KHS ?Unsung Player? Wadley honored

Quadraiz Wadley wasn?t unsung around here. Everyone here knew of him after the first game of the season, when he ran for 389 yards and 5 touchdowns in a win over neighboring Crowley 49-24. But, Saturday night, NBC Channel 5 Inside High School Sports awarded him their first ever Unsung Player of the Year. {{more}}

 

2,511 rushing yards and 45 touchowns …

?This kid burst on the scene and caught everybody off guard including us,? said sportscaster David Watkins. Noting his elusiveness and breakaway speed that had amassed him 2,511 yards* and 45 touchdowns while averaging 10 yards per touch, Watkins said that the fact he had drawn only one scholarship offer so far this year, was what had won him their Wingstop Unsung Player of the Year award.

KHS Running Back Quardriaz Wadley (Wingstop’s Inside High School Sports)

Not noted in the program was the fact that he had another 319 yards in kick-off returns for a total of 2,838 all-propose yards.

 

Wadley, during the program, credited his success to his coaches and his teammates, whom he described as ?pretty awesome.?

When asked about Wadley, his coach Richard Barrett, who had accompanied him to the program, named his work ethic as the thing that stands out. ?He is very unassuming, very humble, always complimenting his teammates, but just hard work more than anything.? Adding, ?He is a coaches? player.?

 

thought about putting him at quarterback …

Barrett also said, ?At one point we looked at him at quarterback and thought that he might could do it, but after looking at him during preseason and the course of spring ball we decided that he would be best at running the ball. So I think we made a good decision.” (Never was there more of an understatement than that one).

KHS Athlete Director/Head Football Coach Richard Barrett (Wingstop?s Inside High School Sports)

Barrett, it was noted during the sportscast, had seen a lot of top running backs come through his program (15 years at Kennedale) puts Wadley up there at the top of list, but hesitated to name a #1. ?He is certainly in exclusive company with all that he has done.?

In an earlier sports interview when Wadley was nominated as one the athletes in the Built Ford Tough Texas High School Football Player of the Week Program, Barrett said of Whatley, ?Quardraiz is a team player who operates within the framework of our offense. He?s a very quiet kid who doesn?t say a thing, but when he gets after it in practice or the games, he?s a coach?s dream.?

 

all-around student athlete …

Wadley, a senior at Kennedale High School, is an all-around student athlete who while maintaining excellence grades, plays football, basketball (all-district last year on a 27-8 team) and is also a track and field athlete.

 

See the video clip here

*These are the official yards reported by Kennedale High School and may differ from those recorded by other news outlets.