Van Buren flag football junior Ellie Grissom has been named MaxPreps Player of the Week.
Grissom received the honor after rushing for 211 yards in Van Buren’s victory over Bledsoe County. Grissom also tallied seven catches for 132 yards and a touchdown in the same game. Head Coach Shane Hall said Grissom made it clear she was Van Buren’s best player early on.
“There’s been, you know, several times this season where our whole entire offense went through Ellie until we kind of got going,” Hall said.
Grissom also played softball and basketball during her tenure at Van Buren. Grissom said she did not know anything about football before this season.
“I just thought it would be fun to play with your friends and catch the ball on the run,” Grissom said.
Grissom said her friends have helped support her this season.
“Most of the team, we play basketball together, so it was like carrying on from basketball to play football,” Grissom said.
Ellie Grissom leads the team in rushing yards, receiving yards, and touchdowns. She has led Van Buren to a 7-6 record this season. Two of their losses were to Stone Memorial, who made it to the state championship.
“I hope that we can continue to grow and win more games,” Grissom said.
