2023 Running Back Ready to Shine

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We have entered the final full week before the start of Indiana's High School Football regular season. Once again this season, offenses around the 19th state will be leaning on their playmaking running backs for inspiration this year. Today, we look at some of the top senior running backs ahead of the 2022 season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='107267' first='Robert' last='Lamar'], 5'10, 180 pounds, Clarksville</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='107267' first='Robert' last='Lamar'] uses his vision and awareness to pace Clarksville's offense. Coming off a huge junior year, Clark will be looking to use those abilities to put together a senior season that is even better. Last season, he gained 2,222 rushing yards on 268 carries. His durability and consistency are equally impressive. He accumulated 27 rushing touchdowns last year. Lamar can also be an effective outside linebacker. He is a tackling machine as evidenced by the 84 tackles that he recorded last year. Lamar added seven tackles-for-loss, one sack, two interceptions, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='325853' first='Damon' last='Sturm'], 5'11, 180 pounds, Terre Haute North</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='325853' first='Damon' last='Sturm'] is a composed runner who figures to lead Terre Haute North in 2022. Sturm shows good patience, allowing enough time for the hole to open up and then accelerating. Sturm has good vision to find the hole and adaptability to get through a lane that is not very wide. As a junior, he racked up 443 rushing yards with seven touchdowns. He is effective through the air, as well. He posted 259 receiving yards and three touchdown receptions. On special teams, Sturm has the kickoff return skills to set the team up in good field position consistently. Sturm tallied 423 kickoff return yards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='39068' first='Trey' last='Gibson'], 6'0, 190 pounds, Hobart</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Any team that is searching for a versatile playmaker, who just needs the ball in his hands, should look no further than Hobart's [player_tooltip player_id='39068' first='Trey' last='Gibson']. Gibson is an explosive playmaker. This can be said about both his running and receiving abilities. Once he gets the ball in space, problems usually ensue for the opposing defense. His playmaking ability has to be ever-present on the minds of the defenders. He can make an impact running the wildcat. In his junior year, Gibson ran for 1,655 yards and tallied 374 yards as a receiver. He ran for an incredible 33 touchdowns and caught a trio more. He returned 15 kickoffs last year for 308 yards, demonstrating that he can be a handful in that phase of the game, as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='300367' first='Jeremiah' last='Berry'], 5'11, 190 pounds, Pike</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='300367' first='Jeremiah' last='Berry'] blends athleticism with physicality in his running style. Berry is a shifty runner, capable of making would-be tacklers miss. Even when they do make the tackle, he does a great job of absorbing the contact and falling forward for extra yards. Berry does a wonderful job of remaining patient and stretching runs out as he searches for a hole. He amassed 650 yards last year and will be looking for more this fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='107290' first='Drew' last='Wheat'], 5'10, 160 pounds, Center Grove</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='107290' first='Drew' last='Wheat'] was a major part of the Center Grove team that won a Class 6A State Championship last year. Now he returns looking to lead the Trojans offense back to Lucas Oil Stadium. As a junior, Wheat topped 1,000 yards on 139 carries. He averaged nearly ten yards per run in a backfield that was filled with talent. Wheat helped the passing-game out, as well. He caught nine passes for 154 yards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->