Trusted target

TyShawn Buckner did his best to stay warm as he paced along the visiting sideline at Clay-Chalkville High School. But the cold November air made it a difficult task, at least until Homewood head coach Ben Berguson summoned him to action. 

Then, Buckner’s internal furnace ignited. 

“We needed a first down, and Coach had called me,” Buckner said of the Patriots’ 2015 playoff game against the Cougars. “I was like, ‘Me?’”

He couldn’t be faulted for his disbelief. 

Buckner, then a sophomore, had spent the majority of his season as a junior varsity wide receiver. It didn't matter. 

He received confirmation that he’d be running one of four vertical routes at a critical juncture late in the game. 

So Buckner strode onto the field, charged down the middle and made a memorable catch that gobbled up more than 40 yards. 

That’s when his coach knew. 

“I actually thought that he was going to score,” recalled Berguson of the eventual 40-39 loss. “I remember I said, ‘This kid’s going to be great.’”

Two autumns later, Buckner continues to prove him right each Friday night.

Now a senior, he has emerged as the leader of Homewood’s receiving corps amid a breakout campaign. Buckner totaled more than 500 yards receiving and scored four touchdowns through the season’s first seven games. 

Jokingly, Berguson said Buckner has accounted for 98 percent of his team’s pass-catching production. In reality, he’s not far off. 

“We always just have that one receiver that you can just throw whatever to,” quarterback Larkin Williams said, “and he’s that guy. It’s really easy to have him around.”

Although Buckner came down with the big playoff reception in 2015, he didn’t become an integral part of the offense until last season. Admittedly, it took some time to adapt to the speed at the varsity level. But as the season wore on, the game slowed down. 

“Toward the end of the year, I started getting comfortable,” he said. “This year, it’s like way easier now.”

While experience has played an undeniable role in Buckner’s growth, it is not the only factor to which he attributes his success. A strong offseason helped, too. 

In the winter and spring, Buckner picked up track and field as a secondary sport. With the help of coaches, he refined his sprinting form and sharpened his speed.

Meanwhile, Buckner also fine-tuned his technique as a receiver. Over the summer, he honed his footwork, route running and chemistry with Williams. The pair’s connection has only strengthened since the season began in August. 

“I just need to get the ball in his hands,” Williams said. “I have so much confidence in him that he can break tackles and do stuff with the ball.”

Buckner’s size — he’s 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds — stands out as one of his biggest strengths. He can outjump and overpower most defensive backs, providing Williams a mismatch to exploit. 

“In high school, it’s really easy to read defenses, so I know how to run routes and get open for the quarterback to see me,” Buckner said. 

He almost always pops up on Williams’ radar. 

In the season opener against Pelham, for instance, the quarterback lobbed a 15-yard pass into tight coverage in the end zone. Buckner snatched the ball from midair for a touchdown, even as a defender wrapped his hands around his helmet. It was his second touchdown of the game.

A quarter earlier, he broke about three tackles as he turned a routine screen pass into a 35-yard score. The explosive performance set the tone for Buckner’s final high school season. 

Unlike in that playoff game two years ago, he no longer wavers when he hears his number called. 

“To me, it’s no surprise that he’s our leading receiver this year,” Berguson said. “I think he’s just kind of come into his own.”