Edwards is key in Trojans' win

Cedric Edwards is the self-proclaimed best welder there is.

"Yep, he wants to be a welder, but I think he's going to have to put that on hold," Soddy-Daisy coach Kevin Orr said Sunday night.

Orr and his staff had just watched film of their Trojans' 42-21 victory over Soddy-Daisy, a win that secured them a playoff spot and a host role Friday night. One of the key players was Edwards, who ran for 312 yards and two touchdowns, which earned him Times Free Press player of the week honors.

"The first thing we did in our [coaches] meeting was watch him," Orr said. "He is as special a back as you'd want to see. The offensive line was blowing holes form him but he has a special knack of exploding at the right moment. He has something you can't really coach."

The effort boosted the 5-foot-10, 165-pound Edwards' season output to 1,782 yards with 17 touchdowns.

"I coached seven years in Florida and now seven years here and he doesn't remind me of anybody except old school guys," Orr said. "He's a [Chicago Bears] Walter Payton type. He isn't necessarily a speed guy, and he isn't going to run over anybody."

He just gets it done.

"He's not the type guy who's going to pick up four or five yards. You might stop him once or twice, but then he's going to hit you with a 10-, 15- or 16-yarder. I'd say the majority of his runs have been double-digit gains," Orr said.

Edwards had 164 yards at halftime.

"We thought we'd probably be 50-50 run to pass [plays]. We're probably 70-30 run-pass now. We're not doing anything special, just going with what's working," Orr said.

Edwards, a 3.0 student, attends Sequoyah Vocational, which Orr called Soddy-Daisy's sister school.

"He played JV last year because he told us he had played as a freshman at Tyner," Orr said of the Edwards, one of several key players who'll return for the 2011 season. "We found out he was eligible so he played the last game last year on special teams. He may be the best [running back] Soddy-Daisy has ever seen, and the kid has no attitude. One of our defensive coaches asked him last week how many yards he had and he said he had no idea. He doesn't care about stats. He just wants the team to win."

The Trojans will be at home Friday to play Lincoln County and veteran coach Louis Thompson.

"I met him for the first time [Saturday]. He seemed like a really nice guy. He told me he was going to retire when this season is over," Orr said. "I just hope it's Friday night."