Foswhitt Whittaker burst on the scene two years ago as a sophomore. It took a few games for him to get use to the faster pace of varsity football, but once he did, the speedster gathered momentum to finish with 1,238 yards and nine touchdowns earning unanimous first-team All-District 24-5A honors.
Since that time...Whittaker has certainly earned the respect of opposing coaches over the past two years.
Prior to Pearland facing state-power North Shore in the first round of the 2005 playoffs, head coach David Aymond, who has seen some pretty salty running backs at North Shore, said, “I don’t dare call him ‘Fozzy. I call him Mr. Foswhitt Whittaker.”
Ball High coach Ron Holmes said after Whittaker rushed for 203 yards and two touchdwons against the Tors last season, “And just think. We have to face perhaps one of the best running backs in the state again for his senior year.”
Pearland has been blessed with outstanding running backs since the arrival of head coach Tony Heath in 1997. That first season saw the unveiling of a freshman running back named Anthony Evans (UH) who went on to close out his high school career with 6,192 yards and 66 touchdowns and finish as the No. 2 all-time leading rusher in Class 5A history. Evans was named first-team All-State and was the MVP of the district for two straight years. Evans was named “Player of the Year” by the Houston Chronicle in 2000.
Next in line was All-State running back Brandon Roberson (Northwestern). Roberson broke Evans' single-season rushing record with 2,295 yards his junior season and broke the single-game rushing mark with 347 yards in the playoff on the all-time Class 5A rushing list with Evans giving the Oilers the only school in Texas 5A football history with two running backs in the top 10.
Now - the Oilers have Whittaker who was named District 24-5A “Player of the Year” last season. While some may want to compare Whittaker to Evans or Roberson - Whittaker has a style of his own. He combines speed with power and may have the fastest acceleration of his predecesors.
“Fast,” is the term coach Heath uses to describe Whittaker. “He amazes me every time he touches the ball. He’s a very special, gifted kid. He has great vision. He also has great lateral movement. And - he’s fast. He hardly ever takes a solid hit, but he can deliver one. When he has to, he’ll lower his shoulder.”
The 5-10, 190 pound running back proved that his sophomore year was no fluke. He was just getting started.
For most of the 2005 football season, Whittaker led the Houston area in rushing until the Oilers ran into some blowout games and Heath took him out in the second half. When the final stats were finalized, Whittaker finished second in the Houston area with 1,705 yards on 210 carries and 18 touchdowns. Josh Lewis of Cypress Springs led the area in rushing with 330 totes for 1,880 yards and 15 scores.
The difference between the two runnings backs is that Lewis finished with 175 more yards, but Whittaker had 120 less carries. Cy-Springs was 1-9 for the season while an unselfish Whittaker was willing to sit out to allow the rest of his teammates to get involved in a perfect 10-0 season record -- which is only the third unblemished regular season in Pearland history.
Whittaker has made a non-binding verbal commitment to continue his education and playing career for the defending National Champions - the University of Texas Longhorns. The speedster not only excels on the gridiron, but he is also dedicated to getting a good education and was named to the 2005 All-District 24-5A Academic team. Whittaker has his priorities set to concentrate on his studies and then to perform on the football field. The combination of both makes him a complete student-athlete that sets the example for his teammates to follow.
