Fullback Josh Meyer is nicknamed the
White Horse by his Searider teammates.
Star-Bulletin

His facial features and hair suggest a nonthreatening persona straight from the Dickens era.

But, when a Waianae quarterback shoves the ball into Meyer's gut on a draw play up the middle, a bull emerges.

"It's turning into the beast," said the 5-foot-9, 193-pound Seariders fullback they call the "White Horse."

"You have to have that attitude to play fullback because you're up against linebackers coming at you at full speed, and you're at full speed, too. It can be brutal."

Meyer and the unbeaten Seariders (3-0) take on three-time defending Oahu Interscholastic Association champion Kahuku High (1-2) at 7:30 tonight in a key Red Conference contest at Aloha Stadium.

Campbell High head coach Darren Hernandez, the 1995 Red Conference coach of the year, said Meyer may be just a gear in Waianae's option machine, but he's the critical gear.

"He's so dangerous because when he establishes the fullback's game, Waianae's option game is hard to stop," Hernandez said.

"He has a lot of lower-body strength and you have to gang-tackle him to bring him down. He can drag people."

Kailua head coach Darren Johnson, who was Kahuku's offensive coordinator for several years, called Meyer "a nightmare."

"As goes Meyer, so goes the Waianae offense," Johnson said.

"He's a Notre Dame type of fullback. He'll give you a bloody nose and keep going at you."

Meyer's running game - three- and four-yard bursts - can be likened to a jack-hammer's steady progress through a granite surface. Through consistent pounding and chipping, he breaks down the defense.

But Meyer also plays a key role without the ball.

"Sometimes I like to think of myself as bait, so we can go outside on the option," he said. "It's exciting. You take a lot of punishment but when you get a good fake and see the quarterback or the halfback get a touchdown, it makes you feel pretty good."

To Meyer, blocking is "probably more important than running the ball," and he takes that role seriously.

"Without blocking, you cant get anywhere," he said. "And without my line, I wouldn't even be having an interview."

The White Horse nickname refers both to Meyer's powerful running style and the fact that he's the fairest-skinned player on the Waianae varsity.

"I get a lot of good-natured flak over that," said Meyer, who has been in Waianae since 1988.

"I would like to be considered an island boy. I don't have the skin or the speech, but I've got the heart."

Although he's been Waianae's leading ground gainer the past two seasons and the team's most reliable short-yardage conversion back, Meyer is an unsung hero on one of the state's best teams. He was fourth in Red Conference rushing and a second-team all-star last season. This season, he leads the team with only 132 yards on 24 carries.

That's because Waianae always has three or four players carrying the ball in its option offense.

"There are no stars at Waianae, just team players," Meyer said.

Waianae head coach Leo Taaca said Meyer has become "a total player" this year.

"He's matured a lot in his thinking," he said.

Taaca said that even though Meyer is known for his explosive short gains, he is capable of much longer runs on the option. "He is capable of scoring from a long way out on the option play. He's a lot quicker this year."

Meyer spent part of his summer at a University of Colorado football camp developing speed and technique.

Meyer said there are two possible scenarios for a Waianae fullback launching himself up the middle.

"It depends upon who you're up against," he said. "It can be like running into a wall - or it can be like running into a wave - a solid impact at first but then you break through."

Meyer's powerful legs, capable of squatting 515 pounds, never stop pumping on a play.

Simi Leo, the 5-10, 195-pound senior center on the Seariders' offensive line, has a bird's-eye view of Meyer's work.

"When there are about five guys on him, he's still driving," Leo said. "His attitude affects the whole offense."

Meyer's father, Coe, a former prep and junior college fullback who owns a franchised hot dog company, has given his son a phrase upon which to hang his prep career.

"My dad's words are, 'Refuse to go down,' and I think about that every time I have the ball," Meyer said.