GLADE SPRING, Va. (WJHL) – Patrick Henry senior running back Camron Goodspeed’s plan on Friday night was simple.
“I just went out there and played hard again, like I’ve been doing,” he said.
What he’s been doing is wracking up yards and scoring touchdowns at will. Two weeks ago against Lebanon he carried the ball 28 times for 353 yards and five touchdowns.
“I just want to score,” he explained. “That’s all anyone ever thinks about is go to the endzone. That’s it.”
He did it five more times in a 60-7 win over J.I. Burton on Friday night. But, it’s how he did it that impressed.
“He scored in all three phases – he ran the ball hard,” Patrick Henry head coach Seth Padgett said. “You know, to have pick-six and he finally fielded a punt and scored on that – he had a huge game.”
Padgett said he even blocked well – it seems there’s nothing Goodspeed can’t do. However, it’s clear he feels most comfortable in the offensive backfield.
“I love running back – I always grew up playing running back,” he said.
At 5-foot-7-inches and 150 pounds, he doesn’t immediately strike fear into the hears of opposing defenses. But, that’s exactly how he likes it.
“A lot of people doubt, but it’s okay,” he said. “I just go out there and show them.”
“Every day I wake up and I’m like ‘they’re still doubting me,'” he smiled. “So, I just go out there and have fun and play.”
“I think it goes to show, it doesn’t matter the size,” Padgett said. “But, it matters what type of heart you have.”
The doubters aren’t the only thing driving Goodspeed in his final season in Glade Spring.
“Our season last year kind of motivates me,” he said. “How we lost to Grundy, you know. So, I just want to make it to state.”
Two years in a row, the Rebels have fallen short in the Region 1D championship game – one step shy of the state semifinals. But, this year, with Camron’s fine feet and a good push up front, anything is possible.
“We’ve been through everything together,” he said. “I think we can do it.”
