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High Flying Heisman Impersonator

Heisman-like: It’s the only way to describe such an amazing play.

The ball-carrier breaks through the line and cuts to the outside, where he shakes off a linebacker and then heads for a cornerback who is the last obstacle between him and the end zone. The defender dives for the runner’s legs in an effort to keep him from scoring, but in a show of impressive athleticism, the ball-carrier jumps over him in stride to score the touchdown.

Some believe it was the play that won the 2016 Heisman Trophy for University of Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson. Although strikingly similar to Jackson’s vault against Syracuse, this time it happened during a middle school scrimmage in Kingsland, Georgia.

“For some reason I felt like I should jump over him,” Jamie Felix, Camden Middle School running back, said about the play.

Already standing 5’10” and weighing 175 pounds, Felix will play football, basketball, and baseball for the Camden County Wildcats next year.

“He is one of the most talented athletes that I have ever coached,” Mark Lang, Camden Middle School head football coach, said . “He learns quickly, receives coaching feedback, and can make his body perform at levels most cannot imagine achieving.”

Such was the case of Felix’s high-flying impersonation of Jackson’s Heisman leap during the Cougars’ annual Blue and White spring scrimmage. Felix took a pitch on a sweep, shook off a linebacker, and headed for the outside toward a cornerback.

“I’m thinking, ‘He’s not going to tackle me. He is going to try and go for my lower half,’” Felix said.

The defender did exactly that. But as he went for Felix’s legs, the young running back hurdled him, landing in stride and scoring the touchdown.

“It is memorable because Lamar Jackson did the same thing in a game, which was pretty cool,” Felix said.

As a running back and defensive back for CMS, Felix likes to announce his presence on both sides of the ball, setting the tone of the game by breaking a big run or making a big hit.

“Jamie gives the whole team greater confidence when he simply steps on the field,” Lang said.

Felix has speed to get him beyond the second level of defense, and for anyone who is able to catch up to him, Felix also has the size and strength to run them over with sheer brute force. Before each snap, Felix mentally prepares himself by getting his adrenaline pumping.

“I just express everything when the play starts, and it makes me play hard every game,” he said.

Like many young men, he got his start playing flag football at age 5 in Kingsland. At 7, he put on pads and strapped on a chin strap for the first time, which got him hooked.

“I was a complete beast on the field,” he said. “I fell in love with the game as soon as I put a helmet on.”

His first big game came in the 8U league when he moved to quarterback in the Wildcat formation during the second half of a game against the Woodbine Cowboys. He led the Kingsland Falcons to victory in the second half, running three touchdowns and throwing for another. Later, his team went all the way to state in football and won the 9-10 championship. He continued playing recreation football in Kingsland until he joined Lang’s Camden Middle School team. He helped lead the Cougars to an undefeated season in 2016, scoring five touchdowns in a single game.

Outstanding on the basketball court and the baseball diamond, too, Felix made Camden County High School’s junior varsity baseball team while still in seventh grade. He has played travel baseball in tournaments throughout the southeastern United States since he was 9 years old. Felix was recently selected for the Southeastern Division for Team USA in the National Team Identification Series. He now has the chance to be on the international team next year.

Whether his future is in football or baseball, Felix would like to go pro in either sport.

He credited coach Brian Crum for teaching him how to play the game better and at a higher level.

“He has taught me how to be a student of the game and to study my playbook and my school work,” Felix said.

Like most young teens, Felix likes to play video games when he is not in school or at practice. He also likes to work on ways to improve himself.

“I lift weights, work on my feet, work on my hands and speed,” he said.

A quiet leader on the team, Felix sets an example for teammates to follow.

“He uses his influence to make his team better,” Lang said. “Jamie is extremely talented and very humble. Jamie will play any position asked and always pushes himself to get better.”

 

 

FAVORITES:

Snack: Fruit cups.

Food: Alfredo.

Hobby: Sports and video games.

Pro team: Football – Atlanta Falcons, Baseball – Toronto Blue Jays, Basketball – Wherever LeBron goes.

College team: Florida Gators.

Pro players: Emmitt Smith, Josh Donaldson, and LeBron.

TV show: “Last Chance U.”

Movie: “Friday Night Lights” (2004).

Movie star: Chris Tucker.

Truck: GMC Sierra.

Who inspires you and why: “My dad because he always tells me these stories about how good he was and how he did some bad things to get him off track in school and sports, and that inspires me to stay humble and to get to the highest level possible.”


SE-RS-1017-Felix

RS – Jamie Felix (Camden Middle)

By Rob Asbell

Photography by Michael Brinson

High Flying Heisman Impersonator

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