A high school football player in Texas went extremely viral this week for one of the funniest (and most brilliant) plays I have ever seen. He completely fooled a much smaller defensive back by pretending to catch a touchdown on a run play.
As you could imagine, it did not end well for the opponent.
Although I am not entirely sure how this kind of thing can happen on any level of the sport, it absolutely should not be possible in high school football. This is just as much a testament to the high-IQ offensive play as it is the failures of the defense.
North Forney is a high school football powerhouse in Texas.
North Forney High School is located in Kaufman County, Texas, about 25 miles dead east of downtown Dallas. It enrolls approximately 2,500 students in Grades 9-12.
High school football is a very big deal in the Lone Star State, as you know, and the Falcons are one of the most competitive programs in the modern era. They compete on the 6A level.
North Forney won eight games last season only to run into the buzzsaw that is Waxahachie in the playoffs. A 4-0 start sets up for similar success in 2025.
Its most recent win over Lake Ridge took place on Friday. The Falcons won 55-28.
One particular touchdown was far too easy.
Fooled ya!
Junior running back Cordai Woodard took the handoff from quarterback Legend Bey. The 5-foot-8, 170-pound ball-carrier ran 50+ yards to the end zone without being touched. Light work.
A large part of that ease stemmed from the heads-up play of wide receiver Briceson Thrower Jr., a three-star recruit in the Class of 2027. He has more than 20 offers from schools like Arkansas, Cal and Florida, among others.
Thrower (No. 1) was out in front of Woodard (No. 10) on the touchdown run but chose not to block when he noticed the defensive back that went with him had his back turned to the play. The defensive back was completely turned around. He had no idea who had the ball or what the play was.
Thrower noticed the defensive lapse and pretended like he was about to catch a pass. The defensive back stayed in coverage until it was far too late. Woodard ran right past him for six.
Check it out: (Ignore the caption)
Did the sideline not yell “run” when Woodard got the handoff in the backfield? Did the defensive back not hear them? I don’t know how Briceson Thrower got this to work but North Forney pulled it off.