LITTLE ROCK — Basketball star Rashad “Ky” Madden normally grabs the headlines at East Poinsett County, but Friday night belonged to a football player.
A.J. Turner, a junior wide receiver/middle linebacker at Class 2A EPC, earned the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Feat of the Week after scoring 38 points in a 72-24 victory at Salem.
Turner ran 4 times for 79 yards and 3 touchdowns, caught 2 passes for 129 yards and 2 touchdowns, had a twopoint reception and returned an interception 30 yards for another score.
“You sit down and look at it and he touches the ball eight times, basically, and he scores on seven of them,” Warriors Coach Brian Weathers said. “It was incredible.”
Turner, 6-3, 185 pounds, is also a basketball player at EPC and a teammate of Madden, a nationally coveted senior guard who orally committed last month to Arkansas.
“That Friday night, he definitely was the man,” Weathers said of Turner.
Turner had touchdown receptions of 72 and 54 yards and scored on runs of 11, 11 and 46 yards.
The 72-yard reception, which came on a hitch screen at the line of scrimmage, may have been Turner’s most eyecatching play, Weathers said.
“He just fought off the first defender and then outran three more,” Weathers said. “He had a little bit of strength there and speed.”
Weathers also praised Turner for his play on special teams and defense.
The coach said Turner “de-cleated” a player whilemaking a tackle on one kickoff return, a hit so thunderous that it could be heard on the game tape players viewed Monday.
“The whole team was like, ‘Oh!’ ” Weathers said. “It was just one of those moments. He got after it Friday night.”
Of Turner’s 12 tackles, four were for losses.
“He filled the lanes at middle linebacker as good as he has all year,” said Weathers, a 1995 EPC graduate who is in his second season as the school’s head coach. “Then, of course, there was the interception return for the touchdown.
“It was one of the best single-game performances I’ve ever seen.”
HIGH SCHOOL COACHES Call us Please call the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette with football game reports before 10:30 p.m. each Friday night this fall.
In Northwest Arkansas, call 1-888-223-9846 or (479) 365-2969. In other parts of the state, call 1-800-272-4650 or (501) 378-3411.
We need records, score by quarters, scoring plays and top rushing, passing, receiving and defensive performances.
The Democrat-Gazette also will publish statistics each Friday throughout the regular season.
E-mail statistics to: [email protected]A.J. Turner glance SCHOOL East Poinsett County YEAR Junior POSITION WR/MLB OPPONENT Salem CARRIES 4 YARDS 79 TDS 3 RECEPTIONS 2 YARDS 126 TDS 2 TACKLES 12 INTERCEPTIONS 1
Sports, Pages 20 on 10/27/2010