MULBERRY, Fla. — Tucked away in the back of the campus is Mulberry High School’s football stadium.

It’s kind of like the Panthers football team: a hidden gem.

What You Need To Know

  •  The Mulberry High Panthers are off to a 3-0 start, junior running back Traveon Hymes is a big reason why

  •  Hymes averaged 148 rushing yards per game in the Panthers first two games of the season

  •  He is one of top leading rushers in the Tampa Bay area

And junior running back Traveon Hymes says don’t count out Mulberry. They might not have the state championships like Lakeland or Lake Wales, but they aren’t the Polk County doormat either. The Panthers have been putting in the work. Hymes says they’ve got something special here.

“We got a team full of athletes, like a team full of athletes,” Hymes said. “Every person on the field in an athlete, literally.”

Hymes has been showing off his athleticism this season. In the Panthers' first two games, he averaged 148 rushing yards per game and scored two touchdowns.

“He sees the hole and he can read the blocks,” head coach Brad Metheny said. “And like I said, he’s got that next gear that when he puts it down and goes, he’s definitely a break-away threat.”

That next gear has turned Hymes into one of the top running backs in the Tampa Bay Area. And it’s earned him a nickname, "I-4.1'

“We got Tampa and we got Orlando. My coaches tells me to run it to Tampa or I’m either going to Orlando,” Hymes said. “And both of those routes take I-4. And either way I go, I’m going to get there.”

Football takes Hymes places and it allows him to dream big. He wants to play in college and then in the NFL. He wants to use that NFL money to take care of his family.

Football is his passion.

“It’s just a gift from God,” he said. “I just thank God knowing that I’m fastest player on the field and no one can catch me, it’s just easy.”