Ohio RB hurdles one defender, runs over another only to have remarkable TD called back
First things first: L.J. Scott is an absolute beast. The Harding High (Marion, Oh.) senior and Louisville commit is ranked among the top-50 running backs in the nation by Rivals.com. Everything he does in the video you see directly below would indicate that his athleticism alone should qualify him as a leading member of that elite group.
As you can see, it wasn't enough for Scott to completely hurdle a Bowsher High (Toledo, Oh.) defender in mid-run. No, he had to hurdle one defender then completely dump truck another as he scampered into the end zone. The entire run was almost like watching an 18-year-old crash a pickup game between 5th graders.
The touchdown run covered 50 yards and briefly appeared to give Harding a 6-0 lead on the Presidents' Homecoming night.
Yet, the remarkable TD scamper didn't stand, for one simple reason that Prep Rally has reported on before: He hurdled a standing defender. Official rules in Ohio and a variety of other states hold that an athlete is not allowed to leap over a defender unless that defender is already heading toward the turf.
In this case, the unnamed Bowsher defender was standing at full height right in front of Scott. That wasn't enough to stop him in the traditional fashion, but just standing there ensured that the run wouldn't hold up.
"It looks good on film but you’re not allowed to do it unless a player’s all the way on the ground already," Harding coach John Brady told the Marion Star.
Given that the game remained tied into the fourth quarter, that impromptu hurdle began to loom as an even more costly decision. Eventually the Presidents got a touchdown on an 18-yard pass in the fourth quarter and held on from there, upsetting a strong Bowsher squad 7-0.
Now they can all look back on the night remembering both a happy conclusion and Scott's incredible run. It looks like Teddy Bridgewater suddenly has even more weapons to work with ... if he decides to spurn the NFL for one more season.
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