FORT SMITH (KFSM)--Football is a game of ups and downs. And not many athletes begin a career with as memorable a play as Rico Savoy. It just sticks out for the wrong reasons.
"I remember it was his first ballgame, we had him as a sophomore," Southside coach Jeff Williams recalled. "He had a great spring and I put him in against Har-Ber who was ranked number one in the state, one of the best defenses in the state. And he fumbled on his first carry."
Now a senior, savoy uses that memory as motivation.
"I tell myself not to be nervous before every game, just get into the game instead of being nervous," Savoy said.
The senior couldn't possibly be further from that gaffe. Rico led the Mavs to a 44-31 win at Bentonville West in week one, rushing for 245 yards and 3 touchdowns while adding a 76 yard touchdown catch.
That gave Savoy a chance to reset his senior year goals.
"End of this season, I want 1,000 rushing yards, about 10 touchdowns." Savoy then joked, "I'm halfway there pretty much."
"He's an all around back. Cause one thing about it is he's great in protection, he can catch the ball out of the backfield and obviously he's a great runner," said Williams. "So when you put all three of those things together, that identifies what a great back is about and I think he's one of the better backs in the state."
"I just get him the ball and let him do what he does best. He utilizes his speed and uses that to his advantage," fellow senior and quarterback Taye Gatewood said.
"If he trusts me, I trust him and we can just do our thing back there," said Savoy.
As if dealing with the dual threat Gatewood and 1,000 yard receiver Tyrese Solomon wasn't enough, teams preparing for Southside have the tall task of stopping Savoy.