Check the video of most any Clay-Chalkville football game during the 2023 season and the explosiveness of Jaylen Mbakwe is clearly evident.

The 2023 Class 6A championship game MVP, Mbakwe led the Cougars to the title with a 31-28 victory that included a play midway through the third quarter typifying The Birmingham News boys high school Athlete of the Year.

Trailing Saraland 28-21 and following an apparent 74-yard touchdown run by Mbakwe that was nullified by a penalty, the Cougars faced third-and-8 from their 22-yard line when the senior quarterback took the shotgun snap on the far hash and drifted back to the 13 looking for a receiver. With nothing open, Mbakwe took off up the middle then slashed to his right, making two Saraland defenders miss on the near hash.

He cut hard back to his left as two more defenders couldn’t grasp the slippery Mbakwe and was finally tripped up among three Saraland players, but not before diving to the 31-yard line for a first down.

The drive ended on another Mbakwe run, this one for 18 yards and the tying score.