Soooo proud of my nephew! Zach Bafus to STATE Playoffs! and Coach Rob Bafus Posted: Thursday, November 7, 2013 12:00 am | Updated: 9:44 am, Thu Nov 7, 2013. By Ben Handel, Daily News staff writer | 0 comments When Troy quarterback Cody Self went down with a leg injury in the fourth quarter against Prairie, all eyes turned to Zach Bafus. The Trojans hopes of an undefeated season rested on the senior running backs shoulders as much as anyone elses and he responded in a big way. On Friday night against Lapwai, Bafus exploded for 405 yards on the ground and six touchdowns - a performance usually reserved for Bo Jackson in the Tecmo Super Bowl video game - spurring Troy to an 80-30 victory in the regular season finale. Ive never seen those types of numbers before, said Rob Bafus, coach of the Trojans and Zachs father. Some old-timers at the coffee shop were telling me its the school record, and while I dont know for sure if thats the case, it was a great game. A bit ironically, the shoe could have been on the other foot if a twist of fate had gone slightly differently many years ago. I actually always wanted to play quarterback, Zach Bafus said. Cody Self and I have been playing together since first grade and I was usually the quarterback in elementary school. But in fourth grade, when we joined Thrasher football, coach Brad Lewis made me a running back. When Zach Bafus was in fifth grade, his dad started helping out the other Thrasher coaches. Little did they know it would be the start of a special father-son relationship that has lasted to this day. I helped coach him in Thrashers and junior high, then in his eighth-grade year, I accepted the head varsity job, Rob Bafus said. I think as it gets closer to the end, Im enjoying it more and its been wonderful - wouldnt trade it for anything in the world. But I never wanted to be that dad or that coach where the reason he gets the attention is because hes my son. I wanted him to work hard for it and get his own attention and earn his own accolades. For Zach Bafus, it has presented its own set of ups and downs. I think it has definitely developed me in some aspects of the game, Zach Bafus said. I think I have a better football IQ than most people because I am always around it and I think that give me a bit of an advantage because I know the game pretty well. There are other times where it can be a bit crappy and I find myself not saying very nice things in my head. I think sometimes there is more pressure on me. Pressure or not, Zach Bafus has had quite the career at Troy. Heading into postseason play, he has accumulated 2,978 yards on the ground, 695 receiving and has scored 70 touchdowns in his four years on varsity. Those receiving yards, they often get overlooked, but thats one of the things that makes him so good, Rob Bafus said. Hes got some of the best hands on our team. This year alone, Zach Bafus has compiled an MVP-worthy season, picking up 1,314 yards on only 94 carries and rushing for 22 touchdowns. Through the air, he has 12 catches for 402 yards and seven scores. As good as those numbers are, the speedy senior likes to give all the credit to his offensive linemen, giving special thanks to Will Gram, Tell Hites and Zach Blum. Those guys do all the dirty work, Zach Bafus said. Theyre the ones who put me in the paper. dnews/sports/article_5ab225e2-7a68-536a-a344-15d23e497c25.html?mode=image&photo=0 While Zach Bafus hopes to play football at the next level and has drawn the interest of several schools, including Idaho, right now hes focused on winning playoff games and finishing his varsity career strong. To be honest, Im not happy unless we win the state championship, Zach Bafus said. I want to go out with a bang and I know that when we play well, were the best team - and just like Maxpreps says, I think were the best eight-man team in the nation.
Posted on: Fri, 08 Nov 2013 19:45:36 +0000
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