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Two former KHS Wildcat football standouts, both in their college senior year, one at University of Texas at El Paso University (UTEP) and the other at San Diego State University (SDSU), are on a watch list for possible separate national honors. {{more: continue ?}}SDSU Running Back Juwan Washington (KHS Class of 2015) and UTEP Running Back Quadraiz Wadley (KHS Class of 2016) have been put on the watch list for the Maxwell Award ?College Player of the Year? and the Doak Walker Award ?National Running Back of the Year? respectively.?both left their imprint on Kennedale football …?
Although they are both listed as seniors this year, Washington was red-shirted one year and is actually one year older. Besides sharing the same high school, they both helped lead Kennedale football to back-to-back undefeated season, a 12-1 record and a third-round playoff finish, a first for Kennedale.Both were standout runners for Kennedale. Washington in three years as a starter for the Cats accumulated 5,139 yards, averaging 9.5 per carry and had five 300+ yard games. In his senior year, he scored 39 TDs and ran for 2,695 yards. In fact, when he graduated, it seemed to leave a void at running back that didn?t seem could or would be filled any time soon.Actually, it was ably filled the next year by Wadley. Quardraiz Wadley (KHS Class of 2016), was one of those magical shooting stars for the Wildcat football program. Not that he was there suddenly and then flamed out in one night. No, he was a player who seemingly came out of nowhere and became one of the biggest stars of the season in his last year at Kennedale High School.Wadley who transferred into Kennedale HS in his sophomore year and sat on the bench behind Washington his junior year, ran for 2,511 yards and 45 touchdowns in 13 games along with 2 games of 380+ yards in his senior year.?success at the collegiate level …??Juwan went on to play for San Diego State after getting the attention of a number DI schools such as Arkansas, Baylor, Brigham Young, Duke, Kansas State, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, TCU and USC, among others. After several year of sitting behind San Diego greats Donnel Pumphrey (2,133 in 2016) and Rashaad Penny (2,248 in 2017), Washington is set to start this year. Not that he hasn?t been busy. He has 27 touchdowns (23 rushing, three kick return, one receiving) over his last 29 games. He was All-Conference Honorable Mention last year, ranked third on the team in kick returns for touchdowns and ranks 8th all-time at SDSU in kick-returners.
After his senior year, Wadley was named Texas’ 4A Offensive Player of the Year, while being named to the Associated Press Class 4A All-State football first team and was listed as a three-star recruit on scout.com. He later signed with UTEP and played in 10 games as a freshman. He was injured in his sophomore year but still played in four games. Last year, he started in 10 of 12 games and led UTEP in rushing yards while scoring 8 TDs.
?Finalists will be named in November/December with awards made after the season ends.??
