Star running back has Jordan High of Durham feeling Blue — and that’s a good thing

Watching Amareon Blue’s feats on feet leave a person searching for superlatives. Or in the case of Jordan High football public address announcer D.J. Kraze, perhaps forgetting the microphone was live.

Take last week, for example, in the second round of the NC High School Athletic Association 4A playoffs.

Midway through the third quarter, No. 8 seeded Jordan was buried on its 6-yard line protecting a 28-14 lead against No. 9 Apex Friendship. On first down, the Falcons ran a staple off-tackle run designed simply to gain breathing room.

Blue turned the play into something more dramatic.

The powerfully built 5-foot-8, 192-pounder shook off a couple of defenders as he ran off right tackle. He cutback left to the middle of the field, weaving through defenders grasping at air.

As he reached the left sideline and turned up field with clear running room, Kraze’s voice boomed over the stadium’s loudspeakers:

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!”

Blue, asked for his reaction a couple days later, chuckled.

“I did hear that one,” he said. “My teammates tell me things he says, but I usually don’t hear him. I’m just trying to get to the end zone.”

The play ended with Blue knocked out of bounds, but the 77-yard gain set up a touchdown. He scored three times against Apex Friendship (10-2) to lead the Falcons (10-2) into the third round with a 41-14 victory.

Jordan travels to top-seeded Cleveland (12-0) for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff Friday at the Clayton school.

Kraze’s excited outburst was no doubt amplified by having watched Blue earlier break off touchdown runs of 60 and 90 yards.

Is Blue the best breakaway runner in the Triangle?

“There is no bigger game-breaker in the area,” Jordan coach Antonio King said. “I’ll go as far to say there isn’t a better one in the state.”

Some readers, noting the 27-point winning margin, might wrongly assume Blue padded his 280-yard rushing total with three TDs against a subpar opponent. He only carried 13 times. And the final score was misleading.

Apex Friendship, winner of the Southeast Wake Conference, opened the game with time-consuming drives resulting in leads of 7-0 and 14-7 prior to Jordan’s explosive offense flipping the scoreboard. In addition to Blue’s touchdowns, senior receiver Joe Griffin caught a 63-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Landon Melton.

But even with Friendship’s lost momentum with the 28-14 deficit, the Patriots mounted a drive to Jordan’s 15-yard line until it stalled. Friendship settled for a field goal try that was blocked. Jordan recovered at the 6-yard line to set up Blue’s back-breaking run for a 35-14 lead.

With a 27-point fourth-quarter lead, Blue’s backups played the final six minutes.

Blue’s 11-game season totals are 189 carries for 1,906 yards and 29 touchdowns. He finished his junior year with 1,977 and 34 scores and his sophomore season with 2,442 with 30 TDs. His career numbers stand at 6,325 yards and 93 touchdowns.

But his senior year actually got off to a scary start.

He suffered a turf-toe injury in the first half of the season opener against Cardinal Gibbons, limiting him to 14 first-half carries for 74 yards. He was on his way to a 100-yard game, but injury sidelined him for the second half as well as the Falcons’ second game, a 37-25 win over Southern Alamance.

When Blue returned, he ran off four straight 100-yard games until a 56-0 rout of East Chapel Hill limited his playing time to three carries for 90 yards. In the last five contests, the Apex Friendship game was his fourth 200-yard performance.

“His traits are great short-area quickness, vision and balance,” said King, who previously coached Division I running backs at North Carolina Central and East Carolina. “He has determination and power. Once he gets the breakaway, he can see the end zone.”

Blue, whose father A.J. Blue was a running back at North Carolina, combines his blood lines with talent, instincts, training and film study. On his weaving 77-yard run, he credits studying with Jordan running backs coach Rahim Winston Jr. the “flow patterns” on film of Friendship’s linemen and linebackers.

“That helped me see the defense,” he said.

So, with three years of prolific numbers and a 3-star recruiting ranking that arguably underrates him, it’s natural to ask Blue why he is committed to Eastern Michigan University, a Mid-American Conference member, instead of a Power 4 school.

“He hears that all the time,” said King of Blue, whose other offers are from Boston College, Group of 5 schools and Football Championship Subdivision members.

King sighed as he spoke. He blamed the changing dynamics of high school recruiting due to the transfer portal. King explained Blue is caught in the middle of Power 4 coaches waiting to see which older, mature players are available when the transfer portal opens on December 9 before fully committing to a high school recruit.

One doubt might be his 5-8 height, but there’s a long list of 5-8 college and pro running backs, and it’s topped by Barry Sanders, the 1988 Heisman Trophy winner and Pro Football Hall of Famer.

“Some coaches have mentioned my speed on long runs, but I haven’t been told there is anything I have to work on,” said Blue, referring to recruiters mentioning shortcomings.

So, maybe it’s an unfair to ask him about Power 4 offers.

As Blue explained, he liked Eastern Michigan coach Chris Creighton, his staff and their plans on how to use him. He preferred committing to waiting on the unknown. In a way, his decision is like his vision on the football field — he saw the end zone at the Ypsilanti school.

“I’m grateful to have a full scholarship to a DI school,” Blue said. “I’m not too worried about bigger schools. I like the school and the coaches. I’m happy to go to school for free, and I’m looking forward to giving it my best.”

Alas, that quote describes another quality about him — he’s not one of the too-common entitled athletes of this transactional sports age.