Montgomery County’s top Running-backs to watch

Montgomery County has a lot of productive ball carriers returning. These are the best backs that you need to keep an eye out for. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="200618" first="Evan" last="Taylor"] (2023) | 5’9 RB | Poolesville</strong> Taylor is a productive powerful runner. He runs hard and is tough to bring down. He does a great job of fighting for yards after contact. He also breaks weak arm tackles. He also has great vision and is very good at making one cut and hitting the hole. He does a great job of getting downfield and running North and South. Taylor is a solid back and will be Poolesville’s workhorse this season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="249162" first="Gideon" last="Ituka"] (2024) | 5’9 RB | Gaithersburg</strong> Ituka is one of the top running backs in the state. He is a balanced runner that displays both power and big playability. He is a powerful runner and runs hard. He has great strength as displayed by his powerful stiff arm. In open space, he is tough to bring down as he can run through defenders or make them miss. He also has breakaway speed as once he gets past the second level he has a second gear. Ituka is a special player and Gaithersburg would be wise to lean on him next season. <strong>Iverson Howard (2025) | 5’11 | Quince Orchard</strong> Howard is an explosive back. He is constantly making big plays on the ground. He has legitimate track speed which makes him really tough to deal with. He has moves in open space that makes guys miss however he is not overreliant on these moves as he trusts his speed and more often than not is able to simply outrun guys. Howard is a homerun hitter and will have plenty of opportunities to make big plays as he plays behind a very strong Quince Orchard offensive line. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="209043" first="Dillon" last="Dunathan"] (2023) | 6’2 RB | Damascus </strong> Dunathan is an old-school hard-nosed running back. He is a great fit for Damascus’ power run game as he is most effective inside the tackles. He is a powerful runner that likes to run through defenders. He keeps pumping his feet after contact, which allows him to get chunk yardage after contact. He also has great size as defenders bounce off of him. He also has good enough speed so once he gets the second level he can finish off runs. Dunathan may be a sleeper pick to lead the county in rushing. <strong>Jorden Hungerford (2024) | 5’11 RB | Seneca Valley </strong> Hungerford is a versatile back. Last season he was oftentimes used as a lead blocker out the backfield. He is a physical blocker that is able to knock defenders back and to the ground. He uses this same physicality when he is running the football. He is a violent runner and is not afraid of contact. He also has some elusiveness as he makes subtle moves and cuts to make defenders miss. He also breaks tackles downfield which allows him to be a big-play runner. Hungerford projects to be the lead back for Seneca Valley next year so expect his numbers to take a big jump. <strong>Antonio Berry (2024) | 5’8 RB | Northwest</strong> Berry is Northwest’s most explosive player. He has all the tools to excel in a college-style spread offense. He has great speed, vision, and elusiveness. He is the most dangerous when he is running to the outside as he has more open space to pick up speed and create space between defenders. He also uses his speed inside the tackles as well as he bursts to the second level and puts pressure on the defensive backfield to come up into the box. Berry can have some big numbers if he gets enough touches this season. <strong>AB Sirleaf (2023) | 5’9 RB | Gaithersburg</strong> Sirleaf was still productive last season despite not being Gaitherburg’s lead back. Sirleaf was very effective as a change of pace back. He has the ability to run it between the tackles and take it to the outside. He has a great burst out the backfield and once he gets past the line of scrimmage he is already at full speed. He is a smart runner and always seems to hit the right hole. Hopefully, Gaithersburg finds a way to get Sirleaf enough touches. &nbsp;