Football isn’t a game only for big men, and Cedric Edwards is arguing that case every Friday night.
Soddy-Daisy’s slight-looking, 5-foot-11, 170-pounder threw his biggest argument on the table last week, rushing for 387 yards on 34 carries to earn Times Free Press Player of the Week honors.
“He’s been our horse for two years now,” Trojans coach Kevin Orr said. “We’re an OK football team but he’s a special package. When things are going bad he reaches down deep and either keeps us in ball games or wins them.”
His area best rushing effort to date came at least partially behind second-teamers.
“We shook some things up and fired every [starting] offensive lineman and put some kids in there. For almost two quarters we had guys in there that hadn’t started a game and he still got 160 yards,” Orr said. “We put the starters back in there and he got the rest so part of the credit belongs to the offensive line and part of it was just Ced. He has a sense for the big plays and the offensive line played well.
“There were times when there were holes and times when there was nothing, and yet he’s through [the line] and gone.”
The Trojans elect four captains at a preseason dinner and one of those elected was receiver/defensive back Talon Harris, who hasn’t play this season because of a shoulder injury. On Friday, Orr named Edwards as one of the four captains.
“He got a standing ovation from the entire team. He kind of teared up, and I guess it inspired him. I wish I could do it again next week,” Orr said.
Although he gained more than 2,000 yards last year and has now eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark this season, Edwards is getting very little attention from college recruiters.
“I guess it’s his weight, but the kid is quick and strong. He squats 560 [pounds] and his bench [press] is near 300 pounds. His highlight reel gets longer each week,” Orr said. “His grades have gone up every year, and his GPA is up to about 2.9. He’ll be a diamond in the rough for somebody because somebody’s going to sign him.”