Pauls Valley QB is running wild
PAUL S VALLEY— Justin Humphrey takes pride in leading P au ls Valley's option offense.
The Panthers run most of t heir plays out of the wishbone, and the sophomore quarterback doesn't get many passing opportunities.
Humphrey is fine with that.
He enjoys carrying the ball and being physical with opponents.
“You just got to have that running back mentality,” he said. “Can't be weak against opponents or you're going to get hurt.”
Humphrey had one of the best games of his career Thursday, running for 300 yards and three scores on 24 carries. He also threw for 92 yards and a touchdown, leading Pauls Valley to a 35-13 victory against Madill.
For his performance, The Oklahoma n' s staff has named Humphrey its Player of the Week.
“It all kind of came together that night,” he said.
Despite being just a sophomore, Humphrey has solidified himself as one of his team's top leaders.
He's getting comfortable heading into the homestretch of the season and has already led Pauls Valley (4-3, 2-2 District 3A-2) to two more wins than what it finished with in 2019.
“He took over in Game 4 last year as our starting quarterback as a freshman and has gotten better every game that he' s played ,” P au ls Valley coach Dusty Raper said. “He's a great leader and plays really hard, is really tough. Our kids really respect him.”
Humphrey is a threesport athlete, starring in football, basketball and baseball. He dedicates countless hours to athletics.
“He plays A AU (basketball) all summer,” Raper said. “He's hooked up year-round with sports.”
The 6- foot -2,175pound Humphrey competes on both sides of the football and often makes as much of an impact while playing defensive back as he does on offense.
Against Mad ill (2-5, 1- 4), he had six tackles (one for loss) and a pass breakup.
With the win, P au ls Valley is one step closer to making its first playoff appearance since 2017.
“I feel like it' s going great so far,” Humphrey said .“Couldn' t have asked for a better season.”