It was a once-in-a-lifetime stroke of luck for Rockville football coach Mark Maradei. His new transfer was the MVP of an undefeated state championship team from Texas.
But that was before Maradei discovered the rest of the story. The player, Tarik Paul, actually was the star back of tiny Faith Christian Academy of El Paso, winner of Texas Six-Man Football — Private School Division.
“Six-Man football is a completely different game,” said Maradei. “We had to break him of his old habits and start from scratch.”
Apparently Paul is a quick learner. Last week he carried 31 times for 302 yards and two touchdowns, leading Rockville to a 34-0 win over Wheaton. Tonight when Class 2A Rockville (3-1) travels to 4A Wootton (2-3), Paul will be the man to stop.
Transitioning from the wide-open style of six-man football to 11-on-11 was difficult. In Texas, Paul’s thought, every time he got the ball, was to score.
“I know this sounds ridiculous, but I averaged about 30 yards per carry last year,” said Paul. “I was used to cutting and juking in the backfield. That doesn’t work here.”
In six-man football, three men play on the line in either a tight or spread formation. The center hikes the ball to a “man-under,” who is not eligible to run or pass, but hands off to a halfback, the position Paul played. In most six-man offenses, the halfback is a runner and thrower. Last year, Paul rushed for 2,133 yards and 41 touchdowns and threw for 366 yards and nine scores.
Coming to Rockville required Paul to re-learn 11-on-11 football, which he hadn’t played since eighth grade. Maradei’s simple instruction is to run “downhill.”
“When I get the ball now,my thought is, ‘Run straight through the blocker, through the linemen, through the linebackers,’” said Paul. “Only if I get past the linebackers, can I start making cuts and jukes.”
After a workmanlike 176 yards on 43 carries in Rockville’s first three games, Paul’s breakthrough came last week.
The 5-foot-9, 175-pound senior can run 40 yards in 4.5 seconds, bench press 275 pounds and squat 400. With a strong academic background, Paul is receiving interest from schools such as UTEP, Air Force, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech, Kansas, and Duke. Paul has no firm offers yet.
“Tarik’s just learning how to play 11-man football,” said Maradei. “He’s never played defense, and he’s doing great at cornerback for us. He’s only going to get better and better.”
SIX-MAN FOOTBALL
» In Texas six-man, teams get four downs to go 15 yards.
» All players are eligible to receive passes.
» Games are so high scoring that if one team leads by 45 points at the half, the game is called.
