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12/19/2017 11:00 PMClay Huffman has been playing football alongside many of his childhood friends for several years now and is passionate about the sport. This love for the game and his teammates is why it meant so much to Clay to get on the field any way he could during his recent senior season with the Indians.
Clay, a senior at Guilford High School, moved to town when he was in 5th grade and then joined its Youth Football program, which is where he first met current Indians’ Head Coach Anthony M. Avallone. In his final year wearing the Guilford green this fall, Clay helped his team in a variety of ways by playing wide receiver, tight end, safety, and even quarterback at times on his way to earning a share of the Indians’ Sportsmanship Award.
“The way I saw it, I was a jack-of-all trades, and I never saw myself as a stud at one single position. Wherever Coach Avallone needed me, I felt I could play,” says Clay. “I just tried to do my best out there for the team, because I was having so much fun.”
Guilford went through a rigorous regimen as it prepared for the 2017 season. Throughout that process, Clay got a good read on the Xs and Os of the Indians’ playbook, and that helped him play his way into a role where he could contribute all around the field.
“We had spring football this year, which helped us. I was able to become familiar with the offense,” Clay says. “I prided myself in knowing every position, and felt I could play quarterback if the team needed me to. I had been a receiver in the past, but I was never good at blocking, but it took my experience at tight end to help me with that.”
Coach Avallone praises Clay for the fearlessness with which he handled every assignment, along with the fact that he always displayed great bravery while competing between the white lines.
“He was a true leader on the football field and characterized what it meant to be a team player. Clay was asked to jump into several positions for us over the past season and always did it with conviction and without incident,” says Avallone. “During the season, he was a wideout, a tight end, and, most importantly, filled in at some quarterback when our starter got hurt. He made many key receptions throughout the season and was never afraid to go across the middle to catch a pass. He exemplifies everything a coach looks for in a student-athlete. He was certainly an unsung hero on the team this past year.”
Clay wasn’t a captain for the Indians, but he still took on the responsibility of serving as a leader on the team in order to set a good example for Guilford’s underclass athletes.
“I have so much fun playing football and playing it with my friends. I would do anything to be out there on the field,” says Clay. “I took being a senior leader to heart. The seniors took it upon ourselves to make sure we set the standard for the underclassmen in trying your best every day.”
While competing on the gridiron is certainly a grind, Clay appreciates how the experience reaps rewards by molding young men as they endure the rigorous journey. For Clay, these past few years are an experience that he will never forget.
“There is no sport out there like football,” Clay says. “All of my best friends played it, and it made me strong, because you never quit and it made you grow as a person.”