Burnet’s Brock Foster just ’has it’ as he guides Bulldogs to success

JENNIFER FIERRO • STAFF WRITER

BURNET — Long before Burnet High School senior athlete Brock Foster was an all-purpose weapon, he burst onto the local sports scene as a member of the Highland Lakes Track Club.

At the 2010 USA Track and Field National Junior Olympics, Foster won the long jump with a leap of 17 feet 8 inches and finished third in the 100 meters in 12.31 seconds. The race was a photo finish, and Foster was 0.05 of a second from winning the gold medal.

“Make sure you follow Brock,” former Highland Lakes Track Club coach Ashley Laughlin said back then. “I’m telling you, he has it.”

Years later, Foster now uses that speed and leaping ability to help move the chains on the football field and approaches his spot on special teams with the same focus.

But the success of the team isn’t about him, he said.

“I have all the blockers and everybody,” he said. “I just catch the ball and just try to make people miss. I have everybody down field blocking for me. It all comes together.”

Foster leads the Bulldogs in carries with 57 for 199 yards and four touchdowns. He also has 14 receptions for 203 yards and a touchdown.

He stops short of saying he is the fastest on the squad, noting he has plenty of teammates who are known for outrunning plenty of tacklers. He prefers being handed the ball as opposed to catching it as a slot receiver.

“I like getting behind our line and running the ball every now and then,” he said. “I also like being in the open field, showing the speed every now and then, too.”

While some athletes might not enjoy learning plays for two positions, Foster said he doesn’t mind. As a third-year letterman, he finds it second nature to dig into the playbook and memorize the run and pass routes and blocking schemes. To play offense for the Bulldogs means each player must commit to being an equally good blocker.

Head coach Kurt Jones said Foster’s versatility is what makes him so dangerous.

“He can run, has great speed,” he said. “He runs the ball well. He can hit some holes quick inside, but he can also get out on the edge. Occasionally, out on the edge when he has a defender on him, he’ll lower his shoulder and deliver a blow. He also catches the ball well, whether it’s from the wide receiver position or out of the backfield.”

And while Jones appreciates what Foster brings during games, that’s only a small part, he said.

“He’s one of the hardest workers on the team,” the coach said. “That’s probably what not many people get to see in practice, but he works so hard and just seems to be tireless out there as much as we ask him to do.”

The results on the scoreboard illustrate the work ethic it takes to be successful, Foster said. To ensure the Bulldogs don’t miss an opportunity to get better, he said they hold each other accountable on every down.

The son of Earl and Kaci Foster wants to major in business management with a minor in physical training and hopes to land a football scholarship.

“They’ve meant a lot,” he said about his parents. “They’ve definitely done a lot for me. It’s a hard year for them and me having to leave them next year. But they’ve definitely done a lot for me, and I really appreciate them.”

The athlete said he and the other seniors are driven to have better results this season than the past two years. In 2013, they were area champions; last year, they were regional finalists.

“It’s definitely motivating to keep that going and just to keep pushing and going farther each year,” he said.

jfierro@thepicayune.com