By Bobby Mathews, sports editor
CLAY — When Clay-Chalkville’s Ed Osley gets going, he’s extremely hard to catch.
With a 221-yard rushing performance against Minor, Ed Osley is The Tribune’s Player of the Week. (Photo by Ron Burkett)
Minor High School found that out on September 17, 2021, when Osley and the Cougars laid a 50-7 beating on them. Osley ran for 221 yards and three scores. It was the third time in 5 games that Clay-Chalkville has broken the 50-point mark.
Usually, Clay-Chalkville scores enough that its best offensive players are on the sideline for the second half. Not this time, as Osley notched 22 carries over the course of the game. Osley gave the Cougars the lead on a 13-yard run and then scored on a 48-yard burst, and scored on a 2-point conversion later in the half. Osley also showed his versatility, catching a 14-yard touchdown pass from Louisville commit Khalib Johnson.
“What makes Ed such a great player is his character,” Clay-Chalkville head coach Drew Gilmer said during an interview following practice on Monday, September 13, 2021. “I mean, he’s just a top-notch person, first off, so that makes him so easy to coach. He’s a kid who comes to practice every day and works his butt off. He wants to be coached, and he’s a great teammate.”
Osley is a member of the Clay-Chalkville track team that won the 4 X 100 relay state championship in April 2021, and it’s easy to tell with the speed that he hits the hole. At 5’10” and about 190 pounds, the senior running back has yet to be strongly recruited by FBS programs. That could change as he keeps putting up eye-popping numbers in the backfield and with the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield or to line up at receiver.
Wherever he gets the ball, Osley is a threat to take it to the house. The senior said he wants to pattern his game after running backs like former Auburn and L.A. Raiders great Bo Jackson.
“I try to run like him every time,” Osley said in a previous interview. “He always said ‘I’m always going to be the best on the field,’ and I feel like that’s just what I think about when I’m going into the game.”
With Clay-Chalkville ranked No. 2 in the state and leading 6A Region 6, the Cougars get a week of rest before facing off against undefeated Jackson-Olin. But one thing is for certain: Even if Osley isn’t getting the same notice that his fellow seniors like Johnson or Marquarius White get, he’s a player who doesn’t miss when he gets a chance to shine. That’s why he’s The Tribune’s Player of the Week.
Player of the Week is sponsored by OrthoAlabama Spine and Sports.
