In August, Prep Rally covered the story of young Elijah Earnheart, a 12-year-old Texan who was barred from competing in Pee Wee football because he is simply too large. Given that Earnheart already stands 6-foot-3 and 300 pounds, both sides of this argument had a point, too.
Despite a dedicated campaign to get Earnheart's Pee Wee association to relent on its size restrictions, Earnheart was never allowed to rejoin the team. However, he did eventually sign up for his middle school squad, and now we can see the giant lineman in action.
If you can't tell which player is Earnheart in the brief video above, you probably need glasses.
At the same time, regardless of Earnheart's overwhelming size, it's not hard to see why he was interested in playing at the Pee Wee level before jumping into scholastic sports; he is about as raw an offensive lineman as you'll find. Sure, he's the biggest player on the field (by a mile at that), but Earnheart still needs to develop a better feel for the football basics to really compete at a high level.
Based on the comments that the middle schooler's coach, Matt Tecklenburg, offered up to local media who have breathlessly covered the debate surrounding Earnheart's eligibility, Elijah may very well get there sooner rather than later.
"He doesn't talk about what's going on," Tecklenburg told Dallas NBC affiliate KXAS. "He's just out there playing, having fun."
Added Earnheart's mother, Cindy Earnheart:
"He's so excited. He didn't even want to go to sleep last night," Cindy Earnheart said. "He's been trying to drink Monsters all day to have energy. He's just really excited for himself and his team."
Want more on the best stories in high school sports? Visit RivalsHigh or connect with Prep Rally on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.