Orange crush
Published 12:00 am Sunday, November 12, 2006
The Selma Times-Journal
That orange blur going down the sideline is a problem no defense can quite figure out.
It’s something his coach calls one of the best young players he’s ever seen, a kid that could score every time he touches the ball.
It’s evident 11-year-old Walton “Peanut” Young has a knack for playing football.
And that’s something his team could not be happier about.
“He’s the fastest, most powerful running back I’ve ever coached,” said Rod West, coach of the Broncos in the Selma recreation football league. West has been a youth football coach for 10 years. “He has really good peripheral vision. Lots of young kids run the ball from sideline to sideline. But he’ll hit the hole like it’s nothing.”
Young, who also lines up at tight end and safety, had scored 27 touchdowns before the Broncos faced the Bears in Saturday’s 9 to 11-year-old league championship game. He scored 25 touchdowns the year before.
This marks the third consecutive year the Broncos have played for a championship.
On just his second carry Saturday, Young ran for a 63-yard touchdown.
Young, who also enjoys playing basketball, says he loves the game and would like to play as long as he can.
“I think about winning when I run,” he said. “Winning is more fun.”
It’s not just that Young is faster or more aggressive than the other players on the field. He can literally run in a crowd without getting touched.
“See, I told you, didn’t I?” West said as his team walked off the field after the game.
After four quarters of play, Young had three rushing touchdowns and the Broncos had a 38-6 win.