Published: November 03, 2009 11:38 pm      

Westside’s Whitten a legit Kennedy Award candidate

Travis Whitten has accounted for 37 touchdowns and 2,487 total yards of offense for Westside so far.

The Renegades are 9-1 and rated No. 4 in Class AA.

That’s why the senior running back is one of the leading candidates for the Kennedy Award, given to the top prep football player each season by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association.

“The kid is unbelievable,” Westside coach Darren Thomas said. “If ever there was an example of hard work and determination, it would be Travis Whitten. He’s a super kid. Plus, he’s a straight-A student.”

Whitten’s statistics through 10 games are amazing: 172 carries, 2,044 yards for an 11.9 yards-per-carry average. Getting into the end zone? Not a problem. Twenty-five rushing touchdowns, eight receiving TDs and four kick return TDs.

Adding to his reputation as a complete back, Whitten also has caught 14 passes for 443 yards, a whopping 31.6 yards-per-catch average.

“He’s having an outstanding season,” Thomas added. “It all comes from his hard work. In the offseason, he stays in the weight room.”

The coach summed it up simply.

“If there’s a better back, I want to see him. I’ve been coaching in this area since 1990, and there’s not too many (players) as good as this kid.”

Whitten’s huge numbers have received a lot of attention. But they could have been even bigger.

“Look at the stats he’s put up,” Thomas said. “He had a few games when he only had seven carries. If we wanted to (add to his statistics), it would have been easy. But we wanted to get some other kids some playing time. And that’s paid off for us.”

Whitten recorded fewer than 20 carries in six of the 10 games and still posted big yardage.

Whitten is beginning to garner attention in the recruiting scene.

“I know Marshall is interested,” Thomas said. “Wake Forest talked to him and came up to see him. All of the (West Virginia) Conference teams are interested. He ran a true 4.5 40 (yard dash) at the Marshall combine in the summer. They like his work ethic.”

At just 5-foot-10, 175 pounds, Whitten shows incredible strength.

“His bench press is at 300 pounds,” Thomas said. “He’s a weight-room fanatic.

“After spring ball, we knew we had something special in him this year. He started to come on for us in the last four games last year. He just has an extra gear this year.”

Class AA No. 4 Westside (9-1) completed its season last week with a 43-6 victory over then-Class A No. 8 Iaeger. The Cubs (7-2) dropped to No. 11 with the loss.

It was a typical day for Whitten, who scored five touchdowns. His numbers? Sixteen carries for 214 yards and three TDs. All of his TD runs were dialed in from long distance — 50, 27 and 57 yards.

Whitten also dazzled on special teams with two kick return touchdowns, including an 80-yarder to open the contest and a 72-yarder in the fourth quarter.

Westside is riding a seven-game win streak. The Renegades dropped a 20-14 decision to Class A co-No. 2 Man on Sept. 11 for their only loss of the regular season.

With a No. 4 rating, Westside is sitting in a good position to go far in the playoffs, with a bye week this week.

“We’re happy with our rating,” Thomas said. “We’ll use this week to get our kids healthy. We have three or four of them banged up. We need to get some rest, but still stay conditioned. We’re just tickled to death to be where we are.”

The Renegades’ offense has been explosive, posting 47, 55, 35, 48, 62, 15, 56, 36 and 43 points in their nine wins, an average of 44 points per victory.

It’s been an up year for a team that didn’t even make the playoffs last year.

“The last year we went (to the playoffs) was 2004,” Thomas said. “We haven’t made it since.

“The kids have worked hard. Each year they’ve been getting better. I can’t find a better group than the kids we’ve had this year. The last three years have paid off. I’m happy for the kids. They started out together as freshmen, stuck together and improved each year.

“For an old coach, it gets my energy flowing too,” Thomas admitted. “It’s been a pleasure. The game has been a lot more fun for me this year.”

— Email: jworkman@

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