SPOOK WEEK Day 4: Ravenous Running Backs

In the spirit of Halloween, we will be taking this week to feature some of the spookiest players you’ll see on the field. Every day will highlight a different position group/groups, eventually leading up to the scariest of the scariest to be revealed on Halloween night. Like creatures of prey, these running backs wait patiently in the backfield before they find the perfect opportunity to strike. They have evolved their ways of doing so, straying away from the back of yesteryear that relied on power. These new beasts have learned to attack with force, speed, and even from the skies. These six backs find solace in breaking the will of their opponents with every punishing run and snatching their last breaths as they cut past them. Beware the BACKS! <hr /> [player_tooltip player_id="164872" first="Christian" last="Nash"] -<em> Millard South - 2022</em> 6’ 220 lbs | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/12934609/christian-nash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hudl</a> Of all the athletic of the scariest has to be RB/LB [player_tooltip player_id="164872" first="Christian" last="Nash"]. Nash passes the eye test with a strong build and good size. He’s even more impressive when he hits the field. Christian has 1,100 rushing yards, including a 200-yarder to cap off an undefeated regular season for the Patriots. He gains yardage at a high clip, 9.5 ypc, and is hardly behind the line of scrimmage. Nash makes you earn every tackle on him by laying in all his 220-pound frame into the defender. With that much mass coming at you at such high speeds, it’s enough to make any man cower in fear. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/12934609/613e23135ef7770348b6ec19" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Creighton RB duo: It would be hard to argue that there is a more dangerous RB than CharMar Brown and [player_tooltip player_id="193783" first="Jack" last="Stessman"]. The Junior Jays running backs have been absolutely ruthless when attacking defenses. The two backs complemented each other very nicely and helped keep the Prep rushing machine churning. CharMar was the lead back and had the larger share of carries. On 154 carries, he racked up 1,067 yards and scored 15 rushing touchdowns during his junior regular season. His burst and breakaway speed are a deadly combination, add this to his impeccable field vision, and you can see why he’s one of the top 2023 running backs. He has a solid, muscular build that punishes defenders with every tackle. As long as Stessman is upright, his legs will be churning and fighting for any additional yardage. Jack is a north and south runner, taking the ball up the middle to eat away at the defense. He does an excellent job breaking tackles and has a great burst when he sees daylight and the speed to finish off runs. His average yards per carry is impressive, coming in at 7.9, showing that he can make significant chunk gains given the opportunity. [player_tooltip player_id="193783" first="Jack" last="Stessman"] -  <em>2022 - 5’10" 185 - <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11524847/Jack-Stessman" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hudl</a></em> <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11524847/5f93067a5b3cd9095857fd95" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Charmar Brown - <em>2023 - 5’11" 205 lbs - <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13206484/Charmar-Brown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hudl</a></em> <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/13206484/617496f9ff01a80990c2c088" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Cole Ballard - <em>Elkhorn South - 2023</em> 6’ 185 lbs | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/12930516/Cole-Ballard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hudl</a> Cole Ballard arrived in a big way in 2021. The junior back took defenses for a ride this season, making them respect his abilities as a runner and receiving back. He stepped up in a big way when senior [player_tooltip player_id="164877" first="Ben" last="Warren"] went down for the season and when the offense would find themselves needing a clutch catch. Ballard’s elusiveness and twitchiness were the cause for several bald spots amongst the Class A defensive coach population. His ability to cut and juke his way out of tough spots is so impressive, as well as his supernatural balance. Ballard will have the playoffs and his senior season to further stamp himself as one of the elite backs in Nebraska. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/12930516/6133d5743df5bd03687059e8" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> [player_tooltip player_id="171385" first="Jayden" last="Page"] - <em>Omaha Central - 2022</em> 5’11" 210 lbs | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13387812/Jayden-Page" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hudl</a> When you watch Jayden run, you almost start to feel bad for the defenders having to tackle him. The freakish RB came back to action this year on a rampage. Page had violent runs all year in which he would punish defenses with every carry. The 210-pound back would use his size to bully defenders and push them for extra yardage. He has powerful legs that keep pumping and a mean stiff-arm to push defenders away. But don’t get it confused because Page also has top-flight speed when he hits the open field. He was able to break off some nice gains with his footwork and breakaway speed. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/13387812/616dab123deb240860784799" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> [player_tooltip player_id="191157" first="Dawson" last="Dunbar"] - <em>Chadron - 2022</em> 5’10" 180 lbs | <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11758686/Dawson-Dunbar">Hudl</a> Out in the panhandle resides one of the most underrated ’22 running backs. [player_tooltip player_id="191157" first="Dawson" last="Dunbar"] from Chadron had an excellent break-out season in which he saw himself cross the 1,000-yard milestone. His running skills were on full display all season as he was able to have powerful runs and runs where he would crank on the jets and take it to the house. His playmaking skills also extend to the defensive side of the ball, where he showed great pass coverage and play recognition skills. Dunbar is a player that teams need to get on more coaches’ radars. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11758686/6175e96a160081065ccf0e66" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>