All eyes on E: McGuire wowing with athleticism, skill

Vandebilt Catholic quarterback Elijah McGuire said he lies in his room most Saturday mornings with a sore feeling throughout his body – sometimes he’s in so much pain that he can hardly get out of bed.

“Some days, I just can’t even move,” McGuire said. “This one time, I tried getting out of bed and I fell. I get back up, but I’m still cramping. Sometimes it’s hard for me to move around the whole day.”

For most high school kids, the weekend pain would be a real bummer.

For McGuire, it’s worth it – on Friday nights, he’s the one bringing the pain to his opponents.

In his final season with the Terriers, McGuire is having a storybook year. He finished the regular season as the leading rusher in Louisiana with 2,094 yards and 26 touchdowns.

Those numbers are even more impressive when one considers that McGuire missed almost all of last season with a toe injury.

“He’s elusive and he’s got moves that I haven’t seen in 25 years in coaching,” Vandebilt coach Brad Villavaso said. “I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that he’s the best high school football player that I’ve ever seen.”

McGuire is the quarterback within the Terriers’ veer offensive attack.

But his legs are far more powerful than his arm.

Most of Vandebilt’s offensive attack is designed on McGuire running the football on read plays or all-out keepers.

That’s when the magic starts.

In the open field, McGuire is an absolute terror for opponents because of his speed, elusiveness and ability to break tackles.

Senior offensive guard Ryan Bourg shared a conversation from a recent huddle.

It took place in the team’s final game of the regular season with Ellender surprisingly leading the Terriers in the third quarter of the game.

“I went in the huddle against Ellender and I told the guys, ‘Look, this is either going to be a 90-yard drive or we can block this first play perfectly and he’s going to score right here,’” Bourg said. “Sure enough, he ran a 92-yard touchdown on that very next play. He’s fast. He can duck tacklers and he’s stronger than you think. He’s the total package.”

“Every play can go for six with him,” Villavaso said.

A lot of players have speed and elusiveness. But what makes McGuire special is what he does when the play appears to be breaking down.

The Terriers’ quarterback has the ability to turn a two-yard run into a 72-yard touchdown. He also has the ability to get a handful of extra yards out of every, single play.

McGuire said he’s not sure how he does it, citing will and determination.

“The only thing I know is that I won’t ever give up on a play,” he said. “Whatever happens from there, I can’t really explain it.”

Villavaso can’t either. But he said he learned long ago to never blink until the whistle is blown.

“We know from experience that if you turn away because you think the play’s over, you might look back up and he’ll be standing in the end zone,” Villavaso said. “Every, single time he touches the football – no matter what – whether everyone’s blocked or if the play’s not blocked, it doesn’t make a difference. He always has the ability to make people miss, and his vision is just tremendous. He just finds a way. He always finds that way to make defenders grab air.”

Despite the touchdowns, yards and highlight tape runs, McGuire’s most impressive accomplishment occurred before the season started – he became a leader.

The Terriers’ quarterback said he learned a lot last season while having to watch from the sidelines.

Once healthy, McGuire said he had a “light bulb in the head” moment when he realized he had to take control of the team.

“Coming into this season, I truly had no intentions of becoming a leader,” McGuire said. “When I really thought about it, I really came up with ways that I could be a leader on this team. I make sure everyone does their job – there’s no slacking on this field. Inside of those white lines, we do no jogging, no slacking and no clowning – no anything. I enforce that. I make sure we take everything serious.”

With that leadership also comes an unselfishness. With McGuire running wild, many teams have keyed on the quarterback in the back-half of the season.

When that happens, McGuire happily hands the ball to other players on read plays, which makes Vandebilt very difficult to contain.

“You really don’t want to put too many sets of eyes on Elijah,” Villavaso said. “We have some other guys who can get us some yards. We have a good mix.”

“All of the touchdowns and all of the yards and all of the things they say – it all doesn’t mean anything if it’s in a loss,” McGuire said. “Winning is the only thing that matters. I’ll gladly take fewer numbers and everything like that if it means we win – without question.”

With the high school football season coming to its close, it’s about to be decision time for the Terriers’ standout.

McGuire is also a standout in basketball – a star guard on the Terriers’ boys’ team. He said he has opportunities to play both football and basketball in college.

The problem? He cannot decide which sport he wants to pursue at the next level.

“If I had to decide today, I still couldn’t decide,” McGuire said with a laugh. “I love them both.”

But one thing’s for sure – only one sport will be chosen. McGuire ruled out the possibility of being a two-sport athlete.

“I wouldn’t be able to do it,” he said. “I work too hard. I’d be spread too thin. For me to do both, I’d be working so much there’s no way I’d be able to get the rest that I need.”

If he chases football in college, Villavaso said McGuire will most likely not be a quarterback, but will play another skill position.

Colleges initially projected McGuire to be a defensive back. After seeing what he’s done this season, Villavaso said plans may have changed.

“After this year and after seeing some of the things that he’s done with the ball, I would be surprised if a team doesn’t put the ball in his hands,” Villavaso said. “He’s a phenomenal player. I recruited when I was at Ole Miss, and we chased a lot of running backs that are playing in the SEC now. Those guys’ high school tape doesn’t even compare to what Elijah’s done. He’s not a big guy, but he’s definitely a ball handler in my opinion and he can score touchdowns for anyone that he plays for.”

Vandebilt Catholic quarterback Elijah McGuire poses with the football before Friday’s first round playoff matchup with Huntington. The Terriers’ standout leads Louisiana in rushing and is having a monster season.

CASEY GISCLAIR | TRI-PARISH TIMES