Kansas Class 4A: Backs Who Reached The Century Mark

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Class 4A had a distinguished group of backs who reached the 1,000-yard threshold during the 2023 season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here is the third report on the top rushers in Kansas. This group played in Class 4A programs and reached the century mark in yards gained on the ground.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I am sure I will miss some as not all teams make their stats public and players who fell short of the 1,000-yard mark I will try to feature later down the road.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='544724' first='Colton' last='Brusven']</strong>, RB, 5'10”, 185, Tonganoxie, ‘24</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brusven was the best and most consistent running back that I saw play in person this year. He unofficially led all Class 4A backs rushing for 2,047 yards in 12 games played. He rushed for 28 touchdowns. He is a north-south bruising runner who likes to bowl over defenders. He is a “football player” that all in-state college programs Division II on down should be looking at.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='282253' first='Aaron' last='Tunstall'],</strong> RB, 5'10”, 175, Field Kindley, ‘25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Golden Tornado featured a junior running back in its backfield in 2023. Tunstall carried the ball 160 times in 10 games gaining 1,782 yards. He rushed for 22 touchdowns and should be the returning starter next season. Tunstall is short in stature and has short strides, but his first step is explosive. If he gets one step on a defender he can take the ball to the house. I'd like to see him improve on his receiving numbers next season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1115435' first='Quinton' last='Harding']</strong>, RB, 5'9”, 165, Chanute, ‘25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Harding rushed for 1,413 yards in eight games played for the Blue Comets. He scored 17 touchdowns on the ground. Hardin has a long stride and his future in the game could well be played on the defensive side of the ball as a defensive back.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Maddox Archibald</strong>, RB, 5'8”, 160, Andover Central, ‘25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Andover Central was a surprise qualifier for the Class 4A state title game and Archibald was responsible for the heavy lifting on offense. He rushed for 1,273 yards on 275 carries distributed in 13 contests. He scored 18 touchdowns on the ground for the Jags.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1078257' first='Sam' last='Boetcher'],</strong> RB, 5'10”, 180, Basehor-Linwood, ‘24</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Boetcher improved a ton throughout the season. If you came across him in the hall at school or on the street you might not even guess he played football. However, he is a tough runner and a smart student in the classroom. He rushed for 1,042 yards on the ground in 11 games played. The Bobcats struggled with injuries all season and Boetcher ended up being a key cog in the team's offensive identity.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='263381' first='Gianni' last='Rizzi'],</strong> RB, 5'9”, 185, St. Thomas Aquinas, ‘24</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p> Rizzi rushed for 1,064 yards in an injury-plagued season. He still reached the 1,000-yard threshold in just seven games played. He scored 12 touchdowns for the Saints. The senior back is a physical runner who works best between the tackles. He can either run over tacklers or pull away from them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jamaal Jackson,</strong> RB, 5'10”, 165, Labette County, ‘26</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jackson is a sophomore that college coaches will want to put on their future recruiting list. He rushed for 1,028 yards in nine games played. He scored nine touchdowns on the ground. He is a threat to catch balls out of the backfield with 11 receptions for 114 yards and one score. Look for the Labette County coaching staff to look for creative ways to get him the ball for the next two seasons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The following backs rushed for over 800 yards, but fell short of the 1,000-yard threshold, [player_tooltip player_id='1103612' first='Declan' last='Battle'] (Louisburg), [player_tooltip player_id='570192' first='Ashton' last='Moore'] (Louisburg), [player_tooltip player_id='1115094' first='Aden' last='Alvarado'] (Ulysses), [player_tooltip player_id='1113399' first='Ben' last='Clouse'] (Buhler), Pierson Miller (Schlagle), [player_tooltip player_id='1115492' first='Nick' last='Giefer'] (Wellington), [player_tooltip player_id='1113405' first='Keedrin' last='Jones'] (Rose Hill) and &nbsp;Circle's [player_tooltip player_id='571096' first='Westin' last='Rose'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->