In the cold and a driving rain, John Tyler senior standout Kitan Crawford stood out on both sides of the line of scrimmage for his team.
Although the Lions fell to McKinney North, 36-28, Crawford had a memorable night, rushing for 310 yards and four touchdowns on 29 carries.
The University of Texas cornerback commit scored TDs on runs of 16, 80, 68 and 1 yards. He also had a reception for 28 yards. On defense, he helped hold Bulldog standout JJ Henry to just two catches.
For his efforts, Crawford was named the UT Health East Texas Offensive Player of the Week for the ninth week of the high school football season.
He will be featured on a poster, sponsored by UT Health East Texas, in Friday’s The Zone special section of the Tyler Morning Telegraph.
Crawford follows Sabine senior running back BJ Stidham (Week 1), Big Sandy senior quarterback Caden Minter (Week 2), Bullard Brook Hill senior quarterback Garrett Esposito (Week 3), Chapel Hill quarterback Kobe Coker (Week 4), Grace Community running back Jeremiah Milton (Week 5), Whitehouse running back Peyton Kennedy (Week 6), Mineola running back Trevion Sneed (Week 7) and All Saints running back Alex Sinclair (Week 8) in garnering the award.
On the season, Crawford has rushed for 780 yards and scored seven TDs on 83 carries. That’s an average of 9.4 per carry. He has 17 receptions for 237 yards and a TD. He also takes snaps in the Wildcat formation at times.
On defense, he has 22 tackles and three interceptions
The Lions are 3-5 on the season and 3-1 in District 7-5A Division I.
Fans can see Crawford and Cujo in action on Friday when John Tyler plays Mesquite Poteet at Christus Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium in Tyler. Kickoff on Earl Campbell Field is scheduled for 7 p.m.
To nominate someone for the UT Health East Texas Offensive Player of the Week, please email sports@tylerpaper.com by 5 p.m. Sunday. Please include classification and statistics for the game and for the season.