This wasn’t the first time that West Side junior Camajay Griffin-Terrell was in this spot.
On his first seven carries against Hammond Central on Friday, Griffin-Terrell had rushed for just 23 yards despite entering the game averaging 11 yards per attempt.
On this night, however, the 5-foot-8, 155-pound running back refused to let those early struggles define his game.
“I got out of my head,” Griffin-Terrell said. “And I started playing for my teammates on every play. Even if it was bad or if it was good, I went strong for my teammates to get this win.”
Griffin-Terrell finished with 120 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries as West Side — just like its running back — recovered from a slow start for a 26-18 Great Lakes Athletic Conference win against the Wolves at Morton.
West Side (5-2, 2-1) trailed 18-0 in the second quarter after Hammond Central (1-7, 0-1) scored on three of its first four possessions.
During a 19-0 loss to Calumet in Week 2, Griffin-Terrell had a similar slow start and didn’t mentally recover.
“In that game against Calumet, I was worrying about myself too much,” he said. “I was getting mad because I wasn’t getting those big plays and I was getting stuck behind the line of scrimmage. I was fed up and didn’t want to run the ball anymore.”
In the weeks since, Griffin-Terrell said, coach Eric Schreiber Jr. has helped steer him on a more positive path even in those adverse situations. Schreiber beamed as he talked about the different response from Griffin-Terrell this time.
“This game was a great way for him to respond to those things,” Schreiber said. “When he faced that adversity against Calumet, he kind of shut down because things weren’t going his way. He deserves all the credit he gets.”
West Side’s comeback started just before halftime, with a 17-yard run by Griffin-Terrell kick-starting a five-play, 70-yard drive that ended with a 23-yard TD reception by senior wide receiver Payton Jordan and a two-point conversion by Griffin-Terrell.
Jordan added a 26-yard interception return for a TD in the third quarter to make it a one-score game. On the next possession, Hammond Central reached the edge of the red zone before West Side recovered a fumble at its own 22.
The Cougars turned to Griffin-Terrell on the ensuing drive, marching 78 yards on nine plays for a go-ahead score. Griffin-Terrell had seven carries on that drive alone, tallying 47 yards — with the final 6 yards reaching the end zone for a 20-18 lead.
Perhaps the game’s biggest play came next, as Hammond Central lined up for a potential go-ahead field goal. A botched snap led to a desperate heave into the Cougars’ secondary that ricocheted into the air and landed in the arms of senior defensive back Jamari Turks, who raced 80 yards to the end zone.
“I saw the ball go up,” Turks said. “And I was just thinking, ‘I hope nobody tries to come get this ball.’ But our defense, we all made that play happen.”
The Wolves did have one final drive for a potential game-tying score, but an apparent fumbled snap at the 1-yard line ended that threat, allowing the Cougars to run out the clock.
It was a win that Schreiber credited to the perseverance displayed by his running back and his entire team.
“A lot of it was just relating real life to the game,” Schreiber said. “These kids face adversity in their lives. But you can’t let that adversity affect your behavior and affect the way you play. You have to continue to respond, to continue playing for each other. And that’s how our kids responded.”
Dave Melton is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
