One of the staples of almost any successful NFL team is a dominant rushing attack. In today’s game, many teams are dividing the workload between two backs. Think Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor in Minnesota, or Felix Jones and Marion Barber for the Cowboys. Or, Brandon Jacobs and Ahman Bradshaw for the New York Giants.
In the high school game, the ability to run the ball effectively is just as important as it is in the pros. The only difference is, most teams rely on a single featured back – David Williams for Hidden Valley, Tyler Caveness at North Cross, or Sam Wright at Cave Spring are some examples.
The Northside Vikings, however, are an anomaly. The reason? The Vikings don’t just have one stud tailback, or two for that matter. They have three, and the trio – seniors Philip Scott and Dustin Phelps and sophomore Tyler Fisher, has proven impossible for opposing defenses to contain.
“It’s definitely a plus,” Head Coach Burt Torrence said. “It allows you to be multiple, and keeps other teams off balance. It’s hard to shut down all of them.”
The numbers definitely back up that statement. In eight games Northside has averaged 302 yards per game on the ground. Scott leads the group with nearly 1,500 yards and 14 TD’s, Phelps has 8 touchdowns and is currently averaging 7.5 yards per carry, and Fisher, who will shoulder the load next season, has chipped in with 400 yards and 5 scores.
Needless to say, the Vikings ground game is a big reason why they have already equaled their win total from 2008. At 6-2, Northside is tied with Staunton River for first place in the Blue Ridge District, with a potential showdown for the title looming on November 6th.
In addition to being in contention in their district, Northside has hung with some of the other heavyweights in the Roanoke Valley, losing close games to Cave Spring (10-7) on September 11, and Salem (26-22) on September 25.
“We really feel like we let both of those games get away, that we just didn’t seal the deal,” Torrence said. The Vikings repeatedly shot themselves in the foot against the Knights, committing eight turnovers, and two weeks later Northside blew an 11-point lead with four minutes to play against the Spartans.
Torrence believes that his team has learned a lesson from both of those defeats. “We just know that you can never let your guard down, that anyone can come back and beat you,” the fourth year coach said.
By Matt Reeve [email protected]