Player: Zach Standifur Position: FB/LB Height: 6' 0" Weight: 190 lb Academic: Junior School: Princeton

By BRIAN WOODSON

Bluefield Daily Telegraph

PRINCETON — Zach Standifur goes to the movies before every football game. His vision last Friday was a blockbuster.

“I oftentimes listen to music and shut my eyes and I like to envision myself making big plays,” said Standifur, a junior fullback for Princeton. “I will call a play in my head, and I will run through it, ‘What would I do on this play.’ That is a pre-game routine.”

It ran to rave reviews on that night. Standifur ran the ball for 208 yards on 16 carries — including touchdown runs of 80 and 70 yards — in last week’s 35-12 win at Lincoln County, one week after rushing for 192 yards in a close loss to Martinsburg.

That is 400 yards in two weeks. He averaged 13.0 yards per carry in the win over the Panthers. He averaged 2.3 yards an attempt last season, running mostly straight up the middle.

“It’s been a great experience, I probably had two of the best games I have ever had in my whole career,” Standifur said. ‘It is just great to finally be able to be playing as a team and being able to make those big plays.”

Those plays were worthy for Standifur to be selected as the Pocahontas Coal Association/Bluefield Daily Telegraph Player of the Week.

“I feel great, I appreciate it, I am humbled,” Standifur said. “There are a lot of great athletes in the county, Bluefield and Princeton, I am truly appreciative.”

It was definitely deserved, but it isn’t just him. Just ask Princeton first year head coach Wes Eddy, who’s Tigers are 2-2, and currently tied for 19th in the Class AAA ratings.

“The last two weeks we have been running our trap play that we have run amazingly well,” Eddy said. “We have about three or four plays that go to the fullback in our offense, and we have been doing a great job.

“He runs those plays well. I am sure he will be the first to admit that he does have the vision and he has a lot of great ability and he does work hard, he does a lot of fitness stuff and he lifts, but I am sure he will tell you his guys up front are giving him a little bit of a crease to get through.

“When you do combine a kid that has vision and can run and is an athlete with some kids that block, that is one heck of a combination to have.”

It wasn’t just the 6-foot, 190-pound Standifur. Princeton also got production from Jordan Jones — who had 107 yards and three touchdowns against Lincoln County — and Kevin Phillips, who had 99 yards against the Panthers.

“I am just going to go out there and run the best that I can, run as hard as I can and we will share the ball and keep the defense from keying on one player and everybody makes big plays,” said Standifur, who’s previous rushing high was 110 yards last year against Hurricane. “It honestly comes down to what is open, whatever coach calls in the booth, we don’t have any hatred toward one another over who gets what ball, we really don’t care.

“It is whatever for the greater cause for the team, and what comes out to get the win at the end of the night.”

The offensive line played a role too. Those holes were really big.

“They open them holes and some of them, you can park a truck in, that plays a big part,” he said. “If you don’t have the holes you ain’t going no where.”

Princeton found themselves in an unexpected tussle with Lincoln County last week, with the winless Panthers leading the Tigers 12-7 with less four minutes left in the opening half.

That’s when one of those movies in Standifur’s head came to life.

“We had been running three yards per carry, we were struggling there, but that play just opened up and I saw the daylight and I hit it, and that really turned the momentum of the game,” said Standifur, who dashed untouched 80 yards for the touchdown, pulling Princeton ahead 13-12 at the break.

There was a flag on the play, but fortunately Standifur didn’t run that far for nothing. There was no time to be tired either, he also had to block for the extra point.

“It is a great feeling, you see daylight and no one is ahead of you and you hear the wind whistling in your ears all the way to the end zone,” said Standifur, who credits CrossFit and not having to play both ways every play for aiding in his physical conditioning. “I saw that flag, I turned around and I was very nervous, thought it was coming back, but I am glad it didn’t...

“Sometimes you get a little tired. I am on the extra point team so that is not very fun when your adrenaline is still going, but it is pretty easy to handle. We stay in pretty decent shape year round.”

Princeton, which had played its first three games at home, admittedly didn’t handle its first road trip particularly well.

“I feel like it wasn’t handled well at all honestly, we went up there and the kids were just being rambunctious and horse-playing on the bus and we can’t do that anymore,” Standifur said. “We have got to remain focused all the way on the bus ride up there.”

The second half belonged to Princeton, which outscored the Panthers 22-0, led by a pair of touchdown runs from Jones before Standifur got loose once again, dashing 70 yards for another score to complete the victory.

“It was very similar, I saw a kid coming from my left and he crashed down,” he said. “I don’t know if he thought I was going to hit him or what, and I just stepped outside and off to the races...

“We let them hang in the first half and we knew we had to come out there in the second half and we knew we had to pull away from them. I don’t think we really envisioned us having to do that, but when it came down to it, we were able to pull away from them and I believe that helped seal the deal.”

Football is different this season at Princeton, at least according to Standifur, who’s Tigers have had just one winning season since 2009, which was also the last time they played in the postseason.

“It is a completely different atmosphere, honestly we used to dread going over there every day and they have actually changed it around,” Standifur said. “You actually don’t dread practice, you look forward to going over there and making changes and making big plays.

“The offense is completely changed around. I couldn’t really break them up the middle last year. With this offense, we have more off-tackle plays and I just feel it gives me a better opportunity.”

Don’t think that Standifur is just a football player. He has a 3.6 grade point average, and has good reason to maintain that performance.

“I have always shot for As and Bs, and really anything under that is not accepted in my house. If I get really down there, I am not playing football,” he said, with a smile. “It don’t matter if I have a 2.0 or not, my dad will tell me you ain’t playing, you are hanging it up. That has always been a big thing.”

He’ll visit the movies again on Friday, when the Tigers visit Class AAA Buckhannon-Upshur (1-2). He’ll be envisioning big plays, wins, and even some postseason football in November.

“We are definitely excited. We want to win this Triple-A game more than any this year honestly because it puts up in the top 16, something that hasn’t been done here in six years,” Standifur said. “We are real excited.”

bwoodson@bdtonline.com

/ Twitter @bdtwoodson

Player of Week Honorable Mention

Bluefield (42-34 win over Gate City): Carlos Reed, 9-160, 1 td (60) rush; Mookie Collier, 9-151, 4 td (46, 63, 8, 18) rush; Jason Edwards, 84 yards, 1 td (48) rush.

Giles (42-6 win over Narrows): Brian Mann, 6-75 4 td (19, 9, 9, 25) rush; Brandon Chapman, 127 yards rush; Max Riley, 6-for-6 extra points.

Grundy (46-44 win over East Ridge): Jacob McNutt, 24-210, 5 td (7, 45, 20, 5, 7) rush: Daleton Anglin, 20-229, 1 td (43) rush.

Honaker (45-0 win over Holston): Bryson Bostic, 2 td runs (19, 4) / 1 td pass (64): Jordan Stout, 6-6 on EP, FG good from 28

Hurley (32-6 win over Castlewood): Brady Justice, 18-134 3 td (22, 4) / 87 kick retun for td

James Monroe (49-7 win over PikeView): Evan Beasley, 6-75, 3 td (45, 15, 5) rush / 7-8-169, 2 td (25, 42) pass; Grant Mohler, 11-64, 1 td (26); Devin Johnson, 11-73 rush; Tyler Moore, 4-124 1 td (42) catch; Landon Shires, 3-53, 1 td (25) catch; Connor Boothe, 2 interceptions; Tripp Shiflet, 11 tackles.

Montcalm (52-6 win over Phelps): Marcus Mitchell, 75 rush / 80 kick return for td / returned int for td (66) / 1-5 catch; Colton Egnor, 132 yards, 1 td rush; Trevor Poynter, 2-37, 1 td rush, 2-19, 1 td catch.

Mount View (42-8 loss to Liberty): Joseph Hayes 14-112, 1 td (23) rush; Jaquane Imes, 2-72 catch; Elijah Collier, 71 yards pass

Narrows (42-6 loss to Giles): Cole Blaker, 8-16-1 int, 96 yards 1 td (17) pass.

PikeView (49-7 loss to James Monroe): Joe Jennings, 13-89 rush; Ty Hoston, 10-44 rush.

Princeton (35-12 win over Lincoln County): Jordan Jones, 8-107, 3 td (1, 49, 4) rush / 9 tackles, 1 int / 1-4 catch; Kevin Phillips, 5-99 rush; Tyler Whitt, 9 tackles.

Richlands (47-7 win over Wise Central): Nick Blankenship, 15-128, 2 td (1, 1) rush / 1-10 catch; John-Luke Asbury, 14-20-149 yards, 2 td (18, 1); Bryce Farris, 5-34 yards catch; Cody Howie, 4-35 2 td (18, 1) catch; Austin Atkinson 3-45 catch; Chace Collins, int return for td (70), 1-34 catch.

Summers County (29-6 over Wyoming East): Matt Ryan, 12-204, 3 td (5, 2, 84) rush; 8-11, 124 yards, 2 td (18, 35) pass; Caleb Harrah, 2-58 1 yd (35) catch; Nathan Grimmett, 4-41 catch

Tazewell (41-28 win over Chilhowie): Josh Hayes, 16-150, 2 td (2, 21) rush; T.J. Kitts, 14-100, 2 td (27, 35) rush; Zach Hurley, 13-78, 1 td (2) rush; Nick Hale, 14-116, 1 td (4) rush.

Wyoming East (39-6 loss to Summers County): Uriah Adkins, 19-121, 1 td (70) rush.