Warrior Lidge Kellum (2) breaks away for extra yardage against Dallas Area on Aug. 30 at Sobeski Field, West Pittston.
Tony Callaio file photo | For Times Leader
Lidge Kellum established himself as a big-play threat a year ago while playing behind current Lehigh University freshman Aaron Crossley, an established all-state running back at Wyoming Area.
This season, Kellum made it clear that he is an every-play threat.
Like everything else he does on the football field, Kellum made that point fast.
The senior showed that his speed is not just an asset in the open field running away from people, but it can also help him find steady success between the tackles as needed to be the tailback in the Warriors offense.
“Coach (Randy) Spencer tells me that all the time,” Kellum said. “If I don’t run full speed, a lot of things won’t open up. So, I need to run full speed all the time to make sure things are opening up for me.”
The Wyoming Area line is highly efficient at opening the holes, which Kellum bursts through in a hurry. But, the speed with which the 5-foot-10, 170-pounder is running through the bigger bodies in the middle of the field is also what is responsible for generating the power that allows him to run through tackle attempts.
“One of the things I needed to improve on was being able to run through people and run up the middle because I’m not the biggest person,” Kellum said of his concentration while preparing for a major role in his final season with the Warriors. “Getting to the outside is easy for me, but the hard part is running up the middle, especially when we needed short yardage.”
Kellum learned from watching Crossley, who was heavier than him, but also made use of the sprinter speed that made him one of the state’s top 100-meter dash specialists when healthy in track and field season.
Crossley was known for his heavy workload, like what Kellum took on with 39 carries in his second start, producing 337 yards and four touchdowns against 2023 state finalist Dallas in the team’s biggest win of the season.
During that time, Kellum would spell Crossley on occasion, with some spectacular results, including a game-winning touchdown.
“I was thinking that I had to wait my turn,” Kellum said of last season. “I had to make sure that when it did come to be my time that I was ready for it.
“Especially running behind somebody like Aaron Crossley. That’s not the easiest thing. He was a really good player. I just wanted to be like him. One of the things was I just had to wait.”
Entering the season, Kellum was a known commodity as a breakaway threat. The ability to constantly move the chains and gain the tough yards like Crossley has turned him into one of the biggest impact players in District 2.
“He’s a special talent,” Spencer said. “ … He’s a back that, the more carries he gets, the stronger he runs.”
And, the higher the numbers those runs produces climb.
Kellum surpassed 1,000 rushing yards in the sixth game of the season and got to 100 points in the seventh. Combined with the yards he picked up in a part-time role the past two seasons, he moved past 2,000 yards for his career.
Along the way, Kellum showed the willingness to earn the tough yards on the inside like the other durable tailbacks Wyoming Area has relied upon during Spencer’s tenure.
“I knew that I was going to have a lot of carries,” Kellum said. “I knew I was going to have to play like one of the best running backs in the state.”
