West Virginia Class of 2024 Breakdown: Top Ball Carriers – Part 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Earlier this week we took at some of the best quarterbacks in the class of 2024 throughout West Virginia and today we turn our attention to the best ball carriers in the state. Now you may have noticed we didn't say running backs. That's because, West Virginia is very unique in that there is a lot of options that do run triple-option, wishbone, wing-t, etc style offenses. So with that, these are simply some of the best ball carriers in the state of West Virginia no matter if they play quarterback or running back. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These players were not selected by their ranking or really any true determination factors but purely those that I have been able to get around to watching in the last few days as we continue to build our database here at Prep Redzone West Virginia. There will also be additional parts looking at the top ball carriers in the future. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2023/06/west-virginia-football-2024-positional-breakdowns-quarterback/">West Virginia 2024 Position Breakdowns: Quarterback Part 1</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>RB Amir Hariston (Bluefield)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The top running back according to our rankings in the state of West Virginia is Bluefield High's [player_tooltip player_id='370257' first='Amir' last='Hairston']. Hairston is a well-built prospect at 5-foot-11 and weighing around 184 pounds. Hairston also has a nice bit of speed to his game or as he likes to put it, "Country Boy Fast". Hariston is also quite shifty and loves to juke out would-be tacklers in the open field. He's got strong vision, allowing him to see holes opening up as they develop and a good burst in his game to hit those holes hard and get to the next level. His reported 40-yard dash time on HUDL is 4.4, though we haven't been able to confirm that just yet. That being said, Hariston is a very strong runner and someone we believe is very much deserving of more looks at the Division I level. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/14972577/6406c22cc11a8a0b148c8e63' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-649e11deaf3ce"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>RB</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='370255' first='Gage' last='Wright']</strong> <strong>(Parkersburg South)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wright is one of the most productive running backs in the Mountain State. Wright is listed at 6-foot-0 and 185 pounds but is still quite skinny. Notably, Wright is also one of the best wrestlers in the state of West Virginia as a two-time defending champion, wrestling might be his calling at the next level but if he decides to go the football route, he should have plenty of options as well. He's a hard-nosed runner and while he possesses quality speed, he also shows the physicality and ability to run through opposing tacklers. Additionally shows good vision and shiftiness in his game as well. Great at picking up yards after contact. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/14891631/637505f6b534a408a8664305' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-649e11deaf42a"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>QB/RB [player_tooltip player_id='865456' first='Sawyer' last='Vanmatre'] (Wahama)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Technically a quarterback, we believe Vanmatre has the capabilities to also be a running back at the next level. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A triple-option quarterback, Vanmatre's future is likely as a running back or in a similar system at the next level. The 6-foot-3 tailback is an intimidating runner with quality speed that is supplemented by good vision. As a triple-option quarterback, Vanmatre needs to have the excellent ability to read the defense, find the open or best hole, and get to it quickly. He has a nice burst to his game and has good enough speed to get to the next level. He's physical and can break tacklers as well, racking up quite a bit of yards after contact. Has upside as a triple-option quarterback as well but if you don't run a triple-option offense, he might just be the perfect fit for your offense at running back. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/13455933/638cb95fd225ce017c22c419' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-649e11deaf45e"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>QB/RB</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='370324' first='Maxwell' last='Molessa'] (Williamstown)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another multi-sport athlete, Molessa is currently committed to playing baseball at West Virginia. So unless he's also going to be playing football for the Mountaineers, it is unlikely he plays football at the next level. That being said, Molessa is by far one of the best running backs in the state. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound tailback helped lead Williamstown to a state championship with over 1,200 rushing yards and 800 passing yards to go along with a total of 28 touchdowns. A pushing ball carrier, Molessa loves to run right through defenders but also has great open-field speed and vision that allows him to break off game-breaking runs on a consistent basis. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/14443029/63a543b84205c10c28c9542b' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-649e11deaf48e"} /-->