Reid is Player of the Year
Published 9:50 pm Thursday, December 25, 2008
By Christian Malone
The Valdosta Daily Times
VALDOSTA — For the past three years, Greg Reid has pretty much done it all for Lowndes.
Reid has hurt teams with big plays on offense. He has hurt teams with big plays on defense. He has hurt teams with big plays on special teams. He has altered game plans just by stepping on the field.
He has played running back, receiver, cornerback, kick returner, punt returner and has even taken direct snaps in the team’s version of the single wing and thrown a few passes.
Ever since he first put on a varsity uniform for Lowndes High, Reid has been that rare player that seems to play on a different level from everyone else.
“Greg Reid is a great football player,” Lowndes head coach Randy McPherson said. “He’s a great kid, and a great team player. He does whatever you ask him to do. We’re blessed to have him. He’s one of the best players and hardest workers I’ve ever coached.”
Reid was chosen the state’s All-Classification Player of the Year this year, after having a big season in all three phases of the game — offense, defense and special teams. He also made the All-State team for the third consecutive year.
This season, Reid shouldered most of the load on offense for Lowndes.
He rushed for 1,242 yards and 16 touchdowns on just 118 carries, an average of 10.5 yards per carry. He caught eight passes for 234 yards (nearly half of the Vikings’ passing output) and two touchdowns. He set a school record when he ran 99 yards for a touchdown against Tift County. He had six touchdowns of at least 50 yards.
Reid stood out on defense as a shutdown cornerback, intercepting nine passes, returning one for a touchdown, breaking up four passes and making 28 tackles. All this despite the fact that teams generally did not throw his way very much.
Reid also had 267 yards in punt returns (with one touchdown), 85 yards in kickoff returns, 118 yards in interception returns (with a touchdown) and returned a fumble 102 yards (for yet another touchdown).
He had a total of 2,048 all-purpose yards this season, and scored 21 touchdowns.
His longest run this season was 99 yards. His longest reception went for 70 yards, on the first play of the game against rival Valdosta. His longest play was the 102-yard fumble return against Tift County.
He also had several highlight reel plays where he started one way, then changed directions and cut back across the field for a big gain.
“He started making big plays in his 10th grade year, and he’s been making plays ever since,” McPherson said.
He was the only player in Region 1-AAAAA to make All-Region this year on both offense and defense. For the second year in a row, the Region
1-AAAAA Player of the Year was a no-brainer.
In four years at Lowndes, Reid played on two state championship teams and three Region 1-AAAAA winners.
Reid was also All-State last year, when he rushed for 957 yards and 15 touchdowns, had 56 tackles and seven interceptions and tied a school and state record with a 99-yard kickoff return.
In 2007, Reid led the Vikings to their third state championship in four years. In the state championship game, he was clearly the best player on the field, rushing for 191 yards and two touchdowns, running in a two-point conversion, picking off a pass and blocking an extra point.
He set the tone for the game when, on the first play from scrimmage, he stopped on a dime, changed directions, and raced 91 yards for a touchdown. Lowndes defeated North Gwinnett 34-6 that night and celebrated a state championship at Martin Stadium, the Vikings’ third in four years.
In 2006, Reid earned All-State honors for the first time after making six interceptions.
Reid holds the records for longest run and longest fumble return in
Lowndes High history, and shares the record for longest kickoff return.
Reid has verbally committed to play for the University of Florida, his favorite team growing up, next year. He is rated the No. 15 cornerback in the nation by scout.com and the No. 14 athlete by rivals.com.
