of him.
Instead, the running back pointed to his teammates, particularly the guys up front who don't often get the credit.
"I think the biggest strength is definitely the O-line and where they come in — it starts with them. What happens next just happens," Trantham said.
But it's not all the offensive line. Trantham possesses a masterful ability to see where the offensive line is opening up a hole, sometimes even before that hole opens up. Once he hits that hole, Trantham combines good speed with a really good ability to avoid tacklers.
Once a defender gets a hand on Trantham, another of his many talents kicks in. Arm tackles aren't going to bring the running back down with his hard-running ability.
"We're fortunate," Crompton said. "We get to see him every day. We get to see the intricacies of what he can do and how he works and how he holds himself and his teammates accountable and all those things."
Trantham is in his 12th year of playing football. He started in kindergarten, working his way up through the Waynesville system — playing for what was at the time called Mountaineer Youth Football, Waynesville Middle and finally Tuscola.
It was a family love for the sport that first got the running back into football.
"My brother played football, and I just grew up playing around the house with him. He got it from my dad, so it's just been in the family," Trantham said.
Once he started playing, it didn't take long for the running back to realize he had found his sport.
"Everybody on this team, I can recall playing with at some time down the road — whether it was whenever we were in kindergarten, first, second grade, to whenever I started playing with them when I first got here," Trantham said.
That camaraderie has been one of the running back's favorite things about the sport.
"Definitely the bond and the friendships you make over time," Trantham said when asked what he loves about football.
And it's clear to see he means that. Throughout the season, Crompton has talked about the relationship between Trantham and senior Ty Walker. The pair always wants to make sure the other is getting enough touches and chances to score.
This year's Tuscola team has only lost once to Franklin, considered one of the best teams in all of WNC. Tuscola lost to Franklin by only a 9-point spread. Franklin's next closest game was a 35-point spread.
The team's success is a result of years of hard work and strong bonds.
"A bunch of us have played since we were young. We're starting to look like a really good team and unified," Trantham said.
Source: Sports
0 Comments