Athlete of the Week: David Bowman, Milford

Milford High School running back David Bowman poses for a portrait at the Milford football stadium on Monday afternoon.

DAVID BOWMAN, junior, Milford football

THE WEEK: Rushed 16 times for 138 yards and two touchdowns and caught two passes for 82 yards and another score as the Buccaneers, ranked second statewide in Division II, downed Conrad 42-13 on Friday night.

THE FIRST ONE: Bowman’s first TD came on a 29-yard run just 2:07 into the game. “It was a 28 toss,” he said. “I caught the ball, my H-back made a good block and I saw a hole. I hit it, and after that I was just looking for the end zone. I only got touched once.”

THE BLOCKER SAYS: “I can put all of my trust in him,” Milford fullback Dominyc Hovington said. “I know if I get that one good block, he’s going to score a touchdown. He’s definitely, in my opinion, one of the best running backs in the state of Delaware.”

THE CATCH: Bowman later scored on a 22-yard run, then caught a pass from William Kimmel and took it 77 yards for a 28-0 Milford lead. “I saw him looking to the right, and I was hoping he was going to look my way,” Bowman said. “Once he threw it, I made a cut to the right and I saw another lane. So I hit that and kept going.”

Milford High School running back David Bowman poses for a portrait at the Milford football stadium on Monday afternoon.

THE COACH SAYS: “To have a kid who’s as versatile as D.J., you see he can catch and run, take it out of the backfield, his ability to elude tacklers, to make cuts,” Milford coach Shaun Strickland said. “He’s a great all-around running back.”

THE SIZE: Bowman is only 5-foot-5, 155 pounds, but he says, “I really don’t think about that. I work in the weight room constantly. Most of the hits, it doesn’t bother me.”

THE DEFENSE: Bowman also contributes on the other side of the ball, playing a key role on a defense that has allowed just 13 points all season. “He’s a very good defensive back. In my opinion, he’s one of the better ones that you’ll see,” Strickland said. “He’s just a kid who works hard, has a nose for the football, knows what he’s looking at.”

Milford High School running back David Bowman poses for a portrait at the Milford football stadium on Monday afternoon.

THE CLASSROOM: “My favorite class right now is Physics,” Bowman said. “We do a whole bunch of labs, and it’s fun. That’s what I like doing, messing with motion.”

THE FUTURE: Bowman hopes to continue playing football in college. “It’s always been my dream, since I was young,” he said. “People always told me I’m too short, but I just work hard and keep going, see if I can make it.”

Send Athlete of the Week nominations to bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.