Morgan Park’s Terrance Gurley isn’t related to former NFL star Todd Gurley, who played with the Los Angeles Rams and Atlanta Falcons, but he grew up idolizing him.
The junior running back said he appreciates his namesake’s strength.
“He’s a powerful runner,” Terrance Gurley said of Todd Gurley. “He’s powerful, and that’s what I’m trying to be. My dream is to make it to the NFL.”
Terrance looked like a dream come true in his first varsity game as a running back.
The 5-foot-9, 170-pound Gurley broke loose for 157 yards on 18 carries as the Mustangs opened the season Friday night with a 42-0 nonconference win over Richards in Oak Lawn.
Gurley ran for a 65-yard touchdown on his second carry in the first quarter for Morgan Park (1-0). Junior quarterback Marcus Thaxton threw for 176 yards and TDs to Chris Durr and Stanley Thompson.
The Mustangs have a handful of players who are getting Division I offers and interest from all over the nation, and that showed against Richards (0-1).
Gurley is not one of them — yet.
The Mustangs were set at running back when Gurley was a sophomore, so he played defensive back.
“A player with his talent, we needed to get him on the field,” Morgan Park coach Chris James said. “He’s a great and physical athlete. He showed us in camp that we really had something.”
“He’s a hard worker and dedicated,” Thaxton said. “He comes to practice every day and works hard. He respects everybody and is a good teammate.”
Gurley said he grew up playing running back all of his life. While he appreciated getting varsity experience last year on defense, he was happy to return to the offensive side.
“When I was a DB, I was just guarding the whole time,” he said. “When I’m playing running back, I can actually show them what I can do and how (opponents) can’t stop me.”
Morgan Park finished with a 415-132 advantage in yards. The Mustangs posted the shutout despite Richards getting the ball to the 1-yard line on a possession in the first half and to the 3 in the second half.
Some of the defensive stars for Morgan Park were Geordan Pettie, KJ Hayes, Deandre Smith, Mekhi Hubbard, Nigel Waller, Dion Andrews and Bremen transfer Keshawn Lewis-Hunt. They helped keep the Bulldogs off the board.
Richards is coming off a dominant conference season with six wins in the South Suburban Red but had the tables turned in four nonconference losses, including a 30-2 setback to Morgan Park to begin the season.
The Bulldogs were hoping to change that skid but had a tough go of things.
“We’re playing a lot of young guys, and we kind of got smacked in the mouth,” Richards coach Tony Sheehan said. “Sometimes, that’s a good thing.
“We’re going to go back to work and hopefully get on track. This is a good group.”
Senior quarterback Dijon Newman threw for 92 yards, including a 46-yard connection with Shaun Reynolds for Richards’ biggest play of the game.
Morgan Park, which finished 9-2 last season, has its eyes on the top prize. The Mustangs visit state powerhouse Mount Carmel on Friday.
“We have to stay focused for that game — they have a great team,” said Thaxton, who is drawing interest from Western Michigan, Cincinnati, Miami of Ohio, Central Michigan and Coastal Carolina.
Tysean Griffin, who plays multiple positions, has given a verbal commitment to Illinois. Jovan Clark and Durr are also getting Division I looks.
Gurley, meanwhile, is crossing his fingers.
“I hope that changes this year,” he said.
James thinks it can happen.
“If he does what he is supposed to do, he’ll be the next guy,” James said of Gurley. “He just has to stay consistent. He’s a player.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.