Dream Team-South Player of the Year
BY DAN STICKRADT
CORRESPONDENT
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
DETROIT — Staring at an F5 tornado and realizing that the question at the time isn’t that there will be damage, but how much?
The same can be said for playing football against Pewamo-Westphalia and star running back Jared Smith.
It’s not a question of how many times the junior touches the ball, but how many yards he’ll earn. Or how many times he’ll cross the goal line, leaving a pathway of distraction on the opponent.
The 6-0, 205-pound junior has been turning state and national headlines at the high school level this season. Entering the MHSAA Division 7 state finals Nov. 28 against Ishpeming, the star has been nothing short of a workhorse — collecting 3,096 rushing yards, 52 touchdowns and 21 two-point conversions to go along with a 10.7 yards-per-carry average.
In the finals, a 22-16 defeat to Ishpeming — which has now won three titles in four years — Smith picked up 149 more yards on 27 carries and one touchdown, upping his totals to 53 touchdowns and 3,245 yards, which are both single-season state records. He has over 5,100 rushing yards over two years as a starter.
Behind a towering, physical and heady offensive line — a line that averages 6-foot-2 and 259 pounds — and a line that creates the wide-open space for a tornado to do its serious damage, Smith simply thrived.
“It was a lot of hard work in the weight room and out running,” said Smith, who also doubles as a state qualifier in track and field as a sprinter. “The offensive line had a lot to do (with the success). They have been phenomenal all year.”
Smith set the state record for single-season rushing yards in the 30-0 shutout of Detroit Loyola in the state semifinals. That continued in the D-7 state finals, a day where Smith and Pirates came up agonizingly short of the goal of a state title.
“The kid works as hard as anybody,” said P-W coach Jeremy Miller. “He was always working in the weight room and doing whatever it takes to succeed.”
Smith was quick to learn for his team’s 13-1 season to set the bar high for next season. Instead of sulking, he vows to help lead his team to the promised land next year.”
“We have a lot of guys back next year and we’ll try to get back here (to Ford Field),” offered Smith, recently named High School Sports Scene Dream Team-South Player of the Year. “We’ll get right back to it and try to accomplish the goal of being state champs next year.”
Outlook: Pewamo-Westphalia is making its second trip to Ford Field in five seasons but this time on the legs of a record-break running back. Smith eclipsed the MHSAA single-season rushing touchdown record two weeks ago and the single-season yardage record last week, and has more than 5,000 yards combined over the last two seasons. Fox leads a line that averages 6-2, 259 pounds, and Jandernoa keys a defense that has given up three points total over the last two weeks and only 9.1 per game despite a schedule with seven playoff opponents.