Class 1A All-State RBs: Durant’s DeLong Comes Up Big
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Nolan DeLong Nolan DeLong 6'1" | 195 lbs | RB Durant | 2023 State IA was unstoppable all season long for Durant. DeLong ran for a Class 1A-leading 2,111 yards, leading his team to five wins and the playoffs. He…
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Continue ReadingNolan DeLong Nolan DeLong 6'1" | 195 lbs | RB Durant | 2023 State IA was unstoppable all season long for Durant.
DeLong ran for a Class 1A-leading 2,111 yards, leading his team to five wins and the playoffs.
He was one of 14 players in the class to rush for over 1,000 yards, with five of those also scoring over 20 touchdowns.
Here are the all-state running backs from Class 1A:
First Team – Nolan DeLong Nolan DeLong 6'1" | 195 lbs | RB Durant | 2023 State IA – Durant – Senior
While Durant didn’t win as many games as some of the others up for this honor, it is hard to ignore what Nolan DeLong Nolan DeLong 6'1" | 195 lbs | RB Durant | 2023 State IA did. As mentioned, his 2,111 yards led the way, as did his 250 carries. That is an extremely large workload for a high school player. Factor in the 21 touchdowns and 8.4 yards per carry, and it was obvious he was excellent.
DeLong added four catches for 49 yards and had 66 tackles on defense with 14 for loss and three sacks.
Second Team – Ben Gordon Ben Gordon 6'0" | 170 lbs | RB Van Meter | 2024 IA – Van Meter – Junior
Replacing legends can be difficult, and that is what many of the key starters at Van Meter had to do this past fall. Ben Gordon Ben Gordon 6'0" | 170 lbs | RB Van Meter | 2024 IA was one of them, as the junior stepped into the lead back role and flourished, rushing for 1,734 yards with 28 touchdowns. He averaged over eight yards per carry.
Gordon and the state champion Bulldogs were untouchable all year. He also hauled in 10 balls for 146 yards with three touchdowns while averaging 22 yards per kickoff return.
Third Team – Andy Henson Andy Henson 6'2" | 210 lbs | RB West Branch | 2023 IA – West Branch – Senior
On 218 carries this past fall, Andy Henson Andy Henson 6'2" | 210 lbs | RB West Branch | 2023 IA found the end zone 30 times. That is an eye-popping number for a high school athlete. Henson was dominant as a runner, racking up 1,484 yards total at almost seven yards per pop.
The Bears reached the state semifinals behind Henson, who also completed a touchdown pass and caught 15 balls for 159 yards with a score. On defense he recorded 62.5 tackles with nine for loss, two sacks and a fumble recovery.
Honorable Mention
The list here is long and full of talented players such as Anthony Isley Anthony Isley 6'1" | 165 lbs | RB Mediaoplis | 2023 State IA of Mediapolis, Ethan Schoville Ethan Schoville 6'0" | 175 lbs | RB Denver | 2023 IA of Denver, Carter Bultman Carter Bultman 6'0" | 175 lbs | RB West Sioux | 2023 IA from West Sioux, Cole Clarahan of Sigorney-Keota and Wyatt Powell Wyatt Powell 5'11" | 175 lbs | LB MFL-Mar-Mac | 2024 IA out of MFL MarMac just to name a few. All went over 1,000 yards with Powell averaging almost 11 yards per carry.