Landon Ellis knew he needed to make a change.
But Ellis has no idea what he was about to ask of his body — or his tastebuds.
The sacrifice included hours of weight training and conditioning and plenty of eating appetizing things like chicken and steak and things like protein shakes that tasted a little better than liquid chalk.
Thankfully, Ellis” tastebuds survived and he was able to peel himself off the couch every day throughout the six- to seven-week ordeal.
Now everyone except Victory Christian opponents are enjoying Ellis” transformation.
Ellis rushed for 247 yards and three touchdowns and made a game-changing interception return for another touchdown to lead the Victory Christian football team to a 64-26 victory against Tabernacle Christian in the first round of the Christian Football Association playoffs.
For his accomplishments, Ellis is The Dispatch”s Prep Player of the Week.
“I didn”t want one man to be able to tackle me,” Ellis said of what he wanted from his workout program. “I wanted it to be at least two and make them have to wrap up and bring the team over there to bring me down.”
Ellis weighed 180 pounds at the end of last season. He said he wanted to get bigger, faster, and stronger to help the football team in his senior season and to improve his chances of continuing his football career in college, so he decided to work out with Scott Tolleson, who was a physical education teacher at the school, three days a week for six to seven weeks in the summer to change his body. On Mondays, he worked arms. On Wednesdays, he focused on his legs. Each weight training session included sets with heavy weights designed to strengthen his core.
On Fridays, he completed multiple sets of timed agility tests. Each training day lasted an hour and a half.
To fuel his workouts, Ellis drank three protein shakes a day and ate handfuls of protein bars and as much chicken and beef as he could.
“I felt like I was getting bigger,” Ellis said. “I was ready to come back to school to see if anybody would say anything and if anybody would notice. It made me happy because it felt like all of the hard work paid off.”
The people who didn”t notice a change in Ellis, who is up to 195 pounds, only had to wait to see him on the football field. It took only a few practices for Ellis” nickname to change from “Candy” to “Hard Candy.”
Ellis has reinforced that transformation with a more confident presence on the field. His strength allows him to run over people or to run past them. He did a little bit of both on both sides of the ball Friday night. His interception in the third quarter changed the momentum and allowed the Eagles to pull away. Ellis capped his evening with an 85-yard touchdown run. After the game, Tabernacle Christian coach Wayne Dabbs called Ellis and Victory Christian senior Tyler Jones the “two best athletes” in the CFA.
“They”re veterans, they have been in the system for a while, you can tell they have worked out, they”re big guys, and they understand the game,” Dabbs said. “They play with confidence because they know they”re bigger. I am sure their work ethic is terrific, they are good kids, and they want to be good at it.”
Victory Christian coach Chris Hamm said that mind-set fueled Ellis in the offseason, and it has set the example for the team this season.
“The team has benefited from his desire to make the next level, whatever that might be,” Hamm said. “He does a real good job for us at running back, receiver, and defensively.”
Ellis feels stronger and more explosive on the field. With one game to play, he feels he has met his goal of graduating from being a good running back to a superior running back.
At 7 p.m. Friday, Ellis will try to help the Eagles (8-0), the two-time defending CFA champions, add to their 30-game winning streak when they take on Tuscaloosa Christian in Cottondale, Ala. A victory would be a fitting way tribute to all of the hard work and sacrifice Ellis invested in the offseason to make his senior year special.
“It has been a big benefit. I really appreciate what Scott did,” Ellis said. “I am very happy I sucked it up, no matter how hard it was, and just went ahead and did it. I look forward to working out with him again this summer.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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