Football: No keeping up with Oscar Smith's go-to guy

CHESAPEAKE

He has been dubbed “Flash” — after the lickety-split superhero — by his Oscar Smith High School teammates, and his speed had college football recruiters clamoring over him.

But growing up, Tim Smith was too slow for his fleet-footed family.

“We’d have family reunions, and somebody would say, 'I bet you’re not faster than me,’ and we were out there running,” Smith said. “I would win sometimes, but my older cousins would win and my uncles sometimes.”

These days, few are outrunning Smith.

A 6-foot-1, 185-pound senior wide receiver, Smith was perhaps South Hampton Roads’ most dynamic play-maker during the regular season. On 44 receptions, he averaged 24.4 yards per reception — by far the more than any other area receiver — and totaled 1,073 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Smith and the Tigers (11-0) play Bethel (8-3) on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in an Eastern Region Division 6 semifinal at Oscar Smith.

“I know that I have a certain role I have to play, and I’m counted on as a playmaker as well as a captain,” said Smith, who recently committed to play at Virginia. “So that always drives me and keeps me going.”

What helped drive him to success this season was just what motivated him at those family reunions: a little competition.

Last season, Smith was part of a Tigers receiving corps that included three Division I signees. Kerry Boykins eventually headed to Maryland, Todd Harrelson to UNC and Jamal Wilson to Marshall. Although Smith saw significant playing time, he finished the season with 16 receptions.

“It was never frustrating,” Smith said. “It was fun because there was so much competition. We were all top-of-the-line guys, and we’d all come to practice talking, 'C’mon, I bet you can’t make this catch.’ They say competition makes everybody better, so that was a good thing.”

The Tigers’ talented trio graduated after last season, leaving Smith as the only veteran receiver this year. Already a tireless worker, Smith became more dedicated in the months leading up to this season.

“When you watch film, the burst he has off the ball is what jumps out at you the most,” Oscar Smith coach Richard Morgan said. “But I think it’s his competitive drive that makes him want to be the best and is what sets him apart from other receivers.”

During this past summer, though, Smith was as much a coach as a receiver.

Most Saturdays he helped gather quarterback Phillip Sims and a group of Oscar Smith wideout wannabes — usually about eight to 10 of them — to run routes and learn the Tigers’ offense.

“I had to make myself better and then I had younger guys coming up that hadn’t played before since I was the only one coming back,” Smith said. “I had to help them build their confidence up and made sure they knew their role.

“Sometimes I’d take a step back and let everybody learn what they needed to do, and then I’d get out there and run it with them.”

This season, Smith has thrived as Sims’ first option. He has six 100-yard games, and has been a threat to score as a defensive back and kick returner. Smith returned an interception 50 yards for a touchdown in last week’s region quarterfinal and has scored on kick returns of 54, 56 and 97 yards.

More and more, Smith is proving difficult to keep up with.

Even for his cousins and uncles.

“They used to get me,” Smith said, “but now they can’t.”

Jami Frankenberry, (757) 446-2295 or jami.frankenberry@pilotonline.com