Precious moments
for the Vikings

By Joe Mason
For the Times

Don’t be fooled by the name.
Arabic in origin, Nafis means "precious."
But don’t think for a moment that Northeast High School senior Nafis Muhammad, a two-way starter on the football team, is a little wary of contact on the field.
Now in his third year as a contributor to the Vikings’ football program, Muhammad is the primary ball-carrier. He also patrols the defensive backfield, searching out receivers or running backs.
One thing is certain, though. If Muhammad has the chance to nail an opposing player, he’s going to take advantage of it.
"I love hitting . . . I love running people over on offense and making stops on defense," said Muhammad, who thus far has amassed 162 yards as a running back. "I started my sophomore year on defense, so I love that, but I like running the ball. Both are fun. Next year, I’ll probably try to play defensive back in college, but for now, I love playing both."
And . . . uh, about the name.
"The name means ‘precious,’ but not what you’re thinking," he explained. "It means how life is precious, that’s all."
It could be that he’s also precious to the Vikings’ hopes for a big football season. On Friday night, Muhammad did a bit of everything for Northeast, which pounded Germantown, 42-12, in a Public League Red Division game played under the lights at Northeast.
The win was Northeast’s third in a row. The team also improved to 2-0 in the Public League Red Division.
But it wasn’t typical Northeast football that secured the win. This year, unlike previous years, the Vikings like to throw, throw, throw.
Against Germantown, Northeast sophomore signal-caller Malik Stokes completed seven of 10 passes for 110 yards and a score.
Four of those passes went to Malik’s brother, junior receiver Je’Ron Stokes, who had 80 yards and in the process broke the school record for receiving yards in a season.
"We still like to run the ball, we like to do both," said Northeast coach Mel Hinton. "We have a very experienced offensive line, we have four of the five guys back, so we think that’s a strength. When you have a line like we do, we can do both."
It also helps to have a running back who isn’t afraid to pick up those, well, precious yards.
"I knew we were going to throw more, but I didn’t care," said Muhammad, who rushed for 58 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Germantown. "It’s not about yards, it’s about wins. I like to run the ball, but just because it helps us win."
"Nafis is a great leader, that’s the biggest thing he brings to the team," Hinton said. "He’s great at leading everyone on and off the field. He’s also a great player on both sides of the ball. He can run the ball and he can tackle and defend. He’s very important to our team."
Next year, the Kensington resident is hoping to continue his football career en route to earning a degree in sports medicine.
His immediate mission is to help guide Northeast to the Public League championship, something the school has not enjoyed since 1983.
"We got close my sophomore year — we got to the championship game but we lost," he said. "We haven’t won a championship since before I was born. It’s real important to me that we get one before I get out of here.
"We got a great coaching staff, a good team and we have what it takes, I think," Muhammad said. "There’s a lot of good teams out there, but we can be one of the best." ••
Joe Mason can be reached at joemason70@hotmail.com