By halftime of last week's game against Maple Grove, standout Osseo running back Bridgeport Tusler sensed he was a marked man.

The wind made throwing the ball an adventure, so the Crimson put up to 10 defenders near the line of scrimmage. Many keyed on Tusler's every move, determined to slow Osseo's leader in rushing yards (647) and touchdowns (14).

But Tusler showed he is a leader in other ways. He approached Orioles coach Derrin Lamker about altering the game plan.

"The kid comes to me and says, 'Coach, wherever I go there are two or three guys,'" Lamker said. "So we used him as the dummy a little bit in the second half. For a high school junior to do that -- what a selfless kid. I was impressed with that."

Its high-powered offense held well below its season average for points, Osseo still went on to win 13-2 and move to 5-1 this season. Tusler finished with 19 carries for 86 yards and ended Maple Grove's final drive with an interception. He spoke with Star Tribune reporter David La Vaque about gutting out the Maple Grove game.

Q I heard you're dealing with a hip injury and missed some practice time this week. What percent were you playing at tonight?

A Coming into the game my body felt 100 percent but I knew that a couple nicks here and there could get sore. But I wasn't going to think about it because the more you think about it, the more it's going to hurt. Everyone was asking me about it, and I just hate that. I hate negative attention. It's like a jammed finger; it's not going to go away until I rest it. But this is my team, this is my family. I love these guys. They play their hearts out so there's no reason I should be sitting out over a little injury.

Q Coach Lamker was impressed that you asked to be a decoy in the second half. He said a lot of high school kids wouldn't do the same.

A Last weekend I watched a lot of football, college and pro. And I watched the backs -- because that's what I want to play in college at least -- and a lot of those guys were making blocks. I felt like, "You know what, I don't care about the fame." When my friend -- my brother pretty much -- Timmy [Searcy] scored, it felt so good that I got a chance to help. When we run the ball, our offensive line -- which I still say is the top offensive line in the state -- can make the biggest holes you'll ever see. I just wanted to be a part of that instead of being the one who was scoring.

Q You had a huge collision in the first half and lost your helmet. You seemed OK, but were you?

A After last Friday, I wanted to say, "I'm the one giving the hits instead of being the one taking them." But I gave that hit, my helmet popped off and I started thinking, "Maybe I should've gone out of bounds." That was the biggest hit I think I've ever felt. It felt good.

Q Talk about your interception that clinched the game.

A I still feel like I make more mistakes than big plays on defense, and I want to show that I can be a defensive player. I want to impress my dad; he was a defensive player. But that play, I don't know. It clinched the game. It was a good feeling, but I feel like it was a make-up for the time I got beat.

David La Vaque • 612-673-7574