Senior Runningback Focused on Football Season

Xavier Ellington was having a rough first quarter. It was late last year, in ’s 10th game of the season, and the lightning-fast tailback had some fumble issues against Norristown. A few drops created a two-touchdown, first-quarter hole for the Colonials that forced Ellington to watch some plays from the sidelines.

The explosive 5-foot-7, 160-pound Ellington could have gone one of two ways: Either spiral into a funk that could have mentally taken him out of the game completely, or reserve his plight and regain the trust of his coaching staff.

Ellington surveyed his situation, took a step back, plus a few deep breaths, and came back. A second-half Ellington touchdown led to a Colonials’ 28-21 comeback victory and aided Plymouth Whitemarsh in ending last season on a three-game winning streak and a 6-5 overall record.

Expect more this season from Ellington, minus the fumbles, after leading the Colonials in rushing with over 800 yards. He seems settled in the option offense new coach Dan Chang implemented last season. More importantly, Ellington knows he can pull himself up from the depths when his team needs him most.

This summer he’s dedicated himself to getting bigger and stronger than he was last year. That promises to make Ellington an even greater threat each time he has the ball. He knows he’ll be a target of every defense the Colonials will face.

“I feel like there will be pressure, but I don’t think about it,” said Ellington, who scored seven touchdowns last year. “I’m hitting the weight room and doing a lot more individual work, which I never really did before. I worked hard, but not as hard as I should have worked out in the past. I’m putting more into making myself a better player this season."

He believes his mistake days are behind him.

“I wasn’t focused as much as I should have been last year," he said. "There were times when I was nervous with the new offense, like the game against Norristown. I fumbled a few times in the first quarter and I had the coaches in my face. I don’t think I ever had a bad game like that before. But Coach [Keith] Moore pulled me aside, told me to calm down and forget about the first quarter. I learned I could come back.”

He did.

Now the goal is to help lead Plymouth Whitemarsh to the PIAA District 1 Class AAAA playoffs this coming season. Ellington, who is receiving Division II and Division III attention, has a sense good things will happen.

“I can see us going far this season; I can see us winning the league championship,” Ellington said. “We have almost everyone back and we can do a few things this year. We know the offense. We know what we’re doing; I know what I’m doing, which is important. This will be a great year.”