STEVENSON, Ala. – For someone who never previously had played running back, Lee Witherspoon is making the transition look easy.
Witherspoon, who transferred to North Jackson High School last spring from Birmingham, had played only receiver and cornerback at the varsity level at his previous school.
But in just three games the 5-foot-10, 190-pound Witherspoon has gained 635 yards on 26 carries – an average of 24.4 yards per carry – with 12 rushing touchdowns, plus both a punt return and a kickoff return for scores. He’s helped the Chiefs re-establish themselves as one of Alabama’s premier teams and put himself on the recruiting radar for several college programs.
Last week, against Region 7-4A foe DAR, Witherspoon ran 18 times for a school-record 334 yards and six touchdowns and returned a kickoff 80 yards for another score. His 414 all-purpose yards also set a school record in the Chiefs’ 75-41 win over previously unbeaten DAR.
That showing earned Witherspoon this week’s BMW Performance of the Week award.
“I’m getting more comfortable with my line now and how to time my cuts off their blocks,” said Witherspoon, who finished second in the state 100-meter dash last spring with a time of 10.85 seconds. “It was kind of an adjustment from where I had played, but once we started playing I was just like ‘Here we go. Let’s do this.'”
The Chiefs (3-0) ran for 583 yards, gaining 420 by halftime, and threw just one pass in last Friday’s win. The previous week, in a 77-0 win, North Jackson did not attempt a pass. Last Friday was the first time the defense allowed points, and the Chiefs have outscored their opponents 208-41.
Witherspoon has offers from Middle Tennessee State, Alabama-Birmingham, Troy, Arkansas State and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. At one summer camp he was timed at 4.38 seconds in the 40-yard dash.
“He’s the fastest kid I’ve ever coached,” Chiefs coach Mark Rose said. “When you look at how big and strong he is, at 190, to be able to break tackles and run that fast, he’s special. Once he clears and gets a step, it’s over – ain’t nobody catching him. It’s exciting every time he touches it.
“He getting better every week at knowing where the hole is going to be and anticipating where to make his cut. We’re as good up front as I can remember, but we were missing that home-run type back. But we’ve got one now.
“Tennessee was here two weeks ago to look at him. I think most of the bigger schools were thinking he’s going to be a corner just because they hadn’t seen him get to run the ball. I told them to give me a little time and I would have some game film of him running the ball to show them what he can do.”
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.