Five running backs with the most to prove in the spring

Some high school running backs in the state of New Mexico are looking to build upon solid seasons in 2019, and take their game to the next level. Other running backs, however, are trying to replace graduated seniors and go into the spring without much experience OR know they must improve or produce at a higher level for their teams to have the type of season they want. Here are five running backs with the most to prove in 2020: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26266" first="Marino" last="Rivera-Noblitt"], Estancia</strong>: Here’s all you need to know about the large shoes Rivera-Noblitt must fill this season – the rising junior rushed for 891 yards on just 70 carries in 2019, averaging a gaudy 12.1 yards per attempt. Yet, he still finished 1,278 yards behind the state’s leading rusher, Andrew Lujan, who amassed 2,169 yards in just 10 games. Estancia totaled a staggering 3,577 yards on the ground. <strong>Terrell Hocker, Grants</strong>:  The Pirates already have arguably the top quarterback in Class 4A in rising junior [player_tooltip player_id="26232" first="Brandon" last="Furbee"]. Last season, RB Isaiah Johnson helped Furbee stay comfortable in the pocket by rushing for 2,088 yards and 34 touchdowns on 149 carries, finishing as the state’s second leading rusher. But Johnson has graduated and the job of RB1 will likely fall to Hocker, who also plays wide receiver. <strong>Matthew Suazo, Taos</strong>: A year after winning the Class 4A state championship, Taos fell to 6-5 and lost a first round home playoff game to Silver in 2019. But it wasn’t for a lack of a solid running game led by Armando Valerio, who rushed for 1,289 and 15 touchdowns  yards on 170 carries. Suazo had a solid sophomore season as well with 469 yards on 97 carries and now becomes RB1 for the Tigers, who are clearly aiming to regain their 2018 form. <strong>Cleveland’s Potential 3-Headed Monster at RB</strong>: Dorian Lewis helped fuel Cleveland’s Class 6A title run by rushing for 1,038 yards on 145 carries. [player_tooltip player_id="26163" first="Trey" last="Ortega"] had 346 yards, but he mainly filled in at quarterback replacing the injured [player_tooltip player_id="26185" first="Jeff" last="Davison"]. Right now, the Storm plans to utilize three running backs: Lucious Dickson, Demetrius Banks and La Cueva transfer [player_tooltip player_id="26178" first="Tyler" last="Jensen"], who rushed for 549 yards in half a season. <strong>Baylor Diaz, Portales</strong>: The Rams rolled to the Class 4A title in 2019 behind a stout defense and reliable ground game led by Romeo Gbassagee (1,396 yards on 138 carries), who has since graduated. Diaz is next in line after rushing for 486 yards and 5 touchdowns as a junior in 2019. Biggest difference between Gbassagee and Diaz last season? Yards per carry. The former averaged over 10 yards per attempt, while the latter averaged 5.1 yards. https://twitter.com/PHS_RamFootball/status/1286822257969438720 https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneNM/status/1300205923445534720