McCallie football player Alex TrotterPlayer of the Week honorable mention(Coaches are invited to nominate players by emailing Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com by 2 p.m. each Saturday)Josh Bailey, Sequatchie County: the sophomore linebacker turned in a 13-tackle performance in a loss at Grundy County and the showing included five lost-yardage tackles and a pair of quarterback sacks.Logan Meeks, Grundy County: 101 yards, 1 TD rushing, 85-yard kickoff return for TD, game-winning 2-point conversion catch in OT; 12 solo tackles, 4 assists, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack.Nick Tiano, Baylor: He accounted for 249 offensive yards, rushing for 125 and one TD and throwing for 124 and another score in the Red Raiders' win over previously-unbeaten Montgomery Bell Academy.
Blake Foster's city single-game rushing record had stood for more than a decade, but the Ooltewah runner's 2002 total of 359 yards was tumbled Friday night.
Alex Trotter ran for 374 yards and seven touchdowns to lead McCallie's 59-38 victory at Pope John Paul II. That record-setting effort earned the senior Times Free Press Player of the Week honors.
"They kept scoring, and we were just trying to stay ahead of them," McCallie coach Ralph Potter said. "We were up 17-10 at the half and got it to 31-10 and they caught back up."
Trotter was at his best, though. The 5-foot-9, 170-pounder exploded, obviously. Of his seven TD runs, three covered almost two-thirds of his total yards - 71, 80 and 73 yards.
"Gosh, I've never had anybody run for that many yards," Potter said. "This game was unusual because he broke several long runs but he ran the same way against Cleveland and McMinn County."
Trotter opened the season with a 156-yard effort against Cleveland and followed that with 156 against McMinn County so he now has 608 yards and 11 touchdowns on the season, and he and his offensive mates are averaging 50.7 points per game.
"Obviously, there had to be some things happen for him," Potter said. "The offensive line and our fullback (Matthew Brock) definitely got him to the second and third levels an abundance of times, and he has enough speed to take advantage once he gets behind the defense."
Trotter is a three-year starter but has been totally healthy thus far this season. A year ago he limped along much of the season with a high-ankle sprain.
"He was beat up some last, year but he really did a great job working out and getting prepared for this season," Potter said. "He's gotten faster and stronger and he's even a little more explosive."
Though somewhat undersized for a collegiate prospect, Potter believes Trotter will play at the next level.
"He's legitimately a 4.4 guy and he's been clocked under that at different times," Potter said of Trotter, a member of the Blue Tornado's state champion 4x100 relay team. "He's going to play college football somewhere. I don't have any doubt in my mind about that. He could be that speed guy in a lot of different offenses."
It is more than just speed, the coach noted.
"Alex is a classic kind of athlete that can return punts and kicks and he's a decent receiver. He also has really good grades," Potter said. "He's very strong - done a great job in the weight room - which allows him to break a lot of tackles. Too, he knows our offense. He knows where to run and what to expect so he anticipates things very well."
Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter.com/wardgossett.