STRONGEST RUN
STORY BY CRAIG PETERS PHOTO BY DIANE CEBULA

KELMETRUS WYLIE - Senior running back - All-Northeast Georgia Player of the Year STRONGEST RUN

(The following story appeared in the December 25 edition of The Athens Banner-Herald in which its All- Northeast Georgia football selections were named. Also on the list were Dan Wylie, Demont Gresham, Gary Wilburn, and Dyawne Hampton, as reported separately. The News-Reporter is grateful to the Banner-Herald for allowing the reprint of this story.) Kelmetrus Wylie merely shrugged last week. // When Washington-Wilkes coach Russell Morgan asked the running back what music the team wanted on its highlight reel, nothing stood out. It didn't matter. There were just too many options.

Morgan had a much easier time selecting the video clips. He had seen the six-foot 205-pound Wylie stand out numerous times in games that did matter.

"Probably 40 percent of it is him," Morgan said. "If you look at what he did this year, it's hard for it not to be."

There were plenty of options from Wylie: Blazing speed on long runs, making would-be tacklers miss with spins and cutbacks and punishing an opponent at the moment of impact.

Wylie and Morgan enjoyed all of the above, including a run against Dawson County that still puzzles both of them.

"I still don't know how I got out of that one," Wylie said. "They had me on a counter right. There were about five defenders on me and I broke lose. I looked at the film and I still don't know how I got away.

"When you outrun them, there's no better feeling," he added. "If you don't anticipate what the defender is going to do, more than likely, you're going to get tackled before you get to do anything."

Wylie rushed for 2,024 yards and 21 touchdowns on 206 carries. That's 9.8 yards per rush and a touchdown every 9.8 carries.

He also predicted a big play moments before he broke free for the longest run in school history, a 98- yard touchdown against Fannin County to punctuate an 11-carry, 253-yard night in the Region 8-AA championship.

"I'm sure he'll never forget it, and I won't," Morgan said. "I remember still being upset that we lost 18 yards on the kickoff return. He made me (less upset) real fast."

The following week Wylie, who missed last season's run to the Class A finals with an ankle injury, made the most of his first post-season game. He ran for 222 yards and three touchdowns and threw the game-winning score in a 30-26 comeback win over Callaway.

The following week, however, Greater Atlanta Christian built an

early lead in the second round and minimized Wylie and the Tigers. Washington-Wilkes finished its season 10-2 after moving up in classification.

Wylie's numbers weren't staggering in a 3-0 win over Lincoln County or a 14-6 win over Greene County, but his contribution was immeasurable. Morgan relied on Wylie's workmanship to control the clock and keep highly skilled offenses off the field.

"Lincoln County did a good job of containing him and Greene County did a good job of containing him," Morgan said, "but if you go back and watch his runs, there're a lot of plays that should be 2- or 3- yard gains that he makes 8 or 9. The average back wouldn't have done it. On his highlight tape there're a lot of plays from those two games showing the extra fight to get the extra yards."

Wylie had 32 carries against Greene County and scored a touchdown late, but a fumble 2 yards shy of a touchdown earlier in the game bothered him.

"That was my first fumble of the season, but I had to play through it," Wylie recalled. "It just popped out. I believe I was fixing to spin and the defender hit my arm. I want that one back."

Wylie fumbled once more against Callaway, but that didn't shake Morgan's confidence.

"He's definitely the guy you want with the football because he's going to secure it," Morgan said. "He plays as a smart player and doesn't make a lot of mistakes. It's a combination of strength and knowledge of carrying the ball. The most important thing is focus, especially at the end of the game. It would be pretty tough to get it from him. If he wants it, it's his."

Wylie and Morgan have been teaming to figure out where the senior can continue his career next year, sending out highlight DVDs. Ball State and Connecticut have offered scholarships, but Kentucky, Maryland, and Indiana are gaining interest. It's a difficult process because Wylie missed out on exposure last year and as a sophomore because of broken ankles. However, Morgan said his phone has been ringing more frequently.

A scout from Indiana stopped by Morgan's office last week. He watched five plays before telling Morgan he didn't need to see any more.

Morgan said Wylie has demonstrated he can handle the academic discipline and maturity it takes to be a Division I football player.

The required athleticism is there, too, on every single play. It's not just a reputation. It's an identity.

"What's on the football field is what I am," Wylie said. "I play other sports, but I live football."

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