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By Ron Marvel

Star Correspondent

After a yeoman’s performance in which J. Bird Wallin rushed 11 times for 82 yards and a late touchdown that tied the game at 21-21, Wallin has been named the Cyclones Player of the Week. The junior tailback leads the Cyclones in rushing; he has 427 yards on the season with eight touchdowns.

Wallin brings a physical brand of football, often seeking out contact and delivering punishment as he does. For opposing teams, the thought of bringing down the 5-foot-9, 240-pound runner can seem daunting. One thing is for sure—arm tackling Wallin definitely won’t work. He is a tailback who takes pride in his yards after first contact. He often drags multiple defenders for additional yardage, or, as witnessed Friday night, into the end zone. “I want to set the tone and play aggressive. The first person I see, I want to hit—that’s my mentality,” Wallin shared.

For J. Bird, the Cyclones are family in more than the figurative sense, as his cousins Jutius and Zack Wallin are on this year’s Cyclones team, and they have played together since the days of flag football. “We started out when we were 4 years old, and it’s a great opportunity. We really have great chemistry together,” Wallin shared.

This season for Wallin was at one time a question mark, as Wallin tore his ACL last year in the second game of the season. “It was really disappointing, but my faith in God means so much to me, and it helped get me through. That, and I have great coaches who worked with me and encouraged me as I worked my way back,” Wallin added. His hard work and diligence in coming back from that injury make this season all the more special for Wallin. “I know I’m blessed. Without God, this wouldn’t be possible. I’ve learned to appreciate what I have and not to take it for granted,” Wallin shared.

Wallin has big expectations for this team but knows that they have to start faster than they did this week against Dobyns-Bennett. He also knows he has to be accountable if they are going to reach those goals. “I want to be the best teammate and be coachable. That means doing my job without the coaches telling me to do my job; it means being positive with no complaining. I’m confident we can go far. We may need some younger guys to step up,” Wallin shared.

Make no mistake, J. Bird has a winner’s mentality—he wants the ball, and he wants the identity of the team to be physical and aggressive. He feels like that needs to be shown in the Cyclones’ running game.

The coaching staff recognizes not only his talent but also his character and work ethic, as he has become a leader on and off the field. “J. Bird is a great young man. He works hard, plays hard, and in everything he does, he gives all he’s got,” Head Cyclones Coach Shawn Witten exclaimed.