Arguably the most decorated player in Richlands football history can add another major honor to his resume.
Austin Fuller has been named Southwest Virginia Defensive Player of the Year, as voted upon by the Bristol Herald Courier sports staff.
The 6-foot-2, 207-pound Fuller was more known for his exploits at wide receiver, but was more valuable this season for his play at free safety.
Roaming sideline-to-sideline, Fuller was a major reason few opponents consistently busted big plays – or even small plays – against the Blue Tornadoes.
His numbers were relatively modest, as he finished with 46 tackles. But the Virginia Tech-bound Fuller nabbed seven interceptions and saved his best games for the biggest stages.
No performance was better than the Dec. 1 Group AA, Division 3 semifinals with Brookville. Fuller made two spectacular second half interceptions, recovered a fumble which led to a touchdown and delivered a pair of punishing hits as Richlands won 24-14 to reach its third straight state title game.
"None of us wanted to lose our last game at Ernie Hicks [Stadium]," he said. "Brookville had really good athletes but we played a good game and I think we wanted it more than they did."
Blues coach Greg Mance is Fuller’s stepfather, but his feelings about the Brookville game cover more than parental pride.
"Two interceptions, a fumble recovery, two big kick returns, about eight tackles and five catches on offense," Mance said of Fuller. "He was just a force."
Fuller’s standard of play, which wasn’t bad in the season’s first half, picked up considerably after the first half of an Oct. 26 game at Carroll County.
At that point, Mance delivered a message.
"When you tell him he’s letting the team down, he notices," Mance said. "He was all over the place after that. He was a standout on defense and the leader of our secondary."
Fuller saved big plays for offense as well. He caught 57 passes for 852 yards and seven touchdowns while rushing for 408 yards and nine TDs.
Even though Richlands’ bid for a second straight state title came up 14 points short against Monticello, Fuller contributed eight tackles and 10 receptions for 141 yards.
The two-time All-Group AA pick is now focusing on his college career at Virginia Tech. He’ll officially sign with the Hokies next month.
Where he’ll play is a mystery. His body realistically projects to three positions in the Tech system – wide receiver, whip linebacker and rover.
"The coaches said they would leave it up to me at first," Fuller said. "I’d like to try wide receiver or rover, then the coaches can help me make that [final] decision."
No matter where Fuller winds up at Tech, Mance considers his Blues’ career to be as complete as any player the program’s had.
"You can’t adequately measure his impact because he’s played key roles on all three aspects of our football team," Mance said. "Any time he’s on the field, you’ve got to know where he is."
In Fuller’s case, that would usually be in the middle of another Richlands win.
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