Anyone following Russell Christian Academy football this season knows about Drew Taylor’s offensive exploits.

Last week was no different, as Taylor went 5 of 6 in passing with 146 yards and four touchdowns in just one half of football, as the opponent, Gunn Christian Academy, forfeited the remainder of the game by leaving at halftime. It’s Taylor’s defensive contributions at middle linebacker that sometime get overlooked — in that same game, Taylor finished with 11 tackles over a period of two quarters.

Because of his value to the Warriors (8-0) on both sides of the ball, Taylor was named The Meridian Star’s Player of the Week.

Defensively, RCA head coach Chad Eaves said he does feel like Taylor’s contributions are overlooked due to his success on offense, but he’s seen a lot of growth from his senior on the defensive side in just the last year.

“Last year, he was backing up some and wasn’t as aggressive, so we really worked hard in the spring on that, just getting the guys better at tackling and being more physical,” Eaves said. “All we did all spring pretty much was just tackling drills and blocking, and he’s (become) a different player. I saw the light go on in the spring where he was hitting the holes, coming up and initiating contact, and he became a much better defensive player and became more aggressive.”

The hard work in the summer has shown not just for Taylor, but for everyone else on defense. The Warriors are yielding just more than 11 points per game on defense, which is a sharp contrast to 2016, when they surrendered 41.7 points per contest.

“Our physicality,” said Taylor when asked what’s improved the most in a year. “We practiced hitting in the spring and summer, and it’s translated onto the field as far as how physical we are.”

Taylor said he isn’t the only leader on defense, but he is the one calling blitzes and defensive stunts, which makes him a quarterback of sorts on defense. 

“Quarterback is about like middle linebacker, except you get to hit people,” Taylor said. “When you’re quarterback, you get hit.”

Eleven tackles in just one half means a lot was going right, but Taylor credited his teammates for his performance.

“Our nose guard (Tristan Taylor) and the defensive ends were pushing everything toward the middle, so that made my job easy,” Taylor explained.

Eaves credited Drew Taylor’s intelligence as a big reason for his success not just last Friday, but throughout the season.

“He’s a smart kid,” Eaves said. “Also, being a middle linebacker, he doesn’t have any coverage responsibilities, so all he has to do is focus on the run, see things in the backfield and be able to come up and make those tackles at the line of scrimmage.”

If there’s one thing from which Taylor isn’t shying away this season, it’s hitting.

“I love to hit,” Taylor said. “I love seeing all the hard work in the weight room paying off when I drive someone into the ground.”

Being a two-way player can be exhausting for some, but Taylor said Eaves and the other coaches have done such a good job getting the team into shape that fatigue isn’t much of an issue.

“That’s where conditioning comes in,” Taylor said. “We’re conditioned so well that I don’t have to worry about cramps because of it.”

Having a player that can excel going both ways is huge for the coaches, Eaves said.

“He’s extremely valuable,” he said. “He’s one of our most gifted players, and he’s definitely the hardest worker. He motivates the other players with his work ethic. That’s something I’ve been trying to push with all the kids, that strong work ethic. We want them strong and conditioned so they can go both ways, because we’re limited in numbers.”

RCA has two, possibly three more games left depending on whether it makes the Alabama Christian Education Association eight-man championship game. It’s the winding down portion of his high school career, but Taylor said he doesn’t have any regrets.

“It’s sad to see it’s close to the end of high school football, but I wouldn’t give it up for anything,” Taylor said. “It’s been an awesome experience.”