Either my math was bad or there was some padding going on.
I charted every play because many high schools don't do a good job - at least teams I have covered so far - of keeping track of player statistics.
I had Baker for 139 yards in that Sept. 6 game, quite a bit different from the rushing total given to the folks who wrote up online reports. I don't
know where the number came from, but normally teams call in their own stats.
Padding the stats is nothing new in high school sports, but there's no incentive for anyone to do that as far as Baker is concerned. He's a great
player, he already has a scholarship to attend Michigan State in the fall, and he is considered one of the top running backs not only in the state of Michigan,
but also in the country.
So when I read that he had 400-plus yards in a 26-21 victory over Royal Oak on Sept. 26, I hoped that it was the Royal Oak people keeping the stats, because I've seen the Oak Park people in action and, I don't know… I hope he gained every yard printed.
via Perry Farrell's Blog
