Harry Green Athlete of the Week: Junior Smith

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — Junior Smith may only be a sophomore this year, but few quarterbacks, regardless of their age, have the ability to make the plays that Smith can.

His coach Austin Scott said that Smith’s talents help Robert C. Byrd’s success on the football field.

“It’s just what makes your offense go, and that is what we always thought. We need to put the ball in his hand. He can play other positions sure but in just putting the ball in his hands every play and knowing that he is going to make the right read is really what is going to set the tone for us and make us the best team we can be,” said Scott.

Putting the ball in Smith’s hands certainly paid off for Robert C. Byrd in game one . Smith had 250 yards on the ground, 56 yards through the air, and five total touchdowns on the way to his team’s 48-7 victory.

“For the most part, he made the best reads he can make and he read everything the right way. When he has the ball he can be really special,” said Scott.

His teammate Kobe Duarte said Smith’s running ability really helps out the team.

“It does in pretty much every aspect. If we are not open, then he is running it and he is scoring and that is good to have,” said Duarte.

Smith had some injuries and ups and downs in his freshman season, but he worked hard in the offseason to be better this year.

“I got stronger and I started playing smarter. I am just being myself and I made sure I worked harder at what I can be best at,” Smith said.

He is also making sure he is not only leading the team on the field. He is improving his leadership skills and just trying to have a positive impact on his teammates.

“It’s great. There are a lot of people looking after me and making sure that I can help everybody else. When I get down, the whole team gets down, so I try to keep my spirits up and do what I can. I love being a leader,” said Smith.

“I think Junior has taken a really big step mentally and throwing the football. He becomes more of a leader everyday and you can really see that he has improved in that aspect and that is what we need the most from him,” said Scott.

With many games left in his still early football career, Smith will continue to improve his skills on and off the field and try to lead his team to many wins.

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