Future Cat Arliss Beach is turning heads
Ashland’s Arliss Beach is a self-made football player.
He has gone from a 135-pound sophomore who avoided contact to a hulking 5-foot-11, 190-pound senior who dishes it out. Beach did it with a relentless work ethic in the weight room. He put on 30 pounds of muscle between his sophomore and junior seasons, and then 25 more pounds last summer.
Advertisement
"I took some hits that sophomore year," Beach said. "I remember that. That’s when I really started hitting the weights hard."
That weight-lifting regime also turned Beach into a Division I prospect who this summer made a verbal commitment to the University of Kentucky.
New UK coach Guy Morriss was quick to offer Beach the scholarship after watching films of him outrunning and running over the opposition.
Beach is one of five in-state players to verbally commit to Kentucky.
"I liked Coach Morriss a lot," Beach said. "He tells you how it is and how it’s going to be. I liked that about him."
Beach said his father, Andre, was thrilled when he committed to UK. "Dad’s a big UK fan," Arliss said. "He loves it that I’m going to be there."
Ashland coach Larry Hall said Morriss liked "everything" about Beach.
"He liked his vision and his ability to run with power and speed," he said. "I think he can excel on either side of the ball. Another year, he’ll be 205 pounds and maybe bigger. Then he’s got a great chance at that level."
Even though Beach has committed to Kentucky, that hasn’t stopped other colleges from recruiting him, Hall said. Purdue, among others, has shown continued interest in him.
"There’s still a lot of interest in him although a lot of it toned done after he (verbally) committed," he said. "He’ll be at UK. They don’t have to worry."
So far, Cat fans shouldn’t be disappointed with the selection either.
Beach rushed for 303 and 302 yards his first two games of his senior season with the Tomcats, then added a 114-yard performance in game three and gained 80 yards in the fourth week.
That gave him 799 yards and an incredible 15 touchdowns after only four weeks. He needs about 1,200 yards the rest of the season to become the all-time leading rusher in Ashland history. That goal appears to be well within his grasp.
Coaches and fans have marveled at Beach’s cut-back ability and his new-found power running.
"You get so caught up in watching him, you kind of forget about the rest of the team," said veteran Russell coach Ivan McGlone. "He’s a load to defend."
Other coaches are quick to praise Beach’s ability.
"He reads blocks about as well as anybody I’ve seen," said Johnson Central coach Bruce Humphrey. "I give a lot of credit for what they did to their offensive line. There were times he was untouched 15 yards down the field."
Beach shredded Johnson Central’s defense on opening night.
"We didn’t get enough film on him because it’s the first game, but it probably wouldn’t have mattered if we’d had 10 films of him," Humphrey said.
Belfry coach Phil Haywood saw enough of Beach in a 42-21 loss to the Tomcats.
"We stopped his original hole but he has such good vision," Haywood said. "We missed some tackles, but I think he had a lot to do with it. He’s the whole package."
Beach had 114 yards and added 79 yards receiving in Ashland’s 28-27 loss to Russell Aug. 31. He also returns kickoffs and punts and serves as the Tomcats’ punter. Beach plays free safety on defense, so he’s hardly ever off the field.
"With Arliss, you’ve got an SEC back playing high school football," said Lawrence County coach Garry McPeek. "He has a good sense, real good balance and is great at setting things up."
Beach has become a legitimate candidate for Mr. Football, the top individual award the state offers.
"I don’t think there’s any question about that," Hall said. "Along with being a super football player, he’s that much better a person. He’s the kind of son every parent would want to have. I’ve never been around anyone like him."
Hall said Beach is the best running back he’s coached in 31 seasons. Before coming to Ashland three years ago, Hall coached at Wheelersburg (Ohio) High School.
"He’s a delightful running back," Hall said. "Arliss has runs sometimes, you don’t know how he does it. I’ve never seen a runner quite like him. He’s got the perfect blend of speed, quickness and power. Arliss is a pleasure to coach."
Being a candidate for Mr. Football isn’t even something that Beach worries about.
"I never even thought about it," he said. "If it happens, it happens. It really hasn’t crossed my mind at all. It’d be nice and everything but it’s not something that’s going to disappoint me if it doesn’t happen."
Some of Beach’s competition for the state award comes from district rival Lawrence County, which has speedy Michael West in its backfield.
West could well become the state’s all-time leading rusher this season.
"He’s a great player," Beach said of West. "I look forward to going against him."
West won the individual battle with Beach, outrushing him 192 yards to 74 yards as Lawrence County hammered the Tomcats 48-19 last week in Louisa.
However, there’s no question that Beach is the centerpiece of the Tomcats’ offense, although Hall tries to keep his carries to under 20 per game.
So far, that’s happened only twice in four games.
"It’s hard to keep the carries down because he’s such a weapon," Hall said. "We know we need to though."
Despite defenses paying more and more attention, the Tomcats have been able to move the versatile Beach around in their offensive sets. That’s allowed him to roam a little more in the open field where he’s at his best.
Beach’s will to win, his competitive drive, is evident in his play as well.
"The seniors are the key to our team," Beach said. "We have so much senior leadership and none of us like to lose."
Not only is Beach an outstanding football player, but he’s regarded as one of the better basketball players in the 16th Region and one of the top sprinters in northeastern Kentucky.
Beach started at point guard on Ashland’s regional champions. He was selected as the top defensive player in the regional tournament and could have easily been the most valuable player.
He played well in the State Tournament, too, when the Tomcats advanced to the quarterfinals.
"Whatever’s in season, that’s what I like," Beach said. "It doesn’t matter to me because I like them all."
As a youngster, he was probably better known for his basketball talents growing up.
He played his early years at tiny in the Westwood Boys Club system, which was mostly Fairview school students. He transferred to Ashland schools as a 7th grader and began to blossom athletically.
Beach continued to excel in basketball there, using his quickness to offset his size. While he played football, he didn’t figure prominently in their attack.
"I was a running back in Junior Football League but not so much in middle school," he said.
As a JFL player, his speed made him a human highlight film as a threat to score anytime there was an open lane.
Beach, who has always been athletically powerful, was a gymnast when he was young and could do a standing back-flip on command.
When he scored touchdowns for the Westwood Boys Club, he would often do a back-flip in the end zone to the delight of fans.
Now fans are flipping over him.