Though his father, Ken Griffey Jr., is a future Hall of Fame baseball player, Trey Griffey is earning his reputation as a wide receiver in football.
Trey Griffey's father was a baseballstar. He's making his mark as a widereceiver in Florida.
Photo courtesy of Dr. Phillips High
Improving week by week, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound senior had the best game of his life last Friday as
Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Fla.) defeated Freedom (Orlando, Fla.), 56-42, to win the Class 8A District 4 championship for the fourth straight year and earn a berth in the state playoffs.
Griffey, who gave up baseball after sixth grade, set two school records by catching 13 passes for 188 yards. Four went for touchdowns. The previous reception standard was nine by Kenny Shaw, who now is starring for Florida State. The previous yardage record was held by Dee Hart, now at the University of Alabama.
The ever-improving Griffey told MaxPreps, "I was surprised by it (the records). Hopefully (it will last), but our class of 2013 and 2014 is pretty talented. Hopefully, it will last for a good year. That's all I'm asking for."
Griffey noted that his father is very supportive.
"He played football in high school, so he understands all that stuff," Griffey pointed out. "He doesn't really care what sport we play (his younger sister is a standout basketball player). As long as we have fun, he's happy."
Coach Rodney Wells is excited and pleased to see Griffey thriving in his new environment after transferring from West Orange (Winter Garden, Fla.). He already has 61 receptions, a vast improvement from last year when he had only 22.
"I'm very, very pleasantly surprised," Wells said. "We played against him before, but they had him doing so many different things that I didn't know how good he was. He played multiple positions as a junior."
The key, Wells believes, is that he has used Griffey exclusively at wide receiver on offense and just spotted him on defense. Griffey is pleased to become more of a specialist.
"It's really good," he said. "I get to focus on one position and show college coaches I can play that position. I feel that I'm getting better each week, but I've still got a lot to do."
Trey Griffey.
Photo courtesy of Dr. Phillips High
Wells evaluated, "His hands are probably the best thing. Anything he touches he can catch."
He can run 40 yards in 4.53 seconds and has a 36-inch vertical jump.
Griffey came to Dr. Phillips with an undeserved reputation of not being a physical player.
Wells stressed, "I've been telling college coaches that whoever gets him, it's going to be a steal. He's a very physical receiver and will run through tackles. He's the most underrated receiver in Central Florida, maybe the state."
Dwight Thomas, who coached Emmitt Smith in high school, has ranked Florida prep football players for the last 20 years for LRS Sports in Springfield, Ill. Thomas calls him "a great route runner with great hand-eye coordination. He has great bloodlines from his father."
Griffey is No. 10 on Thomas' list of Florida wide receivers, but he may be moving up due to his recent performances for the 9-1 Panthers.
Wells also sees his young star moving up on college recruiting lists.
"I'm excited about his last three or four games, so I can send film out to coaches," Wells said. "He's the truth."
* Menchville (Newport News, Va.) junior Dillon Christopher kicked a Virginia state-record 60-yard field goal during a 28-21 loss to Kecoughtan (Hampton, Va.). Though he had a strong wind at his back, his kick had at least 2 yards to spare. The previous record was 58 yards. Recruited from the soccer team as a sophomore, Christopher has kicked a 67-yarder in practice.
* Westlake (Westlake Village, Calif.) kicker Alex Ball tied the state record last week with his 32nd career field goal, according to the Los Angeles Times. This year he has converted 16 of 20 attempts.
* Two seniors from Trinity Presbyterian (Montgomery, Ala.) have finished their outstanding football careers ranked high in the national record book. Wide receiver Mark White had 313 catches, which places him No. 2 (the record is 329). Kicker Andy Pappanastos made 48 field goals, which enabled him to tie for No. 2 (the record is 50).
* Zander Anding rushed for 220 yards on just six carries as Burroughs (Burbank, Calif.) defeated Hoover (Glendale, Calif.), 42-14. His time was limited because he was coming back from a collapsed lung suffered on Oct. 20. However, it did cost him a share of a state record. He had rushed for 300-plus yards in his last four games, just one short of the state record.
* It was a quiet night for Gehrig Dieter, who caught just two passes for 31 yards as Washington (South Bend, Ind.) posted a big 37-19 victory over Mishawaka (Ind.) to win the Class 4A sectional title. But it was enough to give him a single-season, state-record 1,852 receiving yards. He also holds state records for receiving yards in a game and career.
* Greg Jones, a 5-10, 185-pound senior, ran 27 times for a school-record 450 yards and five touchdowns to lead Colonia (N.J.) to a 33-21 victory over Wall Township (N.J.).
* Cherry Hill East (N.J.) outlasted Cherokee (Marlton, N.J.), 57-56, in double overtime on a 2-point conversion by Jesse Gold.
* Hayden Burnett passed for 465 yards, ran for 136 yards and accounted for eight touchdowns to lead Garland Christian Academy (Texas) to a 70-35 rout of Canyon Creek (Richardson, Texas).
* Josh Lambert kicked a 51-yard field goal as Garland (Texas) rolled past Sachse (Texas), 41-19.
* Mayfield (Las Cruces, N.M.) edged Las Cruces (N.M.), 24-21, before a crowd of 25,000.
* Marshall Morgan kicked a school-record 59-yard field goal - along with others of 45 and 44 yards - to help American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) edge Dillard (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) in the District 15-5A championship game, 25-21.
* Dover (Ohio) outscored Sheridan (Thornville, Ohio), 68-53, during a Division II regional quarterfinal behind the passing of Derik Swinderman, who had 421 yards and five touchdowns.
* Junior quarterback Colton Witt passed for 440 yards and seven touchdowns to spark Locust Grove (Okla.) to a 53-30 victory over Inola (Okla.).
* Trey Robinson rushed for a school-record 400 yards and four touchdowns as Wilson Area (Easton, Pa.) defeated Notre Dame-Green Pond (Easton, Pa.), 47-17.
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