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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Kevin Sweeney

Photo of Giant Texas High School Football Player in State Title Game Goes Viral

Texas Football DeSoto,

One high school offensive lineman is bringing the old adage that everything is bigger in Texas to the football field.

Byron Washington, a junior at Texas high school powerhouse DeSoto, has gone viral after a photo of him playing in Saturday’s Texas state football championship took the internet by a storm. Listed at 6’ 7.5” and 380 pounds on his 247Sports profile, Washington absolutely towered over everyone, including the 6’ 4”, 215-pound pass-rusher he blocked in the now-viral picture during Saturday’s game.

Washington, who is a three-star recruit with offers from the likes of Texas, Oregon and TCU, has to be one of the biggest high school football players ever. According to Ari Wasserman of The Athletic, Washington’s remarkable growth started in sixth grade, when he grew six inches in a month. That put such a severe strain on his body that he had to undergo emergency surgery to prevent his growth plates from collapsing. He had metal rods put in his legs to straighten them out for additional support and had to go through multiple years of physical therapy, but now is fully healthy and is a rapidly emerging star on the recruiting trail.

The photo wound up being rather emblematic of the game itself, which saw DeSoto beat Summer Creek 74–14 after leading 46–7 at halftime. It also produced plenty of commentary on the internet, who couldn’t believe how much bigger Washington was than his opponent.

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