The AJC reports that Chattooga Indian Zayden Cook is the state’s new rushing leader after a 338-yard effort in a 45-20 victory over Mount Zion of Carroll County. Cook has rushed for 849 yards and 11 touchdowns on just 60 carries.
Cook is more than a running back, though. He’s an inside linebacker who is second on his team in tackles, averaging eight per game. He’s playing 125-130 plays per game.
Cook also is a four-sport athlete. He won the 110-meter hurdles at the Class A Division I meet last spring and was the state runner-up wrestler in the 175-weight division. He plays soccer when his schedule allows.
Cook participates in Chattooga’s SkillsUSA TeamWorks and represents plumbing on the four-man team that finished 14th during a national competition in Atlanta last summer.
As for his football running skills, Chattooga coach Roone Gable said, “He is a combination of speed and strength.” Cook is 5 feet, 10 inches and 195 pounds. He has been timed around 4.5 seconds across 40 yards at camps.
“He rushed for more than 1,000 yards as a junior behind an inexperienced, young offensive line last year in the first year of a new scheme,” Gable said. “As the line has gotten a year older, bigger and stronger in the weight room, it has allowed Zayden to show more of what he is capable of.”
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