High school football: Jesse Gregory has been a star on offense — when he wasn't supposed to be

“I'd kind of given up a little bit on playing tailback,” Gregory said. “But when Morgan Neal got hurt, it was tough having to play both ways.”

Neal's injury midway through the season opened the door for Gregory to get more carries.

Gregory has taken advantage, running for more than 1,100 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Last week, in a 56-34 win over Blanchard, Gregory turned in his biggest game yet, running for 229 yards and four touchdowns to help the Tigers earn a home playoff opener.

For his efforts, Gregory is The Oklahoman's Player of the Week.

“He's not very big, but he's put together really well, is very fast and is a state-champion powerlifter,” Tuttle coach Phil Koons said. “He's just like a SuperBall. He bounces off of you and if he gets a crease, he's gone.”

When Tuttle has been successful this year, and it has been most of the time, the Tigers have done it with a relentless running attack and just enough of a passing game to keep defenses honest.

“That's kind of been our trademark for a long time,” Koons said. “We keep people loose with a little bit of an air game but we're going to run it most of the time with two or three guys.”