Rushing forward
♦ Rome High’s Jamious Griffin is honored by the Touchdown Club of Atlanta in the midst of a record-breaking senior season.
Rome High football has been making a lot of noise around the state this season. And one powerful reason behind that is the play of senior running back Jamious Griffin.
The four-year starter was given a special recognition Monday by the Touchdown Club of Atlanta, further adding to his list of outstanding accomplishments during his career as a member of the Wolves’ twotime Class 5A state championship team.
The Touchdown Club of Atlanta is a nonprofit organization founded in 1938 that honors the contributions of high school athletes, coaches and officials to the game of football. Each week during the regular season, TCA picks a running back, a lineman and a coach to honor during a luncheon held in Atlanta’s Buckhead district.
Griffin was awarded the Back of the Week award on Monday for his performance against East Paulding on Oct. 5 when he ran for 339 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries in a 62-14 Rome win. The night gave him the school record for most rushing yards in a game and the most rushing yards in a season, which he continues to build upon.
The North Carolina State commit was humbled by the experience of accepting the award, but his perspective on what he felt earned him the invitation was far more impressive than the explosive stat line against East Paulding.
“It’s nice to be recognized outside of Rome,” Griffin said. “It means a lot to me to get this award. You don’t get recognition without hard work, and even though I’m here receiving an individual award, I couldn’t have achieved this without my teammates. We put in the work together and got to where we are together. So, the way I see it, this is something else we earned together.”
The No. 1-ranked Wolves are in the hunt for their third straight state championship and are riding the wave of 36 straight victories. Behind a strong defense and piles of points, most who follow high school football wouldn’t bet against them taking home the hardware again.
“Jamious will be the first one to tell you that he wouldn’t be standing here today if it weren’t for the guys blocking for him,” Rome head coach John Reid said. “To receive this award you have to put up some really impressive stats, so you have to be an outstanding player to be in that room. But the fact that he appreciates and understands that he couldn’t achieve this without his team mates makes me proud to be his coach.”
Griffin has been a special talent since he took his first hand off for the Wolves in 2015, and his totals are staggering as he has amassed 6,545 all-propose yards and scored 103 touchdowns. He currently sits at 1,850 yards rushing and 26 touchdowns for this season with another regular season game and the 2018 playoffs still on the horizon.
As a key part of an offense that has been called one of the top units in the state, Griffin continues to make the going easier for his teammates. Their punishing assault often leads to a running clock in the second half and the star-studded first team getting a rest before heading to the locker room after the game.
His versatility gives his coaches the option to use his speed and power on punt returns, split out wide for a pass and between the tackles for the tough yards in the red zone.
Griffin’s parents Tyrone Griffin Jr. and LaBretha Griffin, along with his grandfather Tyrone Griffin Sr., accompanied him to 103 West in Buckhead for Monday’s presentation. The pride they took in his achievements was obvious, but both mom and dad credited his work ethic on and off the field.
“We have tried to motivate and support all of our boys and have just been blessed to see them succeed like they have,” Tyrone Griffin Jr. said. “Jamious has always been willing to put in the extra work you need to be successful and that work is why he is in this room today.”
Jamious has three older brothers who have all be standouts on the Rome High squad. Besides Jakolbi Griffin, Jaylen Griffin is a redshirt freshman linebacker at Virginia Tech while Ja’Quon Griffin is a first-year defensive lineman at Georgia Tech.
Rome, which secured its thirdstraight Region 7-5A title this past weekend after defeating Hiram 56-0 and improving to 9-0 overall with a 7-0 mark in the region. The Wolves will host Villa Rica on Friday night at Barron Stadium to close out the regular season.