Player: Brady Justice Position: RB/LB Height: 6' 0" Weight: 185 lb Academic: Junior School: Hurley

By LLOYD COMBS

for the Daily Telegraph

HURLEY, Va. -— His coach calls him a special kid on and off the field.

He definitely has a special talent on it.

Hurley junior running back Brady Justice ran for 272 yards and four

touchdowns to lead the Rebels to a wild, 48-46 win over Buchanan County rival Grundy last week, making him the Pocahontas Coal

Association/Bluefield Daily Telegraph Player of the Week.

Justice modestly shrugs off claims that he carried Hurley to victory

last week, even in the second half when injuries to three starters, including quarterback Zack Lester, left the Rebels scrambling.

"All the boys, from the offensive line down to the wide receivers, gave it everything they had," Justice said. "They refused to lose and with their efforts, things just fell in place for me. We knew how it would feel if we woke up the next morning with another loss on our record.

"With three starters out our backs were against the wall and we had players that had to step up and fill big shoes and did they ever. We had some guys playing out of their regular positions, just whatever the team needed and they stepped up to the test."

Justice stepped up in a huge way with 169 rushing yards in the second half, after Grundy rallied from a 28-12 deficit to tie the contest at halftime. His 88-yard touchdown run in the third quarter was a critical play and he capped his big night with a game-winning two-point conversion run with 4:10 remaining.

"Brady is a special kid who works hard on the field and off the field," Hurley coach Greg Tester said. "He trains hard in the weight room and during track season working on his speed. Most backs have a certain attribute such as speed. power or quickness. Brady has all of that. He can run by you or run you over.

"Brady is 6-0, 190 and is a legit 4.5 forty. We've been fortunate up to this point to have other backs to help him carry the load. After the injuries Thursday night he carried us when everybody in the stadium knew he was getting the ball. He never had to prove his leadership to me, but Thursday night proved it to everyone else."

Justice may not carry the team, but he carries a very big load. He has rushed for 903 yards on 94 carries through six games. Again, he prefers to spread the credit around.

"The entire offense plays every down like it's their last. We work as hard as any team and we truly love the game," he said. "It's very hard to key on one person in our offense and we have playmakers all across the field to back it. They give it their all on the field and we play as a family."

Justice does acknowledge he has worked hard to develop his God-given talents to be successful in a sport he loves.

"I had a really good off season in the weight room and running track. I added a lot of strength, speed, and size," he added. "The rest just comes natural as far as vision on the field and making moves.

"I feel like I work as hard as any kid has and it has paid off. Football is my true passion and my top priority. I knew I had to step up even more this year to get where we want to go and I feel like we're on the way."

Player of Week Honorable Mention

Bland County (27-26 loss to Narrows): Brian Arnold, 16-84 rush, 4-72 catch; Isaiah Boyd 18-48,1 td (5) rush; Colton Slaughter 8-35, 2 td (5 ,1), fumble recovery; Alec Taylor 5-9, 1 int, 76 pass.

Giles (16-14 loss to Glenvar): Brian Mann, 24-55 1 td (1) rush / 3-9, 66, 1 td (53) pass / Patrick Beidleman 6-26 rush, 2-70 1 td (53) catch

Graham (59-14 win over Grayson County): Jamorya' Cousin, 11-152, 4 td (51, 6, 36) rush / fumble recovery for td (64); Roman Workman 6-13, 73 yds, 2 td (15, 30) pass; Logan Surface 7-7 EP, 36 field goal.

Grundy (48-46 loss to Hurley): Christian Jackson 5-140 yards, 3 td (37, 50, 7) catch / 1 two point catch; Cole Street 229 yards passing, 3 td (37, 50, 7) pass; Dale Anglin, 94 yards, 1 td (3) rush; Jacob McNutt 87 yards, 2 td (34, 11) rush

Honaker (28-0 loss to John I. Burton): Avin Parrott, 12 tackles

Summers County (13-9 over Independence): Matt Ryan, 22-126 2 td (1, 55) rush / 1 int on defense / 9-20, 112 pass / Caleb Harrah, 3-46 catch

James Monroe (28-20 win over Westside): Grant Mohler, 27-129, 1 td (76) rush / Evan Beasley 12-63, 1 td (4) rush, 6-9-1 int-140 yards, 2 td (10, 36) pass/ Conner Boothe, 2-86, 1 td (26) catch.

Narrows (27-26 win over Bland County): Cole Blaker, 6-11, 109, 2 td (9, 48) pass / 14-54 rush / 1 int on defense / Landon Neal 3-79, 1 td (48) catch / fumble return (6) for td / Blaize Hopkins, 12-40, 1 td (8) rush, 1 two-point conversion run.

Richlands (48-7 win over Tazewell): John-Luke Asbury, 14-21, 203 yards, 4 td (29, 7, 35, 20), completed first 12 passes of game / Nick Blankenship, 16-82, 1 td (3) rush / Cody Howie, 4-70 catch, 1 td (82) kick return

River View (6-0 OT over Montcalm): Chance Stone, 26-105, 1 td (8) rush.

Tazewell (48-7 loss to Richlands): Josh Hayes, 18-74, 1 td (1) rush

Wyoming East (21-7 over PikeView): Uriah Atkins, 22-100 1 td (30) rush / Alec Lusk 9-40 1 td (16) rush.

2015 Honorees

Week 1: Evan Beasley, James Monroe

Week 2: Brian Mann, Giles

Week 3: Mookie Collier, Bluefield

Week 4: Zach Standifur, Princeton

Week 5: Matt Ryan, Summers County

Week 6: John-Luke Asbury, Richlands

Week 7: Brady Justice, Hurley