Versatile senior Malik Braxton has played running back, quarterback and wide receiver during the past three seasons for Meadowdale High School’s football team.
However, the senior said some of his favorite plays occur after the Mavericks’ offense leaves the field.
“I really like the punting thing,” said Braxton, who also serves as Meadowdale’s punter. “I really take pride in my punting. As weird as it might sound, I really like kicking the ball. It’s really just whatever they need me to be. Whatever it takes.”
Braxton, who is also one of the Mavericks’ punt returners, has played many positions in his time at Meadowdale. He spent some time during his sophomore season at quarterback, got the bulk of his team’s carries at running back his junior year and this season has lined up at wide receiver. He also plays defensive back.
Braxton doesn’t mind what position he plays as long as he is on the field, which is exactly what Meadowdale head coach Mike Don is trying to ensure.
“Last year he missed three or four games and it really hurt us,” Don said. “I think this year by allowing him to be a home run threat on the outside we kept him healthy.”
Don talked to Braxton early in the season and was really impressed with how the senior responded to the coach’s request to switch positions from running back to receiver.
“We talked about how we need him in there,” Don said. “We talked and we’re like, ‘How can we keep him on the field at all times and limit the workload for him and the amount of times he gets hit?’ … Maybe he gets less touches but he can be more explosive for us. That’s kind of hard to convince a kid, but he really embraced that role as the guy who hits home runs.
“I think he likes having the ball. Anything where he gets the ball he enjoys that position. Malik really does enjoy having the ball in his hands and making a play. Any time we give him the ball, he’s looking for something to do.”
Braxton understood Don’s plan, and was eager to help.
“I knew that whatever he had planned for me they were going to try to get the ball in my hands,” Braxton said. “I take pride in that. When he said they want me to catch the ball and run I said, ‘Let’s do it.’ It gives us a chance to put more athletes out there.”
Having senior running back Rory Spillum, who has rushed for nine touchdowns this season and is second in the Wesco 3A South with 986 rushing yards, allows Meadowdale to use Braxton in different ways. Don said the 5-foot-11, 185-pound Braxton, who has college offers from Idaho and Air Force, is a nice complement to Spillum, and the tandem form a formidable rushing attack for the Mavericks.
“It’s a nice thing to have because it allowed us to move Malik around and allow him to do more things in space,” Don said. “Rory takes kind of the pounding. He gets the five-yard gains for us and Malik gets the big-time runs.”
Braxton ran for more than 800 yards on 102 carries last season, even though he missed a few games with an injury. He also had nine receptions for 205 yards and two more scores, which showed Don his potential at receiver.
This year, Braxton has 30 receptions for a Wesco 3A-leading 596 yards and seven touchdowns, along with 153 yards rushing and another score. Braxton also has completed three of six passes for 85 yards and a touchdown — which occurred in last week’s Wesco 3A Championship against Marysville Pilchuck.
“Malik really is a great athlete,” Don said. “He’s capable of doing a lot of things. He has a dimension that people have to defend.”
Braxton might see his touches at running back increase in the playoffs, Don said. Last season, Braxton was instrumental in leading the Mavericks to the quarterfinals of the 3A state tournament, where they fell 21-16 to Eastside Catholic. Braxton ran 31 times for 207 yards against the Crusaders.
“He’ll probably get some more carries as we get going in the playoffs,” Don said. “We’ll put him in more positions in the playoffs to make big plays. … We just add some wrinkles to what we do and fit him into those spots. He’s really a smart football player. He’s able to do a lot of things and learn it quickly.”
Said Braxton: “Our plan stays the same. If Coach Don said, ‘We need you to play running back this week,’ then I’m always ready to step in and play it.”
Despite his work at wide receiver, quarterback and running back, when Don said Meadowdale needed a punter Braxton, who is also officially Meadowdale’s backup quarterback, was the first to throw his hat into the ring.
“When Coach Don said that we needed a tryout for punter, I thought anything to help the team win I’m more than happy to do it,” Braxton said. “… I believe in Coach Don. Whatever he says he wants me to do, that’s what I’m going to do.”
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