Ridge's James Leads Polk's Top 20 High School Players

It's an easy assumption that as a senior, Ridge Community running back Mike James is bigger, faster and stronger than he was as a freshman when he was the starting running back for the first-year school.

Bigger, faster, stronger, however, doesn't entirely describe why James is a better player now and why he's considered the top college prospect in Polk County.

"When you get stronger and faster, it just improves your game," James said. "But basically, it's just getting smarter as a player. That changed the whole aspect of my game by just getting smarter."

James, who committed to the University of Miami in June, certainly is a far different player now physically than he was as a freshman. In going from a 5-foot-10, 180-pound freshman to a 6-0, 215-pound senior, he improved his 40-yard dash from 4.7 seconds to 4.5 and improved his bench from 225 pounds to 370, his box squat from 400 to 630 and his power clean from 225 to 290.

He also became a real student of the game, watching film, learning the schemes and tendencies of the opposition.

"I think what people (colleges) like about him is he's a complete player," Ridge coach Richard Tate said. "He's not just one dimensional. He's got good size for power running and moving the pile, but he's got enough elusiveness to make cuts and run into the green. He also has great hands."

James' passion for the game has made him that complete player.

"I just love the game of football and anything that pertains to it - watching flim, working out, running, conditioning," James said. "Anything that pertains to football, I just love it. I loved it ever since I started playing when I was 4."

James got that love of the game from his family. His father, Michael Sr., was a running back at Haines City in the late 1970s, and cousins Blue James and Larry Kendrick starred at Haines City in the 1990s.

Because of those family connections, James felt the pressure of expectations, but it didn't bother him.

"I like competition, and that gave me a goal," Tate said. "Any time coach Tate sets me a goal, I'm going to go get it and do what I like to do."

James' own goal is "to be better than I was a minute ago, a month ago, to be better than I was a millisecond ago, to always be better than I was before."

Statistically, he has done that. Although his stats are incomplete for his freshman and sophomore years, he rushed for about 600 yards as a freshman and 1,000 yards as a sophomore. Last year, he rushed for 1,108 yards as Ridge matched his improvement in each of its three years, going from 3-7 to 6-4 and 7-3.

"I'm proud, but I'm not satisfied (of the team's improvement)," James said. "The whole team isn't satisfied. Me and the other seniors are looking for the playoffs. We're happy with the improvement, but we're not happy with the outcome of the season."

James blamed himself for letting his team down, saying he didn't have a good game against Lake Wales in a loss that cost the Bolts a playoff berth despite rushing for 143 yards.

"He's a competitor, and he's never tried to make excuses," Tate said.

James looks back and is somewhat amazed that he was able to play as a freshman, realizing how little he knew about the game. He had no idea what coaches were talking about when they discussed a three-technique or a defense pinching or a defensive end squeezing.

"I was like, what are you talking abut. I'm just going to run," he said. "It got kind of tough. The first half of my freshman year, I didn't know what was going on out there."

It's no surprise, however, that James began to appreciate the mental part of the game. What else would you expect from a student with a 3.6 GPA and who is vice president of the National Honor Society at Ridge.

James is considering graduating in December, but for now, he's anxious to finish what he started with Ridge, getting the program off to a good start.

"Starting the new tradition has been fun," James said. "I love it. It's great when you can go somewhere and start your own thing instead of going into a tradition."

[ Roy Fuoco can be reached at 863-802-7549 or roy.fuoco@theledger.com. ]