Chase Reed struggled early but Boyd-Buchanan’s versatile senior — he also kicks, punts, catches and returns — has been on a 100-yard rushing tear since the Buccaneers’ 7-6 overtime win against East Ridge when he was held to 19 yards on 18 carries.
He hit a season high and the Bucs turned in their best all-round performance in a 54-6 District 5-A victory over Grace Academy.
“I thought we got on our blocks and stayed on our blocks a lot better than what we had been doing,” Boyd-Buchanan coach Grant Reynolds said.
For his effort, highlighted by a 279-yard rushing effort, Reed earned Times Free Press Player of the Week honors.
The 279 yards came on just 16 carries, giving him a per-tote average of 17.4 yards. He also scored four touchdowns.
“He is running this year behind some new guys, and I think he is starting to get accustomed to how they’re blocking,” Reynolds said. “A lot of the cuts he makes are based on how those guys are moving people around, and he made some really good back-door cuts.”
Reed might have been frustrated early but Reynolds said you’d never know it.
“He never complained. He just went back to work. He knows he missed some cuts and wasn’t seeing things exactly as he should have,” the coach said. “In his eyes he had what he’d say wasn’t a really good game the week before against Howard. He wasn’t hitting the holes, but he came back last week and worked on it and got it fixed.”
The senior has been the Buccaneers’ all-everything player but Reynolds and the coaching staff decided this past week to relieve him of extra-point chores.
“Sometimes as coaches we put too much on him, and we have somebody we’re comfortable with in Josh Antwine and that some take some of the pressure off Chase,” Reynolds said.
Reed is working not only to the Buccaneers getting back to the state championship game but also on a college football career somewhere.
“He worked hard in the weight room and added 12 to 15 pounds of muscle, and he didn’t lose any speed. He’s big enough to play somewhere if he’s in the right position. He’s still looking and keeping his options open, but he wants to play somewhere. He’s really good at kickoff and punt returns, and he has turned into a really good student the last couple of years,” Reynolds said.