Kam Taylor does not consider himself the healthiest of eaters. He’s not a fan of McDonald’s or any kind of fast food. Chicken wings? Not really his style either.

But to be considered a healthy eater, it would only make sense that Taylor spends a considerable amount of time at the dinner table eating vegetables. That is not really the case.

“I’m not going to lie, I don’t like vegetables at all,” Taylor, the starting quarterback for Wilkes-Barre Area, admitted. “I know I needed to eat them. I ate a lot of soup with vegetables. Lots of roasted potatoes and a lot of protein.”

It was all designed to put on what Taylor referred to as “good weight” as he prepared for his second season as the starter for the Wolfpack.

“I really focused on gaining weight,” Taylor said. “I didn’t want to put on bad weight. I was able to put on 20 pounds of healthy muscle. After that it was just mentally and physically preparing.”

Taylor said he weighed as much as 195 pounds over the summer and wanted to add a little extra pounds heading into training camp because once camp began he knew he would eventually drop some pounds. Right now he estimates he checks in anywhere between 186 to 190 pounds.

He was able to do so without losing the speed required to run the Wolfpack offense where the quarterback is often called to keep the ball out of a shotgun snap. Last season, Taylor rushed for 329 yards and averaged 6.1 yards per carry. He also rushed for three touchdowns while splitting the quarterback job at times with Talee Swinney, who graduated. Taylor also threw for 973 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Like every other player across the state, the shutdown of schools and sports because of the coronavirus pandemic played havoc with Taylor’s offseason routine. But that is not to say he sat around the house and played video games. He went running, lifted whatever weights he could at the house and made the best of a bad situation.

Taylor’s offseason program was set back a few weeks after missing the final two games of his junior year with an injury. Taylor suffered a hematoma in his right leg, which caused a bruise and pain. A hematoma is the result of a traumatic injury to the skin or the tissues under the skin. When the blood vessels under the skin are damaged and leak, the blood pools and results in a bruise. The blood clots and the end result is swelling and pain.

“It just felt like a hard ball of muscle in my leg and there was calcium in there, too,” Taylor said. “It felt like a really stiff thing in my leg. It really doesn’t allow you to bend your leg.”

The injury prevented Taylor from playing in the postseason, a victory over Scranton in the District 2 Class 6A semifinals, and a loss to Delaware Valley in the championship game. There was not much Taylor could do until the injury healed. Once that process was complete, Taylor was ready to get back to work.

Once the quarantine was lifted and the Wolfpack were able to begin voluntary workouts, Taylor took over his role as team leader.

Already selected as a captain last season, Taylor understands he needs to have a bigger voice in the locker room and on the field. It’s a role he doesn’t mind, and the rest of the team realizes he is doing it to make them better, as the Wolfpack begins their second year of existence as an athletic program, even though the players on the team from Coughlin, GAR and Meyers will all attend different high schools until the new Wilkes-Barre Area school’s construction is complete. That is expected to be in time for the start of the 2021 school year.

“I’m kind of more than just the quarterback,” Taylor said. “I just have to remind them of the little stuff. People think that just because you may practice good you are going to play good. That is not really now it works. I just remind guys the importance of doing the right things and being on time. They know I am doing it to help them get better.”