Garrett Clay named Offensive Player of Year

Jan 17, 2011
by Mike Burke

CUMBERLAND — Two years ago when the brothers Clay, Dylan and Garrett, walked into Fort Hill High School as freshmen, head football coach Todd Appel realized he had something on his hands that most football coaches in America dream about: two football players who love to run track, and who are pretty darn good at both.

After going through the freshman ranks, the Clays began their sophomore season on the junior varsity team, before Dylan, a fleet outside receiver, was moved up to varsity. This past season, both brothers immediately established themselves as impact players for Fort Hill, with Dylan back at split end and Garrett playing the slot and halfback with some reps at fullback thrown in.

It wasn’t until the fifth game of the season in a 42-0 win over MATHS, however, that Fort Hill made one of two position changes — both, not coincidentally, involving the Clays — to reinforce its offensive identity, by making Garrett Clay the fulltime fullback.

The 6-foot-1, 177-pound junior responded that evening with two touchdowns and never looked back, helping the Sentinels to a 9-4 record and the Maryland Class 1A West Region title by leading the area in rushing with 1,434 yards on 187 carries (7.7 average) as well as in scoring with 20 touchdowns and 120 points.

While Dylan Clay’s move to halfback and quarterback in the wildcat formation later in the season was huge in the Sentinels reaching the state semifinals, where they lost to Dunbar 20-14, all things Fort Hill offense again evolved around the fullback, Garrett Clay, who on Sunday, Jan. 30, will be the recipient of the 2010 Morton W. Peskin Sr. Memorial Award as the Area Offensive Player of the Year at the 63rd annual Dapper Dan Awards Banquet.

“Most of the fourteen hundred yards he gained he gained from fullback; there’s no secret what we do,” said Appel. “So a lot of his yardage came after the fifth game all the way through the Dunbar game.

“You see him outrun people, but at Southern (236 yards, three touchdowns on 32 carries) he proved he can be a mudder. He can do those things. He can catch the ball out of the backfield. He’s a complete player.”

Clay, according to Appel, works hard and lifts weights “like it’s his job,” taking anything that can increase his competitive edge quite seriously.

“Garrett’s just a good, tough South End kid,” Appel said. “He’s got the square jaw and is a tough football kid, and he leads by that.

“He’s extremely competitive; you can see it in his body language, but that makes him successful. He’s just so highly competitive in everything. To be successful means a lot to him and he wants everybody on the same page.”

The Clays helped keep everybody on the same page in Fort Hill’s 47-21 Homecoming victory over Allegany, as they shared Offensive Player of the Game honors, combining for 223 rushing yards and four touchdowns.

Defensively, Garrett came up with an interception in what was then a close game and also blocked an Alco extra-point attempt.

“Both are extremely fast and they bring a different aspect to Fort Hill football that we haven’t had in awhile,” said Appel. “We’ve had speed, but not this many go-to kids with speed.

“Garrett’s a tough kid, too, with speed. He’s 175 pounds and plays fullback at Fort Hill, so that says a lot about his toughness. He can outrun players, but he’s not afraid of contact and he gets a lot of yards after contact.

“On the other side of the ball, he shows toughness too. He’s a big hitter on defense.”

As a safety, Clay rated sixth overall in the Fort Hill defensive system, with 19 solo tackles, 21 assisted, nine special teams tackles, five deflected passes and three interceptions.

“As a jayvee we knew he would be a good one,” said Appel. “Halfway through the season he hurt his ankle pretty bad; there was a broken bone in there, but he managed to play Little Homecoming.

“You can tell when a certain kid is a football player, when football is his number-one sport. Garrett loves everything about the game — what it stands for; the knock down, get back up. He’s been dinged up, but he never stopped performing. Against Dunbar that kind of hurt us, but if Garrett can walk, he’s playing.

“That attitude and those skills make all-around good football players.”

The 63rd annual Dapper Dan Awards Banquet will take place at the Ali Ghan Shrine Club. Dinner will be served at 4 p.m. and the program begins at 5 p.m. For ticket information, call The Original Sports Shoppe at 301-722-5490.