Raymond Ellis speaks in the same smooth manner he hits holes in the middle of a football game.

There are no wasted motions or words while Blacksburg’s sophomore running back and safety is focused on his passion in life. He approaches each practice and game with a calm focus.

Ellis is the team’s starting safety and has provided a change of pace on offense with his hard-charging running style. He is among several running backs who share the load in the power running offensive system installed by Blacksburg head coach Mickey Moss.

“I love football. I have been around it all my life,” Ellis said. “My goal is to play college football. I put the work in every day to be a good football player.”

Ellis grew up in Blacksburg and has been playing with many teammates since he was in little league. His uncle, King, played football for the Wildcats.

Ellis said he enjoys playing football with Blacksburg and believes the team will continue to get better as it heads into the region schedule.

“I get to play a lot. I try to run fast on every play. I spend each moment on the field working to get better,” Ellis said. “My favorite college football team is Florida. I like the way they run the ball in the spread offense and how their running backs cut back.”

There is little free time in his daily schedule during the fall for anything beyond school, homework and preparing for the next football game.

Ellis does manage to find time on the weekends to throw the football around in the backyard with friends.

“My pregame ritual is to listen to rap music on my iPod for 15 to 20 minutes,” Ellis said. “It helps me get focused.”

Ellis scored Blacksburg’s first touchdown of the season on a 3-yard run against Walhalla. He has rushed for 100 yards this season while spending much of his time on defense.

Blacksburg will face a tough challenge with today’s game against Woodruff.

Woodruff is undefeated and enters the game ranked number one in Class 2A.

“Woodruff is a really good football team,” Ellis said. “We will be ready to play.”

Blacksburg has relied mostly on ninth and tenth graders this season.

Ellis was a part of a standout Blacksburg Middle football program which won conference championships in 2007 and 2008. He has joined his teammates in making the difficult jump to playing both ways for the varsity football team.

“Raymond is a good kid and has done a good job for us this year. He is starting at safety and plays a lot of running back for us,” Blacksburg football coach Mickey Moss said. “He has a good attitude and works hard in practice.

“He’s going to develop into a really good player over the next couple years.”