By BOB REDD

Bluefield Daily Telegraph

LINDSIDE — For James Monroe’s Grant Mohler, football is all in the family. Mohler’s older brothers Ike and Jackson played for the Mavericks and as a youngster he relished in watching their gridiron antics. His father, Rod, was also instrumental in the young Mohler’s passion for the game.

Friday night against the No. 4 Bluefield Beavers, Mohler carried the ball 20 times for 160 yards and the freshman earned Pocahontas Coal Association/Bluefield Daily Telegraph Player of the Week honors.

“I just went out there and tried to do what I could,” Mohler said. “The line really helped out too. They made sue they got their assignments and that opened the holes for me and I ran as hard as I could.”

The Mavericks lost the game to Bluefield, but Mohler’s yardage did not come during mop-up time.

“A lot of what he did was prior to substitutions,” said JMHS head coach John Mustain. “Grant is really good reading blocks and has good vision and he’s got deceptive speed. He doesn’t have the speed the Bluefield kids do, but he’s got good enough speed, to go along with vision, that makes him a pretty effective running back.”

Mustain, in his second year holding the reins of the Mavericks, said Mohler had to prove himself when preseason drills got underway.

“I tell people all the time I’m from Missouri, you have to show me,” Mustain said with a laugh. “When he came in I was a little bit skeptical of a freshman. At firs we had designs to put him at a safety and he showed us a lot there. As time went, he really didn’t carry the ball much against Greenbrier East, but as time went we began to see more and more out of him.”

Mohler’s football career began as a flag football player in Peterstown. He them moved to a tackle league in Union before joining the squad at Mountain View Middle School as a sixth grader.

“I’ve just always loved the sport of football,” Mohler said. “It was not until this past winter that I got into the weight room real hard, trying to lift a bit, get a little bigger for high school. I’ve just always liked football.”

While many young athletes have role models who play on the collegiate level or in the NFL, Mohler turns to his family for inspiration.

“It was exciting watching them (Ike and Jackson) play on Friday nights. I was real young when they were playing. I looked up to them and they were my mentors,” Mohler said. “My dad really taught me almost everything I know. I mean the smallest tricks there were, how to get a harder hit on the opponent, whatever it was. Dad is always trying to help me out.”

Asked about the biggest difference between middle school and high school play, Mohler said, “It’s a lot different, that’s for sure. The game is a lot faster, a lot harder hits. I’m not going to out-run everybody like I used to. My first game against Greenbrier East it took me a while to et up to pace, but eventually I got to where I needed t be.”

Off the field Mohler said he likes to hang out with all his buddies and have a good time. A baseball player also, he hopes to be on the diamond for the Mavericks come springtime. He also has another plan for the football off-season.

“I hope to get a little stronger and I hope to get faster,” Mohler said. “Being a little faster will help a lot.”

Mohler and James Monroe wrap up their season Friday night against Princeton.

— Contact Bob Redd at bredd@bdtonline.com, Twitter @bdtredd

Player of the Week Honorable Mention

Bland County (48-8 loss to Galax): Dylan Jackson, 69 yards rush; Mason Christian, 44 yards, 1 td rush.

Bluefield (def. James Monroe 39-11: D.J. Stewart, 158, 1 td rush; Corey Coppola, 18-149, 3 td rush.

Giles (def. Floyd County 48-12): Brett Whitlow, 1 td rush, 1 td interception return; Brian Mann, 90 yard td rush, 1 td pass; Dean Taylor, fumble return for td.

Graham (def. Fort Chiswell) 25-22: Israel Harris, 20-113, 1 td rush, 152 all-purpose yards, 8 tackles; Kyshon Lee, 17-77, 1 td rush, 9 tackles; Taymon Cooke 3-57, 1 td catch, 8 tackles, 1 interception; Roman Workman, 74 yards, 1 td pass, 22 yards, 1 td rush, 8 tackles, 1 tackle for loss.

Narrows (lost to Grayson County 28-12): Jackson Blankenship, 137 yards, 1 td pass.

PikeView (lost to Nicholas County 45-6): Ty Hoston, 16-80 rush;

Richlands: (def. Lebanon 34-14): Griffin McCauley, 19-183, 2 td rush; Bryce Farris, 3-56 catch; River Michaels, 120 yards, 1 td pass, 1 td run.

Tazewell (lost to Abingdon 21-0): Nick Blankenship, 62 yards rush; Malik Davis, 94 yards pass.

2014 Season Winners

Week 1: Corey Coppola, Bluefield

Week 2: Malik Davis, Tazewell

Week 3: Nick Blankenship, Tazewell

Week 4: Cody Howie, River View

Week 5: River Michaels, Richlands

Week 6: Brett Whitlow, Giles

Week 7: Jay Palmer, Princeton

Week 8: D.J. Stewart, Bluefield

Week 9: Kyshon Lee, Graham

Week 10: Grant Mohler, James Monroe