The truth is, Josh Way had to business reaching a first down, let alone a touchdown. Of course, that didn't mean he wasn't going to get there. Instead, the senior Wayne (Okla.) running back turned in one of the most versatile 15-yard runs you'll see, handing his team a 14-point lead against Minco (Okla.) High and sewing up a spot in the first state semifinal in school history.
"He was dragging people toward the end zone and then I just knew," Wayne offensive lineman Garrett Reed told the Oklahoman. "That is a special kid right there."
Special was a good way to describe Way's biggest run of the year so far. Given that Way was handed the ball on 4th-and-3, there was no room for error, and little question in the minds of Minco defenders that the ball was going to the running back, who has been a one-man wrecking crew for Wayne all season. Because of that defensive anticipation, Minco was ready for Wayne by the time he hit the original line of scrimmage.
Rather, the Minco defenders were ready for Way right where he should have hit the line of scrimmage. Instead, they watched the running back sail between them as he hurdled his body above a scrum of blockers, then quickly wrapped him up right around where the first down marker was.
The trick was that they still couldn't bring Way down. The back practically jumped right into the arms of a Minco defender, yet he twirled his way out of that first tackle. An instant later he was wrapped up again by another defender, but he refused to stop, instead jerking his way through two final would-be tacklers and tumbling into the end zone with the game clinching score.
For Way, the run was just another example of how he tries to follow the advice of his coaches.
"Coaches just tell me to keep my legs going and lower my shoulder and that's what I do, just keep my legs going and put my shoulder down and hopefully I can keep moving along," he said.
He certainly kept his legs churning, though he first had to take a leap of faith -- quite literally -- to get to the original mark he was shooting for.
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