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Pearland All-District running back Fozzy Whittaker has followed in the footsteps of some great ball carriers that have thrilled Pearland fans over the past nine years. Two former All-State running backs, Anthony Evans (UH) and Brandon Roberson (Northwestern), closed out their illustrious high school careers as the No. 2 and No. 8 Class 5A all-time leading rushers in Texas football history.

Evans finished his career in 2000 at the No. 2 mark with 6,192 yards while Roberson (2003) was No. 8 with 5,235 yards.

Whittaker, who made an early non-binding verbal commitment to play for the University of Texas Longhorns, will enter his senior campaign at PHS needing 2,006 yards to become No. 10 on the all-time list. Pearland is the only school that has ever had two running backs on the top 10 list and Whittaker could give the Oilers an unprecedented three players on the elite rushing list.

In 2005, Whittaker had 210 carries for 1,705 yards and 18 touchdowns his junior season. He also caught five passes for 56 yards. The speedster picked up 1,238 yards and nine touchdowns his sophomore year giving him a two-year total of 2,943 yards and 27 touchdowns.

Whittaker (5-9, 180) was named to the 2005 All-Greater Houston second-team. He was also named as the District 24-5A "Player of the Year" after finishing as the top ball carrier for District 24-5A and the second leading rusher in the Houston area.

The Pearland speedster was recently named to Dave Campbell's 2006 Texas Football offensive second-team which makes Whittaker one of the top running backs in the state.

Both Evans and Roberson had seasons where they rushed for more than 2,000 yards. Evans rushed for 2,054 yards his junior year and 2,055 yards his senior campaign which launched him to the No. 2 all-time slot.

Roberson rushed for a single-season PHS record of 2,294 yards his junior year and also set the PHS single-game mark against Baytown Lee in the playoffs with 347 yards. Roberson closed out his senior year with 1,688 yards while he had 1,253 yards his sophomore season.

Whittaker would have been in a better position to move into the top 10 this season had he played the entire time last year. The Oilers blew out five opponents last year sending Whittaker to the bench for most of the second half of those games -- otherwise he would have easily surpassed the 2,000 yard rushing mark.

Head coach Tony Heath certainly knows about individual milestones, but his commitment to the team first and individual accomplishments second has proven to be the right philosophy that has made Pearland one of the top teams in the Houston area this decade. The Oilers are 60-13 from 2000 to 2005 and 24-2 at home since moving into The Rig in 2001. Heath also knows that it isn't worth risking an injury just for the sake of running up yards against a lesser opponent.

The stage is now set for this season as Whittaker closes out his final year for the Oilers. Two previous running backs have proven they can post 2,000-plus yards in a single season and Pearland is on the brink of having three outstanding ball carriers listed in the top 10 on the all-time rushing list. That is a feat that is unheard of in Texas football history.

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