Seeing is believing

varsity state football championships

He knew. Never had a doubt, in fact.

Coach would come home and tell his wife all about the kid. There was no reason to predict greatness. The kid was too small, got lost in the grass blades, smothered by his own shoulder pads.

But he knew.

"Like a diamond in the rough," says the coach's wife. "Everyone else thought he was too little. But Ben kept saying there was something special about him. He knew you don't get an athlete like that all the time. He'd come home, and the way he talked about him ... no, Ben wouldn't be surprised in the least."

More than four years later, Tavon Austin, still small and still special, will take the field today wearing a Dunbar jersey for a final time. The Poets face Fort Hill at noon at M&T Bank Stadium, seeking their third straight Class 1A state championship.

Fifteen months after Ben Eaton died of a heart attack, it's still very much his football team. Dunbar has carved a legacy as one of Maryland's most dominant programs largely because Eaton's prophecy was spot on.

Austin, generously listed at 5 feet 9, 170 pounds, is the state's all-time leading rusher and scorer. He'll go down, in fact, as one of the best high school players this state has seen.

As various YouTube highlight videos will attest, Dunbar's talented Poet really is poetry in motion. He's drawn to holes like a fridge magnet. He accelerates like a sports car. And he has this stutter step that buckles defenders' knees - it's like someone above is holding a remote control, quickly tapping the pause and play buttons.

For his part, Austin is matter-of-fact about his accomplishments, spreading the credit to almost everyone but himself. He readily acknowledges he ran harder as a junior, which implies that his dominance during his senior campaign was almost effortless.

Austin's emotion comes out when he talks about two subjects: Eaton and his time at Dunbar.

Fifteen months have passed since Eaton died at age 58. While players say they still feel him watching over this team, this year's run for a state title has been a bit different from the past couple of seasons.

"We're still doing it for Coach," Austin says, "but we're also doing it for ourselves, for our coaches here and for our school."

He has been more reflective than usual this week. In fact, at times, he has been overwhelmed by the prospect of playing his final game. Before last week's game, there was a nagging fear his high school career could end in the state semifinals. The result? Austin ran for four touchdowns and 213 yards on 17 carries, and Dunbar beat Catoctin, 48-12.