Ryan Lee has dreams of competing in the NFL.

So, the Spring Valley junior quarterback was excited to see what his coach said about him after his game last week.

After Lee rushed for 206 yards and three touchdowns on nine carries and passed for another touchdown against South Aiken, coach Jerry Brown said Lee reminds him of one of his former players – Bruce Ellington, who now plays with the San Francisco 49ers.

“It was just a great honor to read that in the paper,” said Lee, who led the Vikings to a win. “It means a lot that he would compare me to a guy that’s playing in the NFL. It means that they trust in me to continue to grow and get better.

“I just hope that I continue to get better and, one day, play in the NFL myself,” Lee said. “I’ve always had confidence that I’m going to reach the next level and, probably, beyond. But I’m glad that my coaches believe in me.”

Lee is The State’s player of the week.

Spring Valley quarterbacks coach Robin Bacon said Lee has the right tools for continued success.

“He’s got a great work ethic, that’s where it starts off,” Bacon said. “He’s very astute, learns from his mistakes – that’s really important for a high school kid.

“His future is extremely bright.”

Lee started as the Vikings’ junior varsity quarterback as a freshman, but played at running back when he made varsity last season. Now at quarterback, Lee had modest expectations for himself.

“With my position, I just want to be a facilitator, and get everybody involved, my running backs and receivers,” he said.

And he said everyone was involved in his smashing performance in South Aiken.

“There’s no individual highlight for me, because when we reviewed the film, just everybody was clicking on those touchdowns. The offensive linemen had the right blocks, the wings were making their blocks, and I just ran through the holes they made for me,” Lee said.

Lee has 438 yards and eight rushing touchdowns this season on 44 carries, and has completed eight passes for 184 yards and three touchdowns.

Bacon is not surprised by how productive Lee has been.

“He’s a very quiet kid, a very humble kid. But he has a world of talent, and we’re just going to push him to be a better player,” Bacon said. “A lot of kids are comfortable being a good player, but Ryan wants to be a great player. It’s fun to
coach a kid like that.”