Archbishop Murphy’s Anfernee Gurley didn’t touch the ball much on offense in 2014, but when he did, the Wildcats usually reaped the benefits.
Gurley rushed for 390 yards as a sophomore and scored three touchdowns, but he did it on just 19 carries. He led the league with a 20.5 yards per carry average — and it wasn’t even close. No other Cascade Conference player in the top 20 in rushing averaged even 10 yards per carry.
“Anfernee doesn’t slow down,” Archbishop Murphy head coach Jerry Jensen said. “You’ll see a lot of kids make a cut and they slow down. Anfernee has one speed and he’s moving all the time.”
With its Wing-T offense, Archbishop Murphy had great success last season attacking opponents up the middle, but Gurley’s athleticism gives the Wildcats a player that can break the game open from the outside.
“I feel like that’s what Coach Jensen depends on me for is to make big plays because the defense isn’t always expecting it,” Gurley said. “The way we run the ball, ground and pound of the middle, a sweep to the outside can get somebody.”
Though he started as receiver a year ago, most of Gurley’s big plays came in the running game. When he got the ball in the passing game he was just as explosive. He caught four passes for 130 yards and one touchdown for an average of 32.5 yards per catch.
The biggest chunk of that receiving yardage came in the Wildcats’ regular season finale, a 19-13 win over Cedarcrest. Gurley caught a fly pass at the line of scrimmage and broke it to the outside for an 80-yard touchdown reception that put the Wildcats in control of the game.
Gurley’s touchdown catch came just moments after he had taken a shot while blocking on a kickoff return, causing him to approach his coach about the upcoming offensive play.
“That was a play where he came over to me and asked me to call that play,” Jensen said. “He wants the ball in those times. Some athletes do and some athletes don’t. To have a kid with that confidence as a sophomore, it speaks volumes to him.”
As many opponents have found out, Gurley is most dangerous when he can get to the edge and utilize his speed.
“Anfernee is a guy that has really good agility and quickness and he has very good top-end speed as well,” Lakewood head coach Dan Teeter said. “If you give him the ball in space, he’s very apt to hurt you.”
Teeter learned first-hand when his team played Archbishop Murphy last September.
Gurley returned a punt for a touchdown to give the Wildcats a lead. The Cougars eventually came back and won 18-17, but Gurley’s return gave the Wildcats control of the game at the time.
“He’s a talented player,” Teeter said. “Any coach would be happy to have him for sure.”
Gurley’s ability to break the big play helped the Wildcats to a 7-3 record a year ago and a playoff berth after a two-year absence from the postseason, but he averaged just over two offensive touches per game.
“Being a sophomore last year, I didn’t want to overwork him,” Jensen said. “He’s not a very big guy, so he’s not a guy that you want to see touch the ball 20 times a game.”
At 5-11 and 175 pounds, Jensen is wise to save Gurley from taking too many big hits, but he conceded he needs to get the junior the ball more in 2015.
“I think he needs to touch the ball 10 times a game,” Jensen said. “Whether he touches the ball in the pass game or touches the ball in the run game, he’s definitely going to get his touches.”
In order to increase his offensive chances, Gurley is moving from receiver to running back this season. If Gurley gets 10 touches per game as Jensen suggested, he will touch the ball nearly five times as much as he did last season, which could be a key ingredient to the Wildcats efforts to win their first league championship since 2011, when they placed second in the 2A state tournament.
Gurley is confident that if his teammates continue to provide the blocking that the big plays will continue.
“We have really good blocking around the outside, so if the outside gets sealed and I’m down the outside, nobody is going to catch me,” he said.
Aaron Lommers covers prep sports for The Herald. Follow him on Twitter at @aaronlommers and contact him at alommers@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
