1000 yards and back for more

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There has been a lot of National Football League chatter in the last few years – ramped up in recent weeks – about the downfall of the running back. While runners who get even 20 carries in the NFL are becoming increasingly rare and might eventually trickle down to the high school ranks, Minnesota doesn't need to worry about a shortage of bell-cow running backs chewing up yards this season. At least eleven backs returning that topped 1000 yards on the ground. Here is part one of two spotlighting the top returning ground gainers who will continue to tear up high school defenses for at least one more year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["205273"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"With over 1800 yards rushing last season, Tapio is the top returning rusher in the state. He has excellent vision when running between the tackles and sometimes makes two or three moves in a two-yard area. Don't let his quick feet fool you. Finishing tied for fourth in touchdowns, he is a more powerful runner than his size projects. If the defender doesn't have him squared up, Tapio will bounce or spin off an arm tackle or run straight through it. Not just a one-dimensional player, Tapio is a good blocker – both in the running and passing game – takes some shotgun snaps in Wildcat formations and will catch a screen pass occasionally too.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_1_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='396017' first='Jacob' last='Williams']","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_1_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_1_player_details_height":"5'11u0022","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_1_player_details_position":"2408","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_1_player_details_school":"Aitkin","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_1_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_1_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Williams rushed for over 1400 yards as a junior. Like Tapio – he averaged over nine yards a carry. He is at his best when he gets the ball deep enough to read his blocking, makes one cut, and gets up-field. That is not to say he won't make defenders miss, but once he gets his long-striding style going, he quickly eats up yardage. With 21 touchdowns, his speed is deceptive. His long strides don't make him look like he is a speed back or a power back, but he outruns angles defenders think they have on him, and he is not going to be brought down with an arm tackle. Williams is also a dangerous punt returner.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["105374"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"With just over 1400 yards on the ground and 18 rushing touchdowns, Woods is sure to be a focal point of the Storm's offensive attack. It is always the worst-case scenario to have a jailbreak situation where the offensive line is overwhelmed all at once, but it is bound to happen even to the best offensive lines. Woods is the guy I would pick to try to make something out of that situation. The Storm runner has the best feet I have seen on a running back in the last couple of seasons. He makes multiple guys miss within a two or three-yard patch of field. He is not just a scat back; he has good size and will break tackles if he is not squared up. He can also catch the ball out of the backfield and out of the slot running actual routes. Woods' escape ability makes him a dangerous return man, and his overall athletic ability allows him to play some corner on defense.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_3_player_details_player_name":"Jack Grimsley","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_3_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_3_player_details_height":"5'9u0022","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_3_player_details_position":"2408","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_3_player_details_school":"Mayer Lutheran","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_3_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_3_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Grimsley ended the season with over 1500 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns. Similar to Woods, Grimsley has excellent vision. He can find a crease in the defense even when there isn't much room. He has great speed coming out of his cuts - leaving plenty of defenders grasping at air as Grimsley ran by them. He has another gear and good straight-line speed when he gets space. Even with that speed, he does a great job setting up his downfield blockers. He would rather run around tacklers than through them but will bounce off plenty of tackles. He is a threat in the passing game, too – he makes plays downfield – not just running short routes in the flat.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["460286"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Korti put up over 1300 yards and scored eleven touchdowns as a junior. The overriding theme of the top returning runners is how elusive they are in the open field. Korti is no exception. What makes him different from others on this list is his speed. It is hard to tell who is faster when watching film, but I observed more than any other back on this list – Korti ran away from guys. Shorter than most of the guys on this list, Korti is not short on athletic ability. He gets in and out of his cuts as fast as anyone. One of his most impressive traits is his ability to make guys miss in the backfield. He often used a quick jump cut when defenses came across the line of scrimmage before Korti got to the hole.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_5_player_details_player_name":"Evan Lavalle","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_5_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_5_player_details_height":"6'0u0022","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_5_player_details_position":"2408","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_5_player_details_school":"Chisago Lakes","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_5_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_5_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_5_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Unfortunately, I was not able to find any online highlights for Evan. I can tell you that the soon-to-be senior averaged 5.5 yards per carry as a junior. The 6'0 220 pound athlete rushed for over 1100 yards and scored fourteen touchdowns last season. Not the normal secondary position for a running back, but maybe it gives some insight into the type of running style Lavalle uses – he plays defensive tackle on defense.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":6,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64c31bec3fe77"} /-->