Tyler Walker’s (13) two-year career for the Colquitt County High football Packers includes many catches, many yards after the catch, touchdowns and a stack of 'pancake' blocks.

MOULTRIE – How many football receivers possess this statistical anomaly?

In the 2018 season, the first for then-junior Tyler Walker as a regular varsity contributor for Colquitt County High, Walker is listed with more ‘pancake’ blocks than receptions. The count is 27 for the blocks, 20 for the catches.

Not one Packer fan could probably recall a block – that kind that knocks an opposing defender to the ground – from Walker that year, but they will remember one of the catches. That was his 80-yard touchdown reception from Jaycee Harden on the first play from scrimmage that set the tone for a 45-7 rout of Tift County High at Brodie Field.

It was one of three touchdowns that year, and that’s a number Walker already surpassed in 2019 (four) as a senior.

Walker’s even doubled his number of receptions through 10 games (40), but as for the ‘pancake’ blocks, the stat list only gives him one. It’s not a total he necessarily agrees with, and Packer receiver coach Troy Hobbs thinks it’s likely higher as well.

“We were a little bit more of a run-oriented team last year,” said Hobbs. “With the style of offense (first year head coach Justin) Rogers brought in, a lot of times (Walker’s) out in a route instead of blocking as much. I think he does have a little more (pancakes) than we have written down for him, but the thing about it is he’s a big body on the perimeter who does block really well. So those pancakes probably are legit – some we might have fudged on – but he does block really well for his size and the position he plays.”

“It was just a turn-around-and-look play,” said Walker about his breakthrough moment at Tifton. “The ball was right there, and I just started running.”

There was certainly a lot of yards-after-catch on the drop-off from Harden, and that accounted for a bit of Walker’s 294 receiving yards. This year he is tied for second in that category with 509. That includes a career-high 111 on eight catches in the win at Camden County Oct. 18.

“Every time I saw the ball in the air, I just went and got it,” said Walker, who normally lines up inside, or in a slot position. “It gets physical in there. You got to work.”

Walker does like to play physical, but he also said the best play for him is the “go” ball, where he runs down field, turns around and there’s the football waiting to be caught. He said the key to running a good route, be it the curl, slant, post, etc. is staying low.

“You have to play with good leverage just like you would at any position,” said Hobbs further explaining the importance of route running in a passing attack. “Stance and start, good release, playing with good leverage and playing low and being able to get out of your break. (Walker) does all of those things being 6-2, close to 200 pounds. He knows how to do good leverage, especially running routes.”

Hobbs said Walker and fellow slot receiver Montavious Ponder, both seniors, are the leaders of the group that is quite loaded on the outside. Junior Lemeke Brockington is the leading receiver for the second season in a row sitting at 11 touchdowns going into the opening round of the GHSA 7A playoffs tonight. Sophomore Tajh Sanders is tied with Walker for second in yardage. The 2019 season saw the emergence of two more underclassmen, Orion Bonner and Dijmon Wheeler, who combined add five touchdown catches.

“We expect a lot out of Tyler,” said Hobbs. “Those (underclassmen) have learned in watching the things he brings to practice and how he goes about his habits.”

It’s no wonder, with all of the targets, Harden is among the state leaders in passing statistics (2,735 yards and 33 touchdowns) and chasing school season and career records. He’s completed 65 percent of his passes, so many, as the saying goes, “on the money” right where those wide-outs are at the end of the route.

“It all starts in practice,” said Hobbs. “That’s the timing that you work on in practice being able to give you the opportunity to get that ball. We preach a lot on if that ball’s on time and you have clear space, go try to take it to the house. We practice what we preach. At practice I’m always screaming ‘score, score, score.’ If it’s a two-yard route, an eight-yard route or 20-yard route, we always want them thinking if I catch the ball I’ve got an opportunity to score a touchdown.”

To complicate things even more for the average spectator and the opposing scouts, Hobbs said coaches can add something to a route, add “pieces to the puzzle” to extend a route, adding wrinkles to what they are doing so they won’t be predictable.

For the receiver, the catches and the touchdowns create the highlights, but the touchdowns aren’t possible without running the correct route … and getting a good perimeter block, pancake or not. Bonner is actually credited with eight pancakes.

“That’s one of the things (outside receivers) coach (David) Hill and I probably preach more than score,” said Hobbs. “To be a good receiver, you have to be pretty good blocker down-field. We want everything to look the same. We are going to come off just as hard on a run play as we do on a pass play. If you can’t block, you don’t need to play. We have some exceptional running backs, and that’s just a constant to the game. You have to be able to block just as well as run routes.”