Just like last year, Martise Smith opened his season against Langley.

Unlike last year however, this junior running back for Oliver got to play against Langley in the first game of the season and he made up for missed time last year by running for 251 yards in a 38-point win for the Bears.

Last season, Smith was ineligible for the first four weeks of the season until his grades improved, so his first game of the year was a 32-6 win in late September against Langley.

Still Smith managed to be one of the team's leading rushers and Oliver bounced back to finish the season 3-3 after an 0-4 start.

Smith, a 5-foot-10, 190-pounder, broke three long touchdown runs, including a 91-yarder at the end of the first half. It reminded second-year Oliver coach Tim Keefer, a longtime Bears assistant, of a former player who was in the coaches' booth as an assistant last Friday.

Ray Zellars, maybe the best running back in Oliver history and a former standout at Notre Dame and four-year NFL veteran for the New Orleans Saints, is on Keefer's staff.

"He was up in the booth and after that 91-yard run he joked to me that Martise was putting up Zellars-like numbers," Keefer said.

"Ray was a bigger kid. He was really a load but he was fast and strong. Ray could do it all. Martise isn't there yet, but he does a lot of things right."

Oliver plays Westinghouse tomorrow at 3:30 at Cupples Stadium and then Allderdice the following week in what Keefer thinks will be the first big test for his team.

"We don't want to get too excited about this win," Keefer said. "Martise did a good job and everything but I think it's a little too early to say that we are a vastly improved team.

"We still have to do better. We had an extra point that we didn't execute well and our kickoff coverage wasn't good. We aren't ready yet. There are a lot of things still to work on."

After watching the game film on Sunday, Keefer was especially pleased with the down-field blocking that allowed Smith to score three touchdowns, all longer than 40 yards. On the first possession of the game for the Bears, Smith ran for a 42-yard score. Smith emerged as Oliver's top offensive threat early on after splitting carries last year with Terrance Morgan, who has graduated.

Senior quarterback Devaughn Copeland, a former All-City selection, also had a big game, connecting on a touchdown pass with Phillip Upsher-Ferguson and running for one of his own. Copeland was limited to only four passes in the game because the Bears jumped out to an early lead. David Marshall also scored on a 39-yard touchdown run for Oliver.

Defensively, Smith may be just as important to the Bears. After one game, he has already played three different positions on defense. He moves around based on what coverage Oliver is in. Smith lined up at outside linebacker, free safety and cornerback.

Adding to his multiple uses, Keefer also expects Smith to catch passes out of the backfield. Oliver generally operates out of a one-back offense, but Smith enjoyed success in summer passing drills and Keefer plans on flanking him more as the season goes on.

"He is a very good pass receiver," Keefer said. "Other teams will have to know where he is at all times. He can take it to the house any time. He can get downfield and Copeland can throw the ball downfield. If we can get him the ball, he is one of our big weapons."