State of Arkansas Rushing Leaders Through Three Weeks

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Plenty of high school football teams do a great job of implementing the ground attack. Several running backs are off to a great start to the season. I expect the running backs on this list to continue to put up big numbers throughout the course of the season. Here are the rushing leaders and a few running backs to watch out for the rest of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='304658' first='Dennis' last='Gaines']-East Poinsett County-2024</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gaines is racking up the rushing yards this season and opening plenty of eyes in the process. Over the course of the season, Gaines has rushed for 841 yards and 10 touchdowns. The East Poinsett running back does an excellent job of allowing the rushing lane to develop before exploding through the hole. Gaines is a running back that continues to get better every week and is a prospect to watch out for over the next two seasons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='240083' first='Jalen' last='Dupree']-Malvern-2024</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Malvern running back is clicking on all cylinders for the Leopards. Dupree has plenty of speed and has terrorized opposing defenses this season with his speed and vision. Dupree has rushed for 726 yards and four touchdowns on the season. Dupree can hurt you running the ball or coming out of the backfield as a wide receiver. He opened eyes last season and just continues to impress this season. Watch out for Dupree and Malvern as conference play heats up.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='136008' first='Dede' last='Johnson'] Jr.-Searcy-2023</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Searcy running back has racked up the yardage over the past two seasons. Johnson Jr. has the ability to run opposing defenders over or simply make a cut and take off down the sidelines. He has rushed for 629 yards and nine touchdowns this season. Johnson Jr. is a prospect that does a great job of keeping his legs churning and fighting for yardage. College scouts should be taking a long look at the Searcy running back, all he does is produce at the position.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sloan Perrin-Nashville-2023</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nashville has a history of producing talented football players and this season is no different from previous seasons. Sloan Perrin runs the Nashville offense in impressive fashion. He not only uses his legs effectively. Perrin has racked up 580 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground this season. Perrin has also thrown the ball efficiently for the Scrappers offense. He has good speed and toughness and is a prospect that is having a strong 2022 football season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='446995' first='Sheldon' last='Smith']-Gurdon-2024</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The class of 2024 is loaded with talent running backs to keep an eye on over the next couple of seasons. The Gurdon football team has a number of talented individuals and will be a team that contends for a playoff spot this season. Running back [player_tooltip player_id='446995' first='Sheldon' last='Smith'] does an excellent job of exploding through the rushing lane his offensive line opens up. Smith has rushed for 556 yards and four touchdowns this season. I look for the big season to continue for both Smith and Gurdon as conference play heats up.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Braden Nash-Bentonville West-2026</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A prospect to watch at the running back position in the future is Bentonville West running back Braden Nash. Nash has had a busy season rushing the football for the Wolverines. He has rushed for 701 yards and four touchdowns on the season. Over the next few years, he is going to be a prospect to watch out for with the Wolverines of Bentonville West.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->