Highland High School’s Josh Chadwick likes keeping things under the radar.
“The best part of my game? I don’t know. I want to keep that a secret.”
Chadwick could take his pick: He’s a punishing runner, nearly impossible to bring down, a great mix of size and speed, and has a nose for the end zone.
While Chadwick prefers the secrecy, his head coach, Pete Wahlheim, is a bit more outspoken about his star in the backfield.
“He’s as good as there is in the state. I’ve said it every week. I don’t know if there’s anybody else who has more yards than he does or runs as hard as he does,” Wahlheim said.
Wahlheim’s elite runner has played at an incredible level this year: He had five touchdowns a few weeks ago against Mountain View, and tacked on a rushing and receiving touchdown in Highland’s 31-21 win over Campo Verde.
“We run the ball. Everybody knows that and everybody knows that that plays against us and people have trouble stopping us, so it’s a credit to our offensive line as much as anybody else,” Wahlheim said.
Chadwick and that offensive line are two factors that could make the Hawks fly to new heights. Over the past few years, Highland has ended the season around .500. After Friday’s win, they are now 4-1. Chadwick is trying to make this season more than just a hot start, and the offense has the weapons to make that a reality.
“In my four years at Highland, I have never seen an offense like this. We’ve got people that can catch, that make plays, we’ve got a good line, we’ve got it all. We’re just ready to take on whoever comes at us,” Chadwick said.
Highland ends their year with three of their five final games on the road, with their last two games of the year against Hamilton and Chandler.
