A new breed of backs

Running backs do a lot more than carry the ball / Today's high school football running backs have to be much more versatile than in the past. Some say it's because of the spread-out passing formations some teams are using.

Durham Jordan junior running back Jerrell Rhodes never missed a beat. With the Falcons facing North Davidson on their first drive of the high school football season on Aug. 17, Rhodes caught a 5-yard pass in the flat and turned it into a 20-yard gain. On the next play, he rushed for 5 hard yards up the middle. After a penalty forced third-and-long, he met a burly defensive end at the right edge of the offensive line and pass blocked.

In one series, Rhodes completed three distinct assignments -- all designed to utilize one of the Falcons' best athletes.

"It's not just running the ball," explained Rhodes, who entered the season needing just 362 yards to break the school's all-time career rushing record. "You're playing a lot of different roles."

Rhodes is one example of how the high school running back has evolved from the days of strictly power into a hybrid position of versatility. More often, running backs are called upon as all-purpose players.

Instead of plodding behind a blocker, these new-age backs roam free, trying to use quickness and speed to make defenders miss in the open field. Often short and undersized, they specialize in quick strikes.

"It used to be three yards and a cloud of dust," Scout.com's Miller Safrit said. "Nowadays everybody is concerned about how to get their playmaker with the ball in space."

Some observers of high school football say the role of the running back has shifted because of spread-out passing formations some teams have incorporated.

Many football teams throughout the Triangle have added elements of the spread offense to their playbooks, using additional receivers, using a single back or taking runners out of the backfield altogether.

Safrit said running backs must still possess patience, break tackles and run over and around defenders. Yet coaches also look for backs who can pass block, run routes and catch.

Wake Forest-Rolesville coach Earl Smith said he spends more time teaching running backs drills he used to use mainly with wide receivers.

"Back in the day, the back might catch a swing pass, but now they have to know all the routes," he said.

With one of the fastest 40-yard dash times in the area, Marquan Brown, a running back at Hope Mills Gray's Creek, exploits open spaces, and coach David Lovette uses this advantage by lining the 5-foot-8, 160-pounder at receiver.

"He's got to be able to catch the ball," Lovette said.

Hillside offensive coordinator Antonio King, whose offense is broken down into zone responsibilities, said Hornets running backs must read the defense like a quarterback.

In the past, a Hillside running back would follow an offensive lineman, but now he must move in and out of areas based on what the defense shows. This holds true with blocking assignments as well.

Hillside senior Gary Douglas said learning how to zone block has been the most challenging part of playing running back. He struggled with bending low on blocks and selecting the right defender to engage in his zone.

When there are two linebackers rushing, the 6-foot, 170-pound back now knows to pick up the one closest to the quarterback.

"It's harder than you think," Douglas said. "I still have a little more work to do. I'm almost there."

King said 10 years ago, a coach would tell a running back to "blow up the hole," meaning select a lane to run through and charge in hard. That strategy was based on the larger size of the backs.

Today, he said, his backs are smaller and quicker, more Reggie Bush, less Earl Campbell. "So it's hard to say stick your nose in there when you're not a 6-foot-2, 240-pound kid," King said.

One way some teams try to punish the defense without sacrificing smaller backs is to use a platoon system. Along with Douglas, Hillside features junior Desmond Scott and Harrison Gillespie.

Scott considers himself among the "new breed of backs" because his position encompasses more than running, even though that is his primary responsibility.

Scott, who at 5 feet 9, 178 pounds is durable and welcomes contact, considers his duties at wide receiver an essential part of being a running back. He enjoys the freedom to create from that position.

"Everything is instincts," Scott said.

Against Warren County on Friday, Scott lined up as a wide receiver on the third play of the game and caught an 8-yard pass near the sideline. He lined up there numerous times throughout the game, usually when Douglas was in the backfield, but served mostly as a decoy and a blocker.

Scott rushed 11 times for 147 yards and two TDs.

Warren County had to account for him at all times, making him a multiple threat.

Smithfield-Selma coach Anthony Barbour, a former standout high school running back at Garner, agreed that the position has changed, creating "a more well-rounded weapon."

But he said the basics still apply.

An average back, he said, is only as good as his offensive line. Footwork and proper technique help. Hands are a plus. Toughness is a must.

"I still think the number one thing a back has to have is vision," Barbour said. "That hasn't changed."