12-31-2009, 09:18 PM
This kid I think is going to be at the same MS allstar game that some of the kids from KY are going to.
It would be easy to call Sony Michel just another high school hot shot - what with him rushing for 1,285 yards and 18 touchdowns while leading Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage to a 9-3 record.
But you can't: Sony Michel is only in middle school.
That's right, the leading rusher in football crazy Broward County was an eight-grader. Next month, he'll be on display at the second annual Football University Youth All-American bowl, Jan. 10 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
Sony Michel may be the best 8th-grade football player in the country.
"We feel that, hands down Sony, is the best eighth-grader in the country right now," FBU National Youth Director Erik Richards said.
It would be hard to argue.
Michel, 5-11, 187 and clearly still growing at age 14, has the speed to go with his size. He already has been timed at 4.47 in the 40. He uses his size and speed on every play.
"He doesn't run scared," Allen Michel, his older brother and guardian, said. "When he hits a hole, he hits it full blast."
Michel's coming out party came in his fourth game, when he ran for a season-high 281 yards against North Broward Prep. Michel got stronger as the season wore on, going on 150 yards in five of American Heritage's final six games.
And while American Heritage is a Class 2A school, Michel didn't struggle against the top teams. He rushed for 92 yards and a TD in his team's quarterfinal playoff loss to Glades Central, No. 72 in the final RivalsHigh Top 100.
"A lot of people didn't expect me to do things like this, but I really fought for it," Michel said.
He says he copies the style of Vikings star Adrian Peterson, whose poster is on his bedroom wall at home.
Those closest to him say the comparison holds true on and off the field. In the mold of Peterson, Michel prefers workouts to walkthroughs, even on the day of a game.
"(Peterson) goes hard every play and never takes plays off," his brother said. "(Sony) prides himself on it, running hard every play."
His play astounds observers.
"Everyone walks away saying the same thing, 'The kid can't be 14,'" Richards said.
Michel was the seventh-leading rusher in Florida last season - but he says he already has put that in the past.
"Most people want to reach the top, but I want to keep that goal," Michel said. "I want to leave a legacy. Like none of this happened, I'm gonna do it all over again."
If he can do it four more years, he may challenge Peterson's legacy as one of the all-time great high school running backs.
"I really think that Michel has that type of potential," Richards said. "If he continues to work hard, the sky is really the limit for him."
But first things first. The next big step for Michel will be graduation ... from middle school.
Free-lance reporter James Pallitto contributed to this story
It would be easy to call Sony Michel just another high school hot shot - what with him rushing for 1,285 yards and 18 touchdowns while leading Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage to a 9-3 record.
But you can't: Sony Michel is only in middle school.
That's right, the leading rusher in football crazy Broward County was an eight-grader. Next month, he'll be on display at the second annual Football University Youth All-American bowl, Jan. 10 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
Sony Michel may be the best 8th-grade football player in the country.
"We feel that, hands down Sony, is the best eighth-grader in the country right now," FBU National Youth Director Erik Richards said.
It would be hard to argue.
Michel, 5-11, 187 and clearly still growing at age 14, has the speed to go with his size. He already has been timed at 4.47 in the 40. He uses his size and speed on every play.
"He doesn't run scared," Allen Michel, his older brother and guardian, said. "When he hits a hole, he hits it full blast."
Michel's coming out party came in his fourth game, when he ran for a season-high 281 yards against North Broward Prep. Michel got stronger as the season wore on, going on 150 yards in five of American Heritage's final six games.
And while American Heritage is a Class 2A school, Michel didn't struggle against the top teams. He rushed for 92 yards and a TD in his team's quarterfinal playoff loss to Glades Central, No. 72 in the final RivalsHigh Top 100.
"A lot of people didn't expect me to do things like this, but I really fought for it," Michel said.
He says he copies the style of Vikings star Adrian Peterson, whose poster is on his bedroom wall at home.
Those closest to him say the comparison holds true on and off the field. In the mold of Peterson, Michel prefers workouts to walkthroughs, even on the day of a game.
"(Peterson) goes hard every play and never takes plays off," his brother said. "(Sony) prides himself on it, running hard every play."
His play astounds observers.
"Everyone walks away saying the same thing, 'The kid can't be 14,'" Richards said.
Michel was the seventh-leading rusher in Florida last season - but he says he already has put that in the past.
"Most people want to reach the top, but I want to keep that goal," Michel said. "I want to leave a legacy. Like none of this happened, I'm gonna do it all over again."
If he can do it four more years, he may challenge Peterson's legacy as one of the all-time great high school running backs.
"I really think that Michel has that type of potential," Richards said. "If he continues to work hard, the sky is really the limit for him."
But first things first. The next big step for Michel will be graduation ... from middle school.
Free-lance reporter James Pallitto contributed to this story