ELKINS — Weston Curry has a unique way of staying motivated.
During games, when the junior fullback knows he’s getting the ball on any upcoming play, one of two scenarios always pop into his head to help assure himself he’ll either get a first down or a touchdown.
And the results have been extremely beneficial for the Elkins Elks.
The first scenario is quite simple: Before Curry’s given the ball, he pretends in his head that somebody has just “really ticked him off.” Curry said being angry when running the ball is the best way to gain yards on crucial short-down plays.
The second is even better: When Elkins is about to score and Curry gets the ball, he pretends in his head that if he scores a touchdown, he’ll magically receive a new pickup truck — any kind of truck — as a reward.
“I don’t know how I started doing that, but it’s definitely worked, it’s something I really rely on now,” said Curry, who was mainly a defensive player last year, but started the last four games of the season at fullback. “By my calculations, I probably should have beaten up about 20 people and should have about four or five new pickup trucks.”
The mind game Curry constantly plays in his head has worked well this season for the junior, who has totaled 242 yards and four touchdowns in only six games. He also has four receptions for 32 yards.
Last week against Mountainburg, Curry scored the Elks’ (3-3, 2-2 3A-1 Conference) first touchdown in a 13-8 victory.
“He’s a power runner, he’s not afraid to get the ball and run right at you and then take two or three guys with him,” Elkins coach Aaron Clark said. “That’s just the way he is. He’s not going to juke you, so you have to take him head on.”
Curry’s strength was especially evident earlier this season when during practice, one of Elkins’ defensive players went to tackle him, but instead came away with a broken collarbone.
“I think I get it from my dad,” Curry said. “He (Kevin) played football at Fayetteville and has always worked with me and my brother (Chad) in the weight room, helping us get better. He’s the guy that taught me football when I first started in the pee-wee leagues.”
Regardless, Curry said he’s not only enjoying playing with his brother — a sophomore halfback/linebacker — this season, he’s hoping the Elks can continue their winning ways on Friday against Cedarville.
This season, the brothers have combined for 505 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, easily the majority of Elkins’ rushing attack.
“Right now, we’re just trying to stay focused for every game,” Curry said. “There’s only 20 of us on this team, but we’re pretty good when we want to be. We have to stay focused and keep looking forward to the next best thing.”
Kind of like getting a new truck after scoring a touchdown.
