Corn Elder: 2012 Tennessean football player of the year
Dec 23, 2012
Written by
Chip Cirillo
The Tennessean
Father Ryan coach Bruce Lussier remembers a play against Ensworth?s freshman football team in 2009 that gave a hint of Corn Elder?s potential.
Ensworth quarterback Andrew Bowers broke his collarbone in that game, so the Tigers replaced him with Elder.
?(Ensworth) snapped it over Corn?s head, and he runs back 10 or 15 yards to go retrieve the ball,? Lussier said. ?We?re chasing him, and then he ends up going 60 yards for a touchdown. That created some space for him.?
Opponents have learned since then that giving Elder space is a big mistake.
The Tigers? tailback went on to lead his team to three straight Division II-AA titles. He is The Tennessean 2012 high school football player of the year.
?I think he?s as good a running back as I?ve been around, and I?ve seen a lot of them over the years,? said Lussier, a 39-year veteran. ?But he has other skills as well. He?s a tremendous punt returner. He can go out and play receiver. He does a great job for them at safety on defense, so he can do a lot of different things.?
Elder, a senior, rushed for 2,618 yards and 39 touchdowns this season. That gave him 6,361 career yards, ranking him ninth in state history.
He helped Ensworth (13-0) become the fifth school to win three straight titles.
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