Cale Fulsom was a junior-varsity quarterback in Texas two years ago, but now finds himself one victory away from winning a state championship at Russellville.
Fulsom moved to Russellville before his junior season in 2015 from Fort Worth. He played on the JV team at Saginaw High School in Fort Worth, running the option.
The rise of Russellville's football program starts with Billy Dawson, a three-time state championship coach at Nashville. But Fulsom has put Dawson's winning plan at Russellville into motion, with the Cyclones advancing to Saturday's Class 6A state championship game against Greenwood at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
Fulsom's efficiency stands out, completing 65.7 percent of his passes (215 of 327) for 2,582 yards with 24 touchdowns and 7 interceptions, leading Russellville to an 11-1 record.
"He's a great player," Dawson said. "He's a great kid. That's what I love about him. He's a competitive kid who's had a fantastic year. He's a quiet leader. He's accurate. He does a nice job of running our offense."
Fulsom passed for a season-high 318 yards (22 of 28) and 4 touchdowns in the Cyclones' 45-15 rout of Benton last Friday in the Class 6A semifinals at Cyclone Stadium.
After practicing Wednesday at War Memorial Stadium, Fulsom said he was feeling good preparing for the final game in Class 6A this season.
"It's going to be an excellent experience," Fulsom said.
Russellville has won 11 games for the first time and is playing in its first state championship game. Fulsom has been a big reason why.
"It's amazing," Fulsom said. "It's great to lead the guys there."
Greenwood Coach Rick Jones has seen Fulsom play against the Bulldogs twice and has came away impressed each time.
"I love their quarterback," Jones said. "He can run it. He can throw it. He can run it enough to hurt you. He can throw it enough to hurt you. He's a very accurate passer. He doesn't turn the ball over. He takes care of it.
"He does a really good job."
Russellville trailed 21-3 at halftime at Greenwood on Oct. 14 in teams' first meeting. The Cyclones eventually lost 27-24 and Fulsom said they have to get off to a faster start Saturday night if they are to beat the Bulldogs.
"We need to play like we did in the second half and not in the first half," Fulsom said. "We started off really slow. It wasn't like us. We finally came around, but we lost by three."
Playing football in Texas was fun for Fulsom, he said. But getting an opportunity to play for a state championship is something he appreciates in his second year with the Cyclones.
"They put it really high up there," said Fulsom of fans' passion for high school football in Texas. "But the game is the same. You get out there and play."
Fulsom's high school career ends Saturday night in the central Arkansas home of the Arkansas Razorbacks. His coach believes he's got another solid performance in him.
"We hope it will continue for one more night," Dawson said.
Sports on 12/01/2016