Tailbacks Not Wasting Any Time Busting Loose

A year ago, <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2023/01/inside-the-rankings-eleven-backs-past-2k/">11 players in the state eclipsed 2,000 yards rushing</a> on the season.   While it's still early, we've already got 11 who are showing signs of flirting with that lofty figure this fall. From the bruisers to the speedsters, tailbacks across South Carolina have flashed plenty of brilliance during the opening two weeks of the season.   Here are a list of the top ball carriers who have jumped off the stat sheet and highlight reels. We've ranked the most impressive individual performances so far.    11. [player_tooltip player_id='997222' first='Casey' last='Shropshire'] North Central   The Knights have had just one winning season in the last four years, and that came during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign that was frankly a bit whacky. However, first-year coach Daniel Sisk has decided that Shropshire is the impetus for turning things around and had no issue leaning on him in his first game. Shropshire (pictured) went for 201 yards in an upset of defending Class A Lower State champ Johnsonville and then added a 139-yard performance in Week 1 against Hannah-Pamplico.    10. [player_tooltip player_id='402500' first='Malachi' last='Washington'] Myrtle Beach   Everyone on the Myrtle Beach roster was feeling it a little bit after Camden came to town dominated on both sides of the ball. But Washington played a huge part in taking out some aggression in the next game. Against Conway in the Victory Bell rivalry contest, the senior used his 37 (37!) carries to hit 217 yards and three touchdowns. It put him back on pace to eclipse his 1,300-yard season as a junior. (No film available)   9. [player_tooltip player_id='473029' first='Jaiden' last='McDowell'] Gaffney   We're going to preface this by saying that McDowell's numbers could easily be much better if it wasn't for his coaches deciding 90 yards and three touchdowns was good enough for his five carries in a blowout victory over Union County last week. Still, considering his 142-yard, three-touchdown showing against Crest in Week 0, we think the young man who went for just shy of 700 yards as a freshman playing Class 5A football already slated to fly past those numbers this season has shown us something.     8. [player_tooltip player_id='473001' first='Jaylen' last='McGill'] Broome   The Centurions' top tailback had four 100-yard games as a freshman last fall. He's already added two more to that list after as many games in 2023. After putting up 137 against defending Class 3A Upper State champion Powdersville in the opener, he chased it with 193 and three touchdowns in just 16 carries against Chesnee. It was his second-highest career yardage total, behind only the 251 he had against Blue Ridge a year ago. (No film available)   7. [player_tooltip player_id='1013024' first='Troy' last='Timko'] Hilton Head   The junior already had the faith of his coaching staff, as he was given 227 carries during his sophomore year and put up 1,100 yards and 11 scores. In a Week 1 victory over Claxton (Ga.), the 5-foot-10, 185-pound back touched the ball 34 times (31 carries, three receptions). He ended up rushing for 234 yards and two scores and added 68 receiving yards.     6. [player_tooltip player_id='605525' first='Marquise' last='Henderson'] Belton-Honea Path   The Bears' junior spent his first two seasons tallying 2,122 yards and 23 touchdowns on the ground (and another 343 and five receiving). Yeah, there's a good chance he flirts with that rushing total this year alone after he cranked things up with a 195-yard, three-touchdown season opener win over nearby Westside. BHP isn't abandoning the run any time soon, and Henderson is the main draw and the reason the Bears' hopes are so high this fall.    5. Ja'kari Bennett Daniel   In just 16 carries during the Lions' first two games, Bennett has already piled up 338 yards and five touchdowns. He's already beyond the halfway mark of his total yards from his junior season. And against Easley in Week 1, he had touchdown runs of 95, 93 and 1 yards. His 27.1 yards per carry in that game and 21.1 per carry overall? Yeah, that's productive. What's more, he's got some chances for plenty more low-carry, high-yardage marks over the next two months.    4. BJ Montgomery Gray Collegiate    Montgomery is going to split carries with some other backs at Gray throughout the season, and his Week 0 romp against defending Class A state champ Christ Church proved he can go off without high volume. With 15 carries, he ended up with 297 yards and four touchdowns. Montgomery is really good at splitting front-seven defenders and then leaving defensive backs behind.    3. [player_tooltip player_id='91352' first='Kevon' last='Rivera'] Hanahan   The Hawks' senior had an eye-popping 331 yards and six touchdowns against Georgetown in Week 0, a total that makes him the early single-game rushing yards leader so far in South Carolina. Rivera added in another 92 yards and two scores in a Week 1 loss to Berkeley, meaning he's on an early pace to join the 2,000-yard rushing club this year. Rivera has a good mix of stout defenses and others that aren't so accomplished, meaning his numbers could be huge much of the year.      2. [player_tooltip player_id='464882' first='Jamarcus' last='Williams'] Hannah-Pamplico   Williams had one of the two biggest rushing performances in the state in Week 0 when he finished with 309 yards and a pair of scores on 21 carries against McBee. He then followed it up with 169 yards against North Central six days later. Teams are going to continue to stack the box against Williams early to slow him down, but they did that a bunch last year, too, when he ran for 2,006 yards.     1. [player_tooltip player_id='91348' first='Traevon' last='Dunbar'] Midland Valley   Dunbar jumps to the top of this list because his two-game showing is about as impressive as you can expect. Dunbar pushed Midland Valley to a 35-21 win over Grovetown (Ga.) wit a 267-yard night and then ripped off a cool 303 against Strom Thurmond. He's got a 92-yard touchdown on his resume (last week against the Rebels), but looking at the big picture is even more impressive. In just seven games at Midland Valley, Dunbar has now rushed for 1,157 yards and in 19 games overall between those and his 12 games at Silver Bluff in 2021, he's now eclipsed 3,000 career rushing yards.

A year ago, 11 players in the state eclipsed 2,000 yards rushing on the season.