Is Taft back top in Texas

It’s been long assumed that Jersey Village, Texas, running back Selvin Young was the top back in the state of Texas. But maybe that assumption was wrong because San Antonio Taft tailback Robert Merrill has something to say about that.

Simply put, Merrill is a stud and is a Rivals 100 candidate.

It’s easy to say this not just because of his performance this past weekend in the Class 5A state semifinals in the Houston Astrodome, but because he’s durable, stable and a game breaker.

But when watching the way Merrill shredded the previously unbeaten Pearland squad with more than 200 yards rushing, he might just be the state’s best back after all.

“I think I do belong up there,” Merrill said. “I’ve worked hard and I just go about and do my job every play.”

And he’s right. He does his job and he does it effectively.

Everybody in the stadium on Saturday knew that Merrill was going to get the ball at least 20 times, but that didn’t stop him from destroying Pearland with three touchdown runs and with big plays.

Merrill, who has rushed for more than 2,500 yards this season, took the game over on the first play of the second half. He took an isolation play and sprinted up the middle. Then when the linebackers stepped up, he spun to the left and ran away from the rest of the Pearland defenders. He was finally stopped about 60 yards later. He later danced into the end zone on a short yardage run.

Merrill later put the game away later in the fourth-quarter with a clock-eating touchdown drive that ended when he dashed untouched in the end zone.

Merrill, who is getting recruited by Texas A&M, TCU, Nebraska and Arizona, put a show on.

He reminds many of former Texas running back Priest Holmes with his 5-foot-11, 200-pound build and his running style. He can do everything you want him to do.

He’s great on toss sweeps. He can get tough yards up the middle. And he has amazingly soft hands and was deadly on screen passes.

So is he better than Young?

Maybe. Probably. Potentially.

But there is no doubt that even though he was unnoticed by Rivals100.com for the longest time, it’s finally time to give Merrill his props and put his name right up there with the other great players in the state of Texas – because that’s what he is.