They were football teammates for more than 10 years, from Corona (Calif.) Panthers running backs in Pop Warner through their varsity years as highly regarded blurs in the Centennial High backfield.
J.J. Taylor was fast and shifty. Miles Reed, a year younger, was quick but a little more physical. During a Centennial practice, assistant coach Que Ricks looked at the two backs and renamed them “Flash” and “Bam-Bam.”
While Taylor was beginning a breakout freshman season for Arizona in 2016, Reed made an oral commitment to join the Hawaii football team in 2017. When Taylor zipped his way for 168 rushing yards and a touchdown in a rout of UH in 2016, Reed texted: “Why are you going crazy on my (future) team like that?”
This Saturday, they will be on opposing sides when Arizona and Hawaii meet in the 2019 opener at Aloha Stadium. “I was always hoping to play him again, or just see him in action,” Reed said.
Taylor was named to the preseason All-Pac-12 team after rushing for 1,434 yards last season. Reed is part of the Rainbow Warriors’ rotation at running back. He has taken some reps with the No. 1 offense during team sessions.
“Growing up, we’ve always been kind of close,” Reed said. “We’ve always had this thing, playing off each other, feeding off each other. It’s always been a thing. It’s never been ‘me against you.’ It’s always been, ‘I’m building him up, he’s building me up,’ just a team thing, just a brother thing.”
When Reed was a Centennial junior, the elder Taylor was the featured back. A few series each game, when Taylor needed a breather, Reed would enter. “Here comes another short guy,” Reed recalled hearing.
Reed is 5 feet 8 and 190 pounds; Taylor is 5-6 and 185.
“One short guy to another,” said Reed, who emerged as the go-to back as a Centennial senior. “That’s always been the mantra there. We always played with a chip on our shoulder. That’s something me and J.J. had. We are cut from the same cloth. We’re going to give you hard runs. We’re going to fight. We’re going to wear you down. We’re not going to get tired. When the fourth quarter comes, that’s when it’s prime time for both of us.”
In 2018, Taylor averaged 5.1 yards per carry in the first half and 6.1 yards after that; Reed’s splits were 1.67 and 5.48.
Reed’s advice to teammates on Taylor: “You have to wrap up this guy. He’s going to keep fighting. He’s going to give effort. Wrap him up, and make sure he’s down, get him to the ground. It’s not going to be easy. He’s going to make some plays. It’s about us making more plays, and minimizing what he does.”
From Taylor, Reed learned the importance of an upright approach.
“I hate getting tackled,” Reed said. “One of the inspirations for how I run, it sounds funny, but getting off the ground is a lot of effort. If you don’t end up on the ground, if you end up in the end zone, you don’t have to get up. That’s kind of my philosophy.”
