New Florida rushing king Kelvin Taylor prepares for state-title run

For the past quarter century, Emmitt Smith has been widely considered the greatest high school running back ever to come out of Florida.

Smith became the Sunshine State's career rushing leader while at Escambia High in Pensacola from 1983-86, grinding out 8,804 yards before heading off to the University of Florida and eventually the NFL where he continued to assault the record books.

Smith no longer sits atop the state's high school career rushing ladder now. Kelvin Taylor eclipsed Smith's 25-year-old career record last Friday night when the Glades Day (Belle Glade, Fla.) junior chalked up 388 yards on 34 carries in the two-time defending Class 1A state champion Gators' 43-29 win against playoff-bound South Fork in Stuart, Fla.

Taylor was his typical humble self while talking to reporters after the game about his historic accomplishment. He credited the Glades Day offensive line for opening holes for him and said his primary goal is helping the Gators win their third consecutive state title. His demeanor consistently suggests that he doesn't make too big of a deal about the fact that he has etched his name atop the most recognizable record in Florida prep history.

"I just go out and play my game like I do every Friday," Taylor said Monday night as he watched his favorite NFL player, Vikings running back Adrian Peterson play against the Packers.

Taylor, who scored six touchdowns against South Fork to give him a state-record 141 for his career, eclipsed Smith's rushing record in the second quarter when he scored on a 34-yard run, his 22nd carry of the game at that point. He said he didn't realize he had broken Smith's record until the public address announcer informed the crowd as Taylor sat on the Glades Day bench moments after his touchdown run.

Taylor's concentration was on winning the game.

"He didn't pound his chest or anything like that," said Glades Day head coach Pete Walker, who told Taylor in a private moment on the sideline after his historic run that he was the best player he's ever coached. "He just loves the game of football and tries to be the best he can be. He'd swap the record for another state title. I truly believe that."

Taylor enters the Florida 2A state playoffs that begin today with 8,979 career rushing yards. He's only a junior, but he's accumulated that total over four years, as he made the varsity team as an eighth-grader at Glades Day, which is a private school. Although his record will be recognized as a Florida state record, the National Federation of State High School Associations recognizes only statistics compiled beginning with a player's freshman year in high school.

Glades Day plays in one of the smallest classifications, enrollment-wise, in Florida, so some might argue that Taylor has not consistently played against as stiff of competition as Smith did when he played at Escambia when there were numerous powerhouse football programs in the Panhandle region of the state. Jupiter Christian coach Bill Powers, whose team is Glades Day's biggest rival and has faced Taylor six times since he burst onto the scene in 2008, said the 5-foot-10, 205-pound Taylor is as good as any running back he's ever seen in any classification.

"Other teams have had some great running backs, but they also have other really good players. He's (Glades Day's) only offensive weapon," Powers said, noting that opposing defenses always key on Taylor. "Hold him under 300 yards, and you stop him, the way I look at it. When he was an eighth-grader and a freshman, we held our own against him, but this year he's taken it to another level."

Now retired Sam Budnyk, who won a Palm Beach County-record 278 games and coached four future NFL players (Abram Elam, Craig Erickson, Chris T. Jones and John Carney) during his coaching career at Cardinal Newman High in West Palm Beach, coached against Smith in Smith's last official high school game in 1986. He saw Taylor play in a game early this season and is hesitant to anoint Taylor as the state's all-time greatest runner, but said he sees similarities in their running styles.

"They kind of glide and they have great vision," Budnyk said. "They're kind of like a skater, and then they accelerate. I think Emmitt was a little more powerful."

Budnyk also coached against Taylor's father, former NFL great Fred Taylor, whom Budnyk said "punished tacklers" and was a "man amongst boys." Kelvin Taylor has garnered similar compliments, most recently from the head coach of the team he almost singlehandedly beat last Friday night.

Powers said he spoke with South Fork coach Dennis Lavelle after the Bulldogs lost to Taylor and Glades Day last weekend. Lavelle coached in Miami before he took the South Fork job and his teams played against future NFL running backs Frank Gore (now with the San Francisco 49ers) and Willis McGahee (now with the Denver Broncos). Powers said that Lavelle told him that Taylor "makes those guys look like JV players" when they were in high school.

That analysis might sound a little over the top, but it's testimony to the impression that Taylor leaves on opponents.

Whether or not Taylor is a better running back than Smith naturally is argumentative. Taylor said he's never met Smith, but he knows all about Smith's accomplishments. When recently informed that Kelvin Taylor was closing in on his rushing record, Smith told The Palm Beach Post that he was "going to have to go on YouTube and pull down some footage."

He won't be the only one doing that between now and national signing day in 2013.