Snyder_TigerFan
11-23-2007, 09:25 AM
Snyder back grows into leader after tough start in life
Link (http://reporternews.com/news/2007/nov/22/snyder-back-grows-into-leader-after-tough-start/)
By Evan Ren
Thursday, November 22, 2007
SNYDER Things haven't been any easier for Snyder High School running back Will Clay than it has been for those who have tried to catch him.
But in a life marked by upheaval and personal tragedy and rebellion, the 17-year-old senior has emerged as one of the best Class 3A athletes in Texas helped largely by his own increasing maturity.
"I was always high-strung and always thought I was right," Clay said. "I really didn't listen to anyone else, because I thought I already knew everything."
Inner pain had much to do with the attitude.
In 1995, just one month after his mother sent Clay to live with his grandparents while she worked out some personal problems, she was killed in drive-by shooting in San Antonio.
With his father living in California, Clay remained in Snyder with his grandparents, and has been something of an enigma ever since.
"I had to grow up at an early age because of everything I had been through, so I thought I was already an adult," said Clay, who along with his teammates will face Monahans in a Class 3A area round game today in Midland. "So I spoke to adults like I was one of them."
Some of the adults didn't appreciate it.
When Clay was in the eighth grade, he was demoted from the eighth-grade "A" football team to the "B" team because of his unwillingness to respond to instruction.
"When I was growing up, I always wanted to be a little gangster," Clay said. "But I learned that wasn't for me, so I decided to grow up and become something else."
For that decision, Clay credits his grandparents and Snyder football coach Chad Rogers, who took a personal interest in the teenager early on.
It took years of diligence, but eventually it began to pay off.
"I was always getting into trouble," said Clay, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 195 pounds. "But Coach Rogers stayed on me and that helped me a lot."
The results began to show last season, when Clay produced 1,123 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns as a junior.
This season, however, the combination of maturity and a dominating Snyder offensive line have resulted in numbers that are off the charts.
Used as the centerpiece in a school record-setting offense, Clay has rushed 256 times in 11 games for 2,194 yards and 31 touchdowns. Thanks to a combination of speed and an uncanny ability to break tackles, Clay is just 161 yards from the school record set in 15 games by Dee Walker in 2004.
"I've coached three backs who have had over 2,000 yards. But in the past, we haven't had the different weapons that we've got with Will," said Rogers, whose club improved to 9-2 with a bi-district win over Brownfield last week. "But definitely, the way Will breaks tackles and runs after contact, he's a deep threat anytime."
That much was apparent as early as Week 1, when Clay broke the school's single-game rushing record, with 341 yards on 31 carries in a 50-49 win over Hereford. The performance shattered the old mark of 290, set by his father in 1991.
The records don't stop there.
The 190 points he has scored this season broke Walker's old mark of 174 set in 2004. And of the school-record 3,199 yards rushing the team has produced this season, Clay has gathered roughly 68 percent of it.
"He'll make a smart man out of you I don't have to do anything," offensive coordinator Cory Mandrell said. "Will is well-rounded. He can beat you to the corner when he needs to, and on fourth-and-2, he can lower his shoulders and just run over you."
Clay and his coaching staff, however, are quick to credit the Tiger offensive front for the much of the team's production so much so, that Clay requested that it be mentioned in the story. (Another sign of growing maturity?)
"The line has been doing an extraordinary job," Clay said. "They're mean, they're tough, they make the hole and I run through it.
"I've got the easy job. All I have to do is run through the big holes they make for me."
Added Rogers: "Anytime you've got an offensive line that enjoys blocking for a running back, you've got a great chance to be successful. They know what he can do, and he knows that they can do. Great running backs make their offensive line feel important."
Great offensive lines can also help great running backs get attention from colleges. Clay hopes to showcase his ability with a Division I collegiate program. New Mexico, Southern Methodist, Baylor and Texas A&M have shown interest thus far, but no campus visits have been slated as yet.
Clay's decision to finally let go of his painful past hasn't hurt him either.
"He's done a great job this year of accepting our coaching," Mandrell said. "He's made the decision to do what he's coached to do, and he's always had the natural ability to do it."
Link (http://reporternews.com/news/2007/nov/22/snyder-back-grows-into-leader-after-tough-start/)
By Evan Ren
Thursday, November 22, 2007
SNYDER Things haven't been any easier for Snyder High School running back Will Clay than it has been for those who have tried to catch him.
But in a life marked by upheaval and personal tragedy and rebellion, the 17-year-old senior has emerged as one of the best Class 3A athletes in Texas helped largely by his own increasing maturity.
"I was always high-strung and always thought I was right," Clay said. "I really didn't listen to anyone else, because I thought I already knew everything."
Inner pain had much to do with the attitude.
In 1995, just one month after his mother sent Clay to live with his grandparents while she worked out some personal problems, she was killed in drive-by shooting in San Antonio.
With his father living in California, Clay remained in Snyder with his grandparents, and has been something of an enigma ever since.
"I had to grow up at an early age because of everything I had been through, so I thought I was already an adult," said Clay, who along with his teammates will face Monahans in a Class 3A area round game today in Midland. "So I spoke to adults like I was one of them."
Some of the adults didn't appreciate it.
When Clay was in the eighth grade, he was demoted from the eighth-grade "A" football team to the "B" team because of his unwillingness to respond to instruction.
"When I was growing up, I always wanted to be a little gangster," Clay said. "But I learned that wasn't for me, so I decided to grow up and become something else."
For that decision, Clay credits his grandparents and Snyder football coach Chad Rogers, who took a personal interest in the teenager early on.
It took years of diligence, but eventually it began to pay off.
"I was always getting into trouble," said Clay, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 195 pounds. "But Coach Rogers stayed on me and that helped me a lot."
The results began to show last season, when Clay produced 1,123 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns as a junior.
This season, however, the combination of maturity and a dominating Snyder offensive line have resulted in numbers that are off the charts.
Used as the centerpiece in a school record-setting offense, Clay has rushed 256 times in 11 games for 2,194 yards and 31 touchdowns. Thanks to a combination of speed and an uncanny ability to break tackles, Clay is just 161 yards from the school record set in 15 games by Dee Walker in 2004.
"I've coached three backs who have had over 2,000 yards. But in the past, we haven't had the different weapons that we've got with Will," said Rogers, whose club improved to 9-2 with a bi-district win over Brownfield last week. "But definitely, the way Will breaks tackles and runs after contact, he's a deep threat anytime."
That much was apparent as early as Week 1, when Clay broke the school's single-game rushing record, with 341 yards on 31 carries in a 50-49 win over Hereford. The performance shattered the old mark of 290, set by his father in 1991.
The records don't stop there.
The 190 points he has scored this season broke Walker's old mark of 174 set in 2004. And of the school-record 3,199 yards rushing the team has produced this season, Clay has gathered roughly 68 percent of it.
"He'll make a smart man out of you I don't have to do anything," offensive coordinator Cory Mandrell said. "Will is well-rounded. He can beat you to the corner when he needs to, and on fourth-and-2, he can lower his shoulders and just run over you."
Clay and his coaching staff, however, are quick to credit the Tiger offensive front for the much of the team's production so much so, that Clay requested that it be mentioned in the story. (Another sign of growing maturity?)
"The line has been doing an extraordinary job," Clay said. "They're mean, they're tough, they make the hole and I run through it.
"I've got the easy job. All I have to do is run through the big holes they make for me."
Added Rogers: "Anytime you've got an offensive line that enjoys blocking for a running back, you've got a great chance to be successful. They know what he can do, and he knows that they can do. Great running backs make their offensive line feel important."
Great offensive lines can also help great running backs get attention from colleges. Clay hopes to showcase his ability with a Division I collegiate program. New Mexico, Southern Methodist, Baylor and Texas A&M have shown interest thus far, but no campus visits have been slated as yet.
Clay's decision to finally let go of his painful past hasn't hurt him either.
"He's done a great job this year of accepting our coaching," Mandrell said. "He's made the decision to do what he's coached to do, and he's always had the natural ability to do it."