Wilson typifies Trion's toughness

TRION, Ga. -- If there were a face to put on the 2009 Trion High School football team, it would be Ryan Wilson's.

He's not the biggest (5-foot-10, 190 pounds), the fastest (4.6 or so in the 40) or the strongest player in the program. He is, though, according to coach David Humphreys, the toughest on a team full of hard-nosed kids.

"He's been hurt some this year, but he's always telling me, 'Keep giving me the ball, Coach,'" Humphreys said about the three-year starting running back. "He's up for anything. Because of a shoulder injury, I haven't let him play a lot of defense. To have a guy who's rushed for 1,000 yards for three straight seasons is special. He can get the tough yards. He doesn't normally get tackled by one guy, either.

"It's not who he is, it's what he is, and Ryan Wilson is a hard worker. I don't give awards here. We have two team captains and the kids vote on that, and he was voted one of them. That says a lot about what the kids think about him."

Wilson was the one known quantity on a Trion team that entered this season on a rare downturn. The Bulldogs (6-4), who play at third-ranked Lincoln County in tonight's GHSA Class A playoffs, came into the year on a streak of four consecutive losing seasons. Rarely has a player gone through his career in this football-crazy town and not been part of a winning season.

The fact the Bulldogs ended that run this year in a much-improved (and expanded) Region 6-A, which included an upset win last week at region champion Darlington, had Wilson beaming in practice this week.

"It means a lot to have a winning season and earn the playoff spot," Wilson said. "Until last year we only had four teams in our region, so we automatically made the playoffs. Making them didn't mean a lot because either way we were going. We finally earned a spot this year, and that makes me proud. It means a lot to all of us."

Making the surprising run has been made even more difficult by a rash of injuries that have affected over half the team's starters, including Wilson. For second-year coach Humphreys, it's been an effort he won't soon forget.

"It's probably the worst injury-related team I've ever coached," he said. "Last week we were down eight starters and we had six guys on the field who probably shouldn't have been playing. We use that as a sense of pride because it shows how tough these guys are. We're recovering a bit now, so that's good."

The Bulldogs will need all their resources against Lincoln County tonight. The Red Devils have won 15 state championships under legendary coach Larry Campbell and appear poised for another long playoff run. Wilson, for one, believes his team is perfect for the underdog role.

"We want to be the underdogs," he said. "I want people to think we don't have a chance. We want to step to the top and drop people's jaws."