The evolution of Polk County High School junior Joel Booker from raw talent to impact player on the football field has happened more quickly than even the closest observers would have guessed.

Its actually surprised me, even, said Polk County High School head coach Bruce Ollis. Ive heard my wife say, an athlete is an athlete is an athlete, and hes shown that, particularly catching the ball.

Booker and the Wolverines visit Madison (3-1) tonight in Marshall, N.C. in the Western Highlands Conference opener for both teams.

Ollis was intrigued with Bookers athleticism from the beginning, but combining athleticism with football instincts often takes more than a preseason and sometimes more than a season.

But Booker, who last played organized football in the sixth grade before joining the Wolverines for his junior season, has shown both as a threat at both running back and wide receiver. He has become a favorite target for senior quarterback Andre Overholt regardless of where he lines up.

Bookers numbers so far this season tell at least part of the story. Through four games, Booker leads the team in scoring with 38 points (six touchdowns and a 2-point conversion). He also leads the team in receiving yardage with eight catches for 218 yards (27.3 yards per catch) and four touchdowns. He has carried the ball 21 times for 141 yards (6.7 yards per rush attempt) and a touchdown.

Polks 35-14 victory over R-S Central in Week 3 began with Bookers 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

Still, Booker said he has much more to learn about playing the game. At times, the learning curve has been steep, he said.

I thought it would be like, Id just get out here and know everything, but there are certain difficulties and things you have to do to perform good at it, Booker said.

While eschewing football until now, Booker has excelled in both baseball and basketball. It took prodding from cousin Jay Sutton, a junior nose tackle, to get Booker on the gridiron.

I played once in sixth grade and I got injured and I just never liked it, Booker said. But my cousin, Jay, influenced me to come out here and I thank him for it.

So far, Booker has made both big plays and clutch plays for the Wolverines, adding a dimension to the teams offense.

Hes never been in these situations before, but some of his athleticism is starting to take over, said Ollis. Hes playing well at tailback, too. We feel like weve got a good 1-2 punch with him and Tyler Ridings back there, and he catches the ball well out of the backfield, so it allows us to do some things with him back there.

At 6-foot-1, 170 pounds, Booker provides an ample target for Overholt and has from the beginning.

Bookers first two receptions went for touchdowns, including a game winner on fourth down in the final minutes of the season opener against Tuscola.

Against rival Landrum, Booker had six receptions for 153 yards, including touchdown catches of 19 and 31 yards.

I called a timeout and got our guys over on the sideline and asked them if anybody wanted to check 14 (Booker), said Landrum head coach Russell Mahaffey. Hes a great player.

Booker said the team chemistry at PCHS has helped ease the transition for him into what had been a largely unfamiliar game.

Everybodys accepting me and its like were all family members, Booker said. Everybody on the team is real close and that eases the pressure on everybody and helps us perform good.

Ollis showed confidence in his new prodigy early on, calling on Booker to run a looping wheel route out of the backfield on a hunch that he would be wide open.

He was, and caught a floating pass from Overholt around the Tuscola 20-yard-line and ran it in for the game-winning score.

He was so wide open Id told Andre not to be surprised if nobody was within 20 yards of him, Ollis said. It wouldve been an easy ball to drop because he was so wide open, but the thing that impressed me the most is that he celebrated with his teammates and then he handed the ball to the official.