REFORM, Ala. — Jermarcus Brown only needs a few seconds to rattle off the things needed to make a good running back.
It’s not surprising to hear the Pickens County High School senior mention vision, power, and ability to be coached as the first three items on his list because Brown showcased all of them in a record-breaking season.
Brown, who was named to first-team Class 1A All-State, also showcased two other ingredients — speed and escapability — that elite running backs need to have success. Those two skills were on display for all of the state of Alabama to see in Pickens County’s 38-18 victory against Maplesville in the Class 1A state title game at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Brown set a Super 6 record by rushing for 329 yards on 26 carries. His three touchdowns helped him set an Alabama High School Athletic Association record with 51 for the season and paved the way for the Tornadoes to record the first 15-0 finish in program history.
For his accomplishments, Brown is The
Dispatch’s West Alabama All-Area Offensive Player of the Year.
“That is what makes him so special. He has the ability to run past you, make you miss, or run over you,” Pickens County coach Patrick Plott said. “He just gets better and better, and he works at it. He does the different moves in practice because he knows they aren’t going to tackle him at practice, and I make sure of that. When he gets in a game, it is just routine to him.”
Brown’s record-breaking season featured 235 carries for 2,730 yards and 38 touchdowns. He also had 20 catches for 540 yards and seven TDs. He had 10 kick returns for 340 yards and two TDs, six punt returns for 58 yards, and one TD. As a defensive back, Brown had 35 tackles, five interceptions, and three TDs.
Brown said his ability to be coach is the one he takes most pride in. That skill isn’t as evident as speed or escapability, two things that were readily apparent against Maplesville. On one scoring run — Brown had touchdown runs of 2, 34, and 54 yards — Brown downshifted into second gear to change pace in an effort to avoid a defender. He quickly regrouped and recouped his speed and sprinted the rest of the score.
On another carry, Brown appeared to have nowhere to go with at least two defenders in front of him and the Pickens County sideline to his right. Instead of going out of bounds, Brown zig-zagged in between the defenders to gain more yards. The maneuver was a cross between a dance-step and a glide. Asked to describe the move more than a week after the game, Brown smiled and tried to describe how he pivoted and cut in a fashion that evoked memories for former NFL great Barry Sanders.
“It was just something I have grown up with,” Brown said. “I know when somebody is coming from your side up on you. I don’t look for the defenders when I run. I just see a reflection and I move from it because I know my teammates are running ahead of me or stopping behind me to see what I am doing.”
Brown said he has been polishing moves like that one ever since he was a running back in the third grade in the pee wee leagues. In fact, he recalls being scared playing football for the first time. He scored his first touchdown on an 80-something-yard run and went on to score two more, but he was still scared to get tackled. Once he realized it wasn’t as bad to get tackled as people said, he started to use his vision to see the reflections and make the moves to escape.
“I have grown up trying not to let people touch me playing football,” Brown said. “Even when I play tag football, I don’t want anybody to touch me. That is where I learned it, don’t let anybody touch you. In varsity football, that is the skill I have, so I try to use it.”
Interestingly, Brown thought basketball was going to be his sport. His thoughts about which sport would be his best changed in the pee wee leagues after he discovered he still could have success getting hit and tackled. Those thought don’t enter Brown’s mind these days, as he has grown confident in his ability to run past or through a defender. At 5-foot-11, 170 pounds, Brown isn’t the biggest back in the state, but the work of a solid offensive line helped him stay healthy and dazzle defenses with his speed and his power.
“I don’t really mind how big you are. If I have to get a first down and you are a foot in front of me, I am going to go through you,” Brown said. “Either you are going to take me back or I am going forward. It all depends on what I need. If I know I need a touchdown, I am going to put a move on you or go through you.
“I used to watch a lot of football players on TV, I saw a lot of running backs had different styles. I thought about putting them all together and trying to get better. I worked a lot on it in the weight room. Then I worked on my agility skills. Once I first ran somebody over in a varsity game, I realized you had to put all of this together. That is what I did.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam
Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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