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08-19-2011, 08:47 AM
J.J. Jude also looking for record
Posted on August 17, 2011 by Jody Demling
Johnson Central High School senior J.J. Jude doesnât get as much attention as some of the other high school football players in the state.
But the 5-foot-10, 190-pound Jude is set to start what could be a record-breaking season.
Jude has 5,515 career yards rushing and 50 touchdowns and is withing striking distance of catching former Fort Knox star Derek Homer for the top spot on the stateâs all-time career rushing list. Centralâs Anthony Wales starts the season 86 yards behind Jude.
As a junior Jude - who is also a star wrestler - had 3,258 yards rushing and 31 TDs for Johnson Central. He had 1,906 rushing yards as a sophomore.
Just like with the attention, Jude is also not getting the recruiting love like Wales. Jude has offers from Eastern Kentucky and Liberty. There are some other smaller schools looking.
Jude already has the state record for most rushing yards in a single game after he rushed for 584 yards against Woodford County last season.
Posted on August 17, 2011 by Jody Demling
Johnson Central High School senior J.J. Jude doesnât get as much attention as some of the other high school football players in the state.
But the 5-foot-10, 190-pound Jude is set to start what could be a record-breaking season.
Jude has 5,515 career yards rushing and 50 touchdowns and is withing striking distance of catching former Fort Knox star Derek Homer for the top spot on the stateâs all-time career rushing list. Centralâs Anthony Wales starts the season 86 yards behind Jude.
As a junior Jude - who is also a star wrestler - had 3,258 yards rushing and 31 TDs for Johnson Central. He had 1,906 rushing yards as a sophomore.
Just like with the attention, Jude is also not getting the recruiting love like Wales. Jude has offers from Eastern Kentucky and Liberty. There are some other smaller schools looking.
Jude already has the state record for most rushing yards in a single game after he rushed for 584 yards against Woodford County last season.
08-19-2011, 08:48 AM
Wales and Jude take aim at Kentucky rushing record
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/2...ext|Sports
One of the most storied records in Kentucky high school football has stood for 15 years.
In 1996 Fort Knox’s Derek Homer finished his career with 8,224 rushing yards, shattering the previous record of 7,090 set by Evarts’ Scott Russell. Since then four running backs — most recently Danville’s Kelvin Turner in 2004 — have passed Russell’s total but couldn’t quite catch Homer.
But the record is in serious jeopardy this year. Johnson Central’s J.J. Jude and Louisville Central’s Anthony Wales both enter their senior seasons with more than 5,400 yards. If both match their totals from last year, they’ll surpass Homer’s record.
“It’s a great honor even to have a place in the record book, and I’d really like to break it,” Jude said. “But it doesn’t really matter to me. I just want to do whatever it takes for my team to win, not play to better my stats.”
Wales admits he’d never heard of Homer before Central coach Ty Scroggins brought up the possibility of breaking the record. That came after last season, when Wales rushed for 2,994 yards. He had exited early from the Class 3-A championship game victory over Belfry, just 6 yards shy of 3,000.
“When I didn’t get 3,000, (Scroggins) was like, ‘We’re going to get you this record next year,’ ” Wales said.
The two running backs couldn’t have more different backgrounds or styles.
Wales plays at a school in downtown Louisville, birthplace of heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali. Jude plays at a school in Paintsville, located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and the birthplace of country singer Crystal Gayle.
Wales is all about speed, preferring to run past defenders. Jude is quick, too, but prefers contact.
Wales has scholarship offers from Louisville, Kentucky, Indiana, Cincinnati, Northwestern and Central Florida, among others. Jude has offers from Eastern Kentucky and Liberty.
But if all goes as planned, they could finish their careers together in the state record book. A look at both:
'Ace' in the hole
Wales earned the nickname “Ace” at age 6, when he impressed his coach for the California Jets in a youth league.
“It just stuck with me all my life,” he said.
He rushed for 485 yards and eight touchdowns as a freshman at Central before breaking out as a sophomore, tallying 1,950 yards and 31 TDs.
Wales said he had no clue he’d approach 3,000 yards as a junior.
“I was really just trying to get 2,000, and once the playoffs came I already had 2,000,” said Wales, who enters his senior year with 5,429 career yards. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ It was a good season.”
He has put on 15 pounds since last season and now weighs 181. If Central can reach the state final again — giving Wales 15 games if he stays healthy — he thinks he can surpass Homer’s record and put himself in the running for Mr. Football.
“My line this year is better than the one last year, and I think I’m better as a player,” he said. “Last year I was just going off speed, but now I have the power to get through defenders.”
Scroggins predicts Wales will get past Homer.
“If we play 15 games, I think it’s easy,” the coach said. “One team is going to shut us down, and we expect it. But he might get hot one night, too, and get a lot of yards there. I think it’s doable … but we’re not just going to give him the ball to beat the record.”
Then Scroggins remembered how last season ended for Wales.
“What we’re not going to do is leave him 6 yards short,” Scroggins said with a smile.
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/2...ext|Sports
One of the most storied records in Kentucky high school football has stood for 15 years.
In 1996 Fort Knox’s Derek Homer finished his career with 8,224 rushing yards, shattering the previous record of 7,090 set by Evarts’ Scott Russell. Since then four running backs — most recently Danville’s Kelvin Turner in 2004 — have passed Russell’s total but couldn’t quite catch Homer.
But the record is in serious jeopardy this year. Johnson Central’s J.J. Jude and Louisville Central’s Anthony Wales both enter their senior seasons with more than 5,400 yards. If both match their totals from last year, they’ll surpass Homer’s record.
“It’s a great honor even to have a place in the record book, and I’d really like to break it,” Jude said. “But it doesn’t really matter to me. I just want to do whatever it takes for my team to win, not play to better my stats.”
Wales admits he’d never heard of Homer before Central coach Ty Scroggins brought up the possibility of breaking the record. That came after last season, when Wales rushed for 2,994 yards. He had exited early from the Class 3-A championship game victory over Belfry, just 6 yards shy of 3,000.
“When I didn’t get 3,000, (Scroggins) was like, ‘We’re going to get you this record next year,’ ” Wales said.
The two running backs couldn’t have more different backgrounds or styles.
Wales plays at a school in downtown Louisville, birthplace of heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali. Jude plays at a school in Paintsville, located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and the birthplace of country singer Crystal Gayle.
Wales is all about speed, preferring to run past defenders. Jude is quick, too, but prefers contact.
Wales has scholarship offers from Louisville, Kentucky, Indiana, Cincinnati, Northwestern and Central Florida, among others. Jude has offers from Eastern Kentucky and Liberty.
But if all goes as planned, they could finish their careers together in the state record book. A look at both:
'Ace' in the hole
Wales earned the nickname “Ace” at age 6, when he impressed his coach for the California Jets in a youth league.
“It just stuck with me all my life,” he said.
He rushed for 485 yards and eight touchdowns as a freshman at Central before breaking out as a sophomore, tallying 1,950 yards and 31 TDs.
Wales said he had no clue he’d approach 3,000 yards as a junior.
“I was really just trying to get 2,000, and once the playoffs came I already had 2,000,” said Wales, who enters his senior year with 5,429 career yards. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ It was a good season.”
He has put on 15 pounds since last season and now weighs 181. If Central can reach the state final again — giving Wales 15 games if he stays healthy — he thinks he can surpass Homer’s record and put himself in the running for Mr. Football.
“My line this year is better than the one last year, and I think I’m better as a player,” he said. “Last year I was just going off speed, but now I have the power to get through defenders.”
Scroggins predicts Wales will get past Homer.
“If we play 15 games, I think it’s easy,” the coach said. “One team is going to shut us down, and we expect it. But he might get hot one night, too, and get a lot of yards there. I think it’s doable … but we’re not just going to give him the ball to beat the record.”
Then Scroggins remembered how last season ended for Wales.
“What we’re not going to do is leave him 6 yards short,” Scroggins said with a smile.
08-19-2011, 09:27 AM
Yes he can. Would love to see the record set by a Mountain kid. Good luck JJ
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