Senior running back and captain Cornell Beard tallied 113 carries for 624 yards and nine rushing touchdowns before sustaining an injury Oct 1.
He was averaging 5.5 yards per carry and had 172 yards and two touchdowns in 14 receptions. On the strength of that performance, The Shakeirte named Beard September Raider of the Month.
Beard said his outlook separates him from his competition. “I think differently and I look at things differently. I don’t compare myself with others or what others got. I wait my turn. You just got to stay calm and take control of what you can, and let the rest play out,” he said.
Head Coach Alex Nicholson said Beard is a leader. “He commands respect in the locker room and keeps the guys focused,” he said. ¨We did a vote for captain this year, and Beard received the most votes out of anyone on the team.”
Beard said that he makes sure he understands and talks to all his teammates “I let them know it’s OK to be yourself and it’s OK to make mistakes, but you have to try,” he said.
Senior lineman and Captain Andy Benincasa said that Beard does things that no team member does. “He is probably the backbone of the team. He’s able to take constant hits and just wear the opposing team down,” he said.
Nicholson said he is wowed every time Beard spins while carrying the ball. “He presses that ‘B’ button a lot,” he said. (In the Xbox NFL video game series Madden, players press the ‘B’ button to make their user-controlled player do a spin move.)
Junior lineman and Captain Isaac Smith said he was stunned when Beard made two Brush defenders fall with one spin move. “He’s an artist. The field is just his tapestry,” Smith said.
Beard earned all-conference and all-state honors in the 2023 season. As a junior, he tallied 1,362 yards on 203 carries, averaging 6.7 yards per carry with 23 touchdowns.
Beard does not get caught up in all the awards and honors he has earned. “The pressure I’m holding is me being better than me,” Beard said. “I let my work show and have fun.”
A version of this article appears in print on page 7 of Volume 95, Issue 1, published Oct. 25, 2024.
