A cat that is built tough: Leesville’s Xavier Ford has 28TDs & over 2,000 yards

LEESVILLE, La. (KALB) - Leesville’s Xavier Ford has found the end zone 28 times this season, and he is just one of three players to have over 2,000 rushing yards in a single season for the Wampus Cats. One of the three players is his cousin and former LSU running back Michael Ford who had 2,953 yards.

“It is exciting, it is really a big accomplishment for me because I just get to run and continue what my uncle started, just make my own name,” said Ford.

Ford is only a sophomore, as this is his first year starting, but he has become the ultimate weapon on the Wampus Cats offense.

“I am proud of myself for pushing myself to get this far,” said Ford. “There is a little pressure because I know that the other team has been watching me on film, and I have a target on my back, but I just want to go play and not think about it.”

Ford’s brother, Frank Ford III, is a linebacker for the Wampus Cats, and when it is Xavier’s time to shine on the field, he is right there to cheer him on.

“Everything he is doing is great,” said Frank Ford III. “I am playing with him which is amazing, and it is an opportunity not everyone gets. I get to see him doing his big things on the field like scoring, getting yards and reaching goals that a lot of people don’t even come near to. I hope he knows what he is doing.”

Ford averages seven yards per carry and 201 yards per game, but to Leesville Head Coach Robbie Causey, there is more than just statistics that define the type of player and person Ford is.

“Everybody is chasing a number, and they glorify the number,” said Causey. “For me, it is watching him grow as a person, and that is a correlation to the success he has on the field.”

Even though Xavier is a young player, he sets himself apart from others with his personality and the energy he brings on and off the field.

“When he does his best, it makes people want to be better and it makes them actually do better,” said Frank Ford III. “He kind of keeps everybody in check and the flow of how stuff is going in practice and the tempo of things.”

“He has really good vision, and he is really patient,” said Causey. “I think he is a kind-hearted young man. He has a sweet disposition, and he always has that smile.”

The way Xavier Ford finds the different holes in the defense from the backfield has allowed him to find the end zone and pick up thousands of yards early in his high school career.

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