King's Walker plays it cool
Quarterback Joseph Walker leads Cougars to berth in Public League's AAA championship game against Mastery North.
MARTIN LUTHER King High senior quarterback Joseph Walker was given the nickname "Broadway Joe" not just for the way he slings the football, but also for his cool under pressure.
Nowhere was that more evident than a second-quarter drive in King's 46-28, Public League AAA semifinal triumph against Ben Franklin Saturday night at the Marcus Foster Supersite (Gratz).
On fourth-and-1 from the 13, Walker fumbled the snap but regained enough control to lunge ahead for the first down. Next verse? Same as the first. Walker fumbled and recovered the ensuing snap, but the gaffe simply resembled a delayed draw, as the stunned Electrons parted and Walker ran untouched for a 12-yard score.
It wasn't broken so Walker repeated the feat with another fumbled snap + recovery + scamper for a successful two-point conversion that made it 22-6.
Three plays, three fumbles, three opportunities to showcase poise.
"I saw end zone," Walker explained. "I saw nothing but green. So I just took the opportunity and ran."
He finished with four touchdowns, 170 yards passing and 66 more rushing. His two TD passes went to Mark McCray.
That suave, single-minded focus seems an extension of what drives the 6-4, 190-pound Division I prospect, who has scholarship offers from Delaware, Coastal Carolina, Buffalo and Old Dominion.
After 4-8 and 5-7 overall campaigns as a sophomore and junior, respectively, at Jules Mastbaum Tech, Walker wanted something special for his senior year. So he transferred to Parkway Northwest, which has a cooperative sponsorship with King.
"They weren't the best seasons," said Walker, who went to Bodine, which had a cooperative sponsorship with Mastbaum. "I never made it to the playoffs in high school until now, and it feels great."
Aaron Watkins added 108 yards and a score, while Ishmael Dargan added 118 and a score. Delane Hart, one of the Pub's top receivers, had 82 yards on two catches.
The Cougars' win sets up a regular-season rematch with Mastery North for the Pub's AAA championship on Saturday at the Charles Martin Supersite (Northeast).
Mastery knocked off King, 20-16, in Week 2, the Cougars' last loss before running off eight straight wins.
"I think the first two games we were a little too hyped and our chemistry was a little off," he said. "It was good, but wasn't as good as it needed to be for a ."