Five Interesting Running Back Match-Ups For Week 0

Ian Guerin August 18, 2021 @ 10:17 AM

A quintuplet of tailbacks all have a few things in common heading into their respective season openers this week. They’re highly experienced, shifty as all get-up to find a hole and can find another gear when they get into the open. What’s more, they all face some stiff tests right out of the gate. Here are five running backs we’re expecting to fire back up right where they left off in 2020. [player_tooltip player_id="89314" first="Kazarius" last="Adams"], Gray Collegiate - Adams churned through just about everyone last year, rushing for an average of 207 yards per game and 9.2 per carry. His 19 rushing touchdowns also came in just nine games. Needless to say, he’s a focal point for any defense. That goes for Camden, which will counter with a slew of lineman, namely [player_tooltip player_id="89338" first="Xzavier" last="McLeod"], [player_tooltip player_id="153229" first="Dontrell" last="Stradford"] and [player_tooltip player_id="91233" first="Jonathan" last="Chavis"]. [player_tooltip player_id="91348" first="Traevon" last="Dunbar"], Silver Bluff - The 5-foot-9, 175-pound sophomore isn’t going to sneak up on anyone, not anymore. Against South Aiken, a Class 4A playoff team last season, Dunbar and the rest of the Silver Bluff squad will have some favorable match-ups, but depth is where a team from two classifications up could gain an edge. If the Thoroughbreds can’t slow down Dunbar, though, get ready for a huge year from the youngster with a ton of college interest. [player_tooltip player_id="59474" first="Khalique" last="Holland"], Greenville (pictured) - The Red Raiders and their bevy of future college players have high hopes for 2021, and a preseason No. 3 ranking in the statewide media poll to back it up. Holland is a big reason why. He did a little bit of everything last year as both a back-up tailback and receiver. Now a senior, Holland will likely get more snaps out of the backfield, and that begins Friday at Rock Hill. The Bearcats are much better than their abysmal 2020 record would suggest, and they have some increased size [player_tooltip player_id="89344" first="Vaughn" last="Blue"], Oceanside Collegiate - We already <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2021/08/week-0-preview-lowcountry-pee-dee/">broke down how big of a non-region game this was</a>, but with Blue, we can easily go deeper into the Xs and Os. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound spark plug will have to outmaneuver Goose Creek’s size in the front seven. The Gators are the favorite to win another Region VII-5A title, and they certainly won’t be rolling out the red carpet for Blue. [player_tooltip player_id="59479" first="Nemo" last="Squire"], Dillon - Everyone knows Dillon is a loaded Class 3A program, and the Wildcats’ last-minute addition of a non-region game against Myrtle Beach for next week has people talking. Squire (1,600 yards, 15 touchdowns last year), though, is going to have to get through an interesting match-up against Lake City this week, first. The Panthers have a thick defensive line that includes the likes of Jamaurion Frankling and Andre Pressley-McFadden, two players who will be charged with slowing down Squire.