A.J. Herrera: Austin area Capital One Bank High Yield Student Athlete of the Week

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A.J. Herrera proves several theories.

Good things come to those who wait.

The best prizes come in small packages.



And can't judge a book by its 5-foot-8, 160-pound frame.

So, the last one is slightly embellished. You get the picture.

After rushing for just 69 yards all of last season while waiting in the wings, the smallish McCallum (Austin, Texas) High School running back has been superb all season, topped off with a 26-carry, 202-yard, three-touchdown performance last week in a key 28-14 win over rival Travis.

With the score tied at 14 midway through the third, Herrera responded with touchdown runs of 15 yards and 9 yards to keep the bell in the hands of McCallum in this rivalry game.

For his efforts, Herrera has been selected the Austin Area Capital One Bank High Yield Student Athlete of the Week.

"He's not real big and he's not real fast," McCallum coach Jason Cecil told Rick Cantu of the Austin American-Statesman. "But he's physical, and he's got great vision on the field."



He's also modest.

With Travis trying to clog up the middle, Herrera constantly hit the edge while rushing for a career high. His previous best was 121 yards.

He's now the team's leading rusher with 519 yards on 86 carries and six touchdowns.

"Once I (broke outside), our guys did a great job of blocking," Herrera told the newspaper.

Herrera and the Knights (5-3, 3-0) now play LBJ in a vital District 26-4A matchup.