EMORY, Va. – When you are as talented on the gridiron as Thomas Walker High School’s Cody Cain, expectations can be pretty high.
Like when each time you touch the football, fans are expecting you to find the end zone.
Pressure for some, fun for others.
“I love it,” Cain said.
Cain rushed for two touchdowns and a 2-point conversion in Thomas Walker’s 24-0 victory over Holston on Friday night during the Bank of Marion Kickoff Classic jamboree at Patrick Henry High School.
Cain failed to score in TW’s second contest as the Pioneers battled Northwood to a scoreless tie.
“I was a little winded there at the end,” Cain said.
That’s usually the sentiment of Thomas Walker opponents as they try to catch Cain, one of the fastest athletes in the area. The 5-foot-10 junior with hair that resembles that of Pittsburgh Steelers superstar Troy Polamalu was the Region D champion in the 200- and 400-meter dashes back in the spring.
He hopes to put up some victories on the football field this fall.
“I’m pretty excited about it,” Cain said. “We’ve got a good backfield and a pretty good line.”
The trio of Cain, Jared Brewer and Brandon Moore combined to rush for more than 2,000 yards last season.
“They make us go,” TW coach Brian Lee said of the trio. “They’re good backs.”
Another Cumberland District team, Rye Cove, showcased a solid rushing attack as the Eagles posted a 13-0 triumph over Patrick Henry and suffered a 21-6 setback to Marion.
The Eagles rushed for 149 yards against PH as Jon Hill and Silas Bush scored rushing TDs. Meanwhile, the defense limited PH to just one first down.
Rye Cove struggled to a 2-8 record a year ago, but head coach Tom Callaway’s team has made some major strides.
“We’re better,” Callaway said. “A lot of guys matured and so forth. We have a long ways to go as far as what I want from them. But we’re coming. We’re getting better.”
There are 13 seniors on the Rye Cove roster, including quarterback Chase Rollins.
“We have a new attitude,” Rollins said. “We have more seniors and more leadership. All our backfield is back and we’ve got a really good line. We have good leaders on the line like Issac Hammonds and Sammy Ervin. We’ve got the chemistry.”
Rye Cove also relies on an old-school run-based approach.
“That’s just our basic Rye Cove football – traps, whams and dives,” Rollins said.
Rollins tossed a touchdown pass to Bush in the loss to Marion. The Rye Cove defense struggled against a quick Marion offense led by quarterback Marshall Wagner. Wagner threw a TD pass to Colin Gullion and also rushed for a score, while Ethan Richardson scored on a 34-yard scamper against the Eagles.
Castlewood competed in Friday’s seven-team event as well.
