Player: Mookie Collier Position: RB/DB Height: 5' 11" Weight: 159 lb Academic: Sophomore School: Bluefield

By BRIAN WOODSON

Bluefield Daily Telegraph

BLUEFIELD — His name is actually Latrell. He prefers to go by Mookie.

He has another moniker this week: Pocahontas Coal Association/Bluefield Daily Telegraph Player of the week.

Mookie Collier had a game to remember during last Friday’s 56-22 win at Woodrow Wilson, scoring three touchdowns in three different ways, all of which helped the Beavers build a 28-0 lead early in the second quarter.

He finished with 98 yards on nine carries, including a 53-yard run for a touchdown. He caught one pass, turning it into a 25-yard scoring play, and started the game on the opening kick by dashing 78 yards to put the Beavers on top to stay.

“I am truly honored and blessed to win this award,” Collier said. “I never thought about winning one. I was always hoping that I would one just like my brother did, but I am truly honored and blessed to win this award.”

Collier’s brother, Lykel, was a four-year recipient of the award while playing basketball at Bluefield, leading the Beavers to a pair of Class AA state championships.

Also a talented basketball player, Collier is looking to follow his footsteps in what will be his sophomore season for the Beavers.

Basketball can wait. It’s football season right now.

“It is kind of a tie,” said Collier, when asked for his sport of choice. “Whenever I am in that sport I give it my all, stay dedicated to it, and then over the summer I am in between both so it is hard to pick between them.”

It’s safe to say Woodrow Wilson would prefer the 5-foot-11, 159-pound sophomore stick to basketball after his performance on Friday.

“It was against a good triple-A school that has one of the top defenses in the triple-A,” Collier said. “We were able to put up the points and got what we had against them.”

Bluefield (3-0) traveled to Beckley last Friday for its first meeting with the Flying Eagles since 2004. It certainly didn’t take long for Collier to make a first impression.

How about the opening kick of the game.

“When I picked (the ball) up I just saw everybody coming and the next thing I saw Carlos (Reed) gave me a block and I cut back to the middle and I saw a big opening and I took it and it went on from there,” said Collier, who dashed 78 yards for the touchdown and an early 7-0 lead. “It was just my blocking, whenever I hit the hole I just try to run as fast as I could.”

After a pair of close calls in wins over Graham (28-21) and Princeton (35-21), Bluefield quickly turned this game into a runaway, with the defense stepping up right after his long kick return to give the Beavers the ball back.

“That gave us a big momentum going back on defense, getting us a stop and then got the ball back and pushed it down the field and I am pretty sure we scored again so it kept the momentum going,” Collier said. “The momentum was always on our side so it gave us that boost in the game.”

They did score when they got the ball back. Collier took the ball on a pitch, picked up some blocks, found a hole and didn’t stop until 53 yards later in the end zone with another score.

“It was a sweep play to me designed to go the outside,” Collier said. “I went to the outside, my wide receiver gave me a block, he shoved him outside and as soon as I saw that I hit the sidelines and it was just daylight from there.”

No one was going to catch Collier. With the possible exception of Reed — who has won the last two 100 meter titles at the state track meet — it would be hard to find many faster than Collier on the football field.

“It is an amazing feeling,” Collier said. “Whenever you know you see daylight and you see someone having to run after you, it is just like ‘man, you are really so fast.’”

He wasn’t finished. After Reed scored on Bluefield’s next possession for the 21-0, Collier did again, catching a pass from Jordan Smith and scampering 25 yards for another touchdown and a 28-0 lead.

“It was a wheel route to me,” Collier said. “He saw the defender, he was on the inside so he kind of made a back shoulder pass and I jumped and I caught it and I ran it on in.”

Suddenly, the Flying Eagles were four scores down, and Collier felt like the Beavers were in control.

“Whenever we started putting up the points I just saw that they weren’t really together,” he said. “We just kept scoring and scoring, they were just letting us really, it seemed like.”

Bluefield added two more second quarter scores to take a 42-14 lead into the break, using a mixture of run and pass plays.

“We can be really good on the running game and on the passing game,” he said. “If we can get that going that will be good for us because the defense will have a hard time trying to stop us.”

Meanwhile, Collier — who plays safety on defense — helped the Beavers limit the speedy Flying Eagles to just three scores, with the last one coming in the final minutes, as Bluefield finished off the 34-point win.

“It was the defensive calls and our coverages and then we ran our keys from there and we just stopped them from scoring,” he said.

Stopping Bluefield could be a problem. Ditto for Collier, who had 133 yards and a touchdown against Princeton, and ran for 104 yards and a score and also caught a touchdown pass in the win over Graham.

No wonder Collier is excited about what lies ahead for the Beavers, who are averaging nearly 40 points a game.

“I think we have some good things ahead of us if we keep working and working in the weight room, practicing hard, like it is just a game,” Collier said. “Whenever the game comes we give it our all and just practice how we have been practicing and I think we have a chance to winning all the games we are playing.”

Up next is a visit on Friday from perennial Virginia power Gate City (0-3), who are 2-4 against the Beavers since 2009, including three losses in a row, allowing Bluefield to score 51, 62 and 63 points in those games.

“Last year they were pretty tough players and they lost some players, but we can’t take them lightly,” Collier said. “They have got some speed, and good running backs, quarterbacks, receivers, a big line, we can’t take them lightly, they will be a handful.”

So will Collier, who picked up his unique nickname as a youngster.

“It was just a name my mom came up with when I was little because she used to call me ‘Mook’ and then just from there everybody starting calling me ‘Mookie’ and that has just been my name for a very long time,” Collier said. “They ask me what I would rather be called, Mookie or Latrell, I like Mookie because that is what my name has been for a long time.”

He grew up following the exploits of Lykel, who didn’t play football in high school, but was certainly a star on the hardwood.

“In basketball, like everyday I want to do what he did, achieve what he did, 1,000 points, but he won two rings, that is the really big thing,” Collier said. “He had an outstanding year his sophomore year. I am a sophomore so I am just going to try to do the best I can to be better than what he was.”

That sport can wait. He has plans for the Bluefield football team first.

“I am just hoping that we have an amazing year this year, win it all, have an amazing year next year, and go on from that,” Collier said. “Mostly just focusing in on this year and winning one and coming back to Bluefield with the ring.”

Collier is anxious for another shot in the playoffs and get rid of the memories of last year’s surprising 42-41 home loss to Ravenswood in the opening round of the playoffs.

“For me only being a freshman and playing a lot, and then coming back and being a sophomore and a starting running back, it is just motivates me every day that we can’t go down like we did last year,” Collier said. “It was 35-7 at the half, we can’t have that again.”

First things first, Gate City and whoever awaits after that one. Bluefield hasn’t been to the state title game since 2009. Getting back there, and winning it, is the goal ahead.

‘That is the only thing we have been thinking about, but we are going to take it one game at a time,” Collier said, “and hopefully we end up in Wheeling.”

bwoodson@bdtonline.com

/ Twitter @bdtwoodson

Player of Week Honorable Mention

Week 3

Bland County (27-6 win over Northwood): Dylan Jackson 20-124, 1 td; Colton Slaughter, 1 td catch, fumble return for td; Brian Arnold, 5-72 rush, 1 td / Alec Taylor, 43 passing yards, 1 td.

Bluefield (56-22 win over Woodrow Wilson): Jordan Smith 4-6, 103 yards pass 2 td, 3-29 rush, 1 td / Carlos Reed, 9-52, rush, 1 td, 3-78 catch, 1 td;

Jason Edwards, 6-82 rush, 1 td; Zac Springman, 8 extra points.

Graham (49-7 loss to Richlands): Jamorya' Cousin, 11-34 rush, 1 td fumble return / Roman Workman, 12-26-100 pass / Taymon Cooke, 4-56 catch.

Grundy (28-9 win over Lebanon): Christian Jackson, td on fumble return, td on interception; Daleton Anglin, 15-72, 2 td rush; Jacob McNutt, 16-82 rush.

Honaker (47-13 loss to Eastside): Avin Parrott, 9-136, 3 td; Bryson Bostic, 106 yards, rush, 1 td; Jordan Stout, 2 field goals (29, 26).

Hurley (36-12 loss to Shelby Valley): Brett Justice, 9-74 rush 1 td.

James Monroe (26-13 win over Summers County): Evan Beasley, 6-12, 158 yards, pass, 1 td, 13-46 yards, rush, 2 td / Grant Mohler, 17-48 rush 1 td / Landon Shires, 2-79 catch, 1 td / Connor Boothe, 3-63 catch.

Narrows (40-6 win over Montcalm): Cole Blaker, 9-13, 108 yards passing, 3 td / Chase Lawson, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 td catch / Bailey Snidow, 8-96 rush 1 td.

Princeton (35-21 loss to Martinsburg): Zac Standifur, 23-192 rush / Jordan Jones, 13-65, rush, 1 td / Christian Shafer 3-9, 68 yards pass, 1 td, 2-3 rush, 1 td; Tyler Whitt, 3-32 catch; Isaiah Edwards, led team with 6 1/2 tackles.

Richlands (49-7 over Graham): Nick Blankenship 14-86 rush, 2 td rush;

Austin Atkinson 3-78 catch 1 td / 2 interception, returned one for TD / recovered muffed kick by Graham; Cody Howie 4-90 catch, 2 td / John-Luke Asbury 12-16-241 4 td pass; Nick Barrett 7-7 extra points.

Summers County (26-13 loss to Jonroe Monroe): Matt Ryan 11-22, 113 yards pass, 14-50 rush, 1 td, 3-52 catch / Caleb Harrah 6-67, 1 td / Nathan Grimmett, 4-8, 60 yards pass, 1 td.

Tazewell (26-13 loss to Grayson County): T.J. Kitts, 80 yards-plus passing 1 td / 40 rushing yards.