Clarksville DT not short on athleticism

Clarksville sophomore defensive lineman Mike Powell is unknown to college recruiters, but that’s likely to change in the near future.

Powell, 6-4, 298 pounds showed off his athleticism against Ozark on Friday with a 43-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-9.

“It’s reminisce of the fumblerooski, but it’s just like a quarterback sneak,” Clarksville coach Khris Buckner said. “We are asking him to do a lot of things from the backfield because he is so agile for his size.”

He has nine pancake blocks in 60 snaps as the blocking back and is a reason why the Panthers' offense is averaging 27.5 points a game.

“Big Mike has the God-given ability,” Buckner said. “He has the size; he has the strength. This guy in the weight room can absolutely just kill it.”

Powell, who recently turned 15 years old, is raw but very talented.

“D-line wise, he draws double and triple teams every time,” Buckner said. “He plays high at times. He’ll stand up and let those guys double and triple him, but there’s a lot of times he gets so much penetration on the backfield. He can manhandle people.”

Buckner said Powell is excellent in the classroom.

“He’s a smart kid; he’ll never have problems with his grades,” Buckner said.