Prep football: Arroyo Grande running back James Gilmet shows speed, power as sophomore
One day last year, when James Gilmet was in the weight room trying to add muscle to his freshman frame, Arroyo Grande High School head coach Tom Goossen approached him.
“He said, ‘I think you have the talent to play varsity,’ ” Gilmet said.
Goossen has proven to be a pretty good talent evaluator during his long tenure at Arroyo Grande. And so far this season, it looks like he was right again. When Goossen watched Gilmet’s freshman team highlights on Hudl.com, what he saw was a physically mature player with raw ability and a fit for the Eagles’ need at running back.
“I am always looking for kids who can help out on varsity. One of the rules I have is that they need to be able to play at least half the time on either offense or defense,” Goossen said.
“(Goossen) gave me the opportunity,” Gilmet said. “The seniors took me under their wing, taught me what to do, taught me the ropes and it has worked out for me, I guess.”
I guess.
The only sophomore player to start this season for Arroyo Grande hasn’t just filled in, he’s flourished. On Friday night against Nipomo, the 6-foot, 190-pound Gilmet had 21 carries for 166 yards and two touchdowns. In the first quarter, Gilmet showed his combination of speed and power when he shrugged off an arm tackle, burst though an open hole in the offensive line and ran away from defensive backs on the way to a 75-yard touchdown.
“He’s a strong kid, and when he gets in the open he doesn’t look like he’s pulling away from people, but they aren’t catching him either,” Goossen said. “If there is such a thing as deceptive speed, I think he has a lot of that.
“He is only going to get better.”
Fans seeing No. 20 streak across the field might have flashbacks to last year’s Arroyo Grande running back with the same number — Tribune County Player of the Year and current Cal Poly Mustang Bradley Mickey.
“I watched (Mickey) on the field. He was just a true athlete. You can’t compare him to anyone. He was one of a kind,” Gilmet said. “I originally wanted No. 22, but a sophomore doesn’t really get priority over anyone, so I settled with 20. I knew it was big shoes to fill, and I’m just trying to do my part.”
Gilmet has had a few setbacks on the field more significant than not getting the number he wanted. Against Nipomo, Gilmet was involved in a botched hand off in the third quarter that ended up being returned for a touchdown by the Nipomo defense. In the first quarter, Gilmet fumbled, but Arroyo Grande recovered. And on the next play he scored on the long run.
“You know you are going to go through some ups and downs, but he has really come out and truly been a force for us on offense,” Goossen said.
Gilmet is averaging over 7.5 yards per carry and leads the Arroyo Grande (5-1) offense with seven touchdowns in six games.
The sophomore will get his first taste of varsity league action Friday when Arroyo Grande travels to Flamson Middle School to take on Paso Robles.
This story was originally published October 1, 2016 at 4:50 PM with the headline "Prep football: Arroyo Grande running back James Gilmet shows speed, power as sophomore."