Top 5 Alamance/Chatham/Lee County RBs

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Welcome back to our Deep Dives series, where we go in-depth on the best players by position in each county. I'm going through the Raleigh-Durham area, covering 11 counties around our state's capital. Here, I'm looking at the running back position, ranking the top backs in Alamance, Chatham, and Lee Counties.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Top 5 RBs in Alamance/Chatham/Lee County</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Editor's Note: The ranked running backs are listed in order from first to fifth. Rankings reflect a combination of 2025 results and projected 2026 impact.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Other Alamance/Chatham/Lee County Deep Dives:<br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/03/alamance-chatham-lee-county-qb-deep-dive/">QBs</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2144167"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69a7ba4e1da52"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Thompson is easy to spot on the field, thanks to his Tiki Barber-esque "high and tight" running style. He started his varsity career with a bang when he ran for almost 400 yards and four touchdowns in his second game of the season. He parlayed that into a 1,500-yard season on just over 200 carries, and we think he could do something similar as a junior.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"DJ Callis","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'8u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"165","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2408","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Southeast Alamance","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69a7ba4e1dbb2"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Callis isn't the biggest back in the area, but he runs with excellent contact balance and flashes some raw power. That makes me wonder what he might be able to accomplish if he's able to add another 10 pounds of good weight this offseason. He's a high-IQ runner who has a good sense of when to seek out contact and when to avoid it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2144172"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69a7ba4e1dc48"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Raphael was the big-play guy for Eastern Alamance last season, and he had plenty of explosive runs. Some of those were 50-yarders in which he showed power at the line and speed to beat defenders at the second and third levels. He runs with excellent pad level and lateral agility, making him tough to bring down at the line of scrimmage.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Jazian Bigelow","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2028","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'8u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2408","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Williams","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69a7ba4e1dd59"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Bigelow was the third-leading rusher on a run-heavy team and looks like he could step into the lead back role in 2026. He averaged nearly six yards per carry and scored 10 touchdowns in 2025, and in 2026, he could have a huge season. Bigelow loves to initiate contact and set the tone, something he should be able to do with greater frequency in 2026.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Jamez Cochran","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'7u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"185","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2408","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Eastern Alamnance","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69a7ba4e1de62"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Cochran is a shorter, compact back with good power, and his ability to fall forward on every carry led to plenty of short-yardage opportunities last season. Cochran was the mark of consistency last season, and he picks up the available yardage, something plenty of high school backs seem to struggle to do.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Other Names To Know</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tyler Congrove</strong> | Chatham Central</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Congrove will look to build on his sophomore season, as Chatham Central's young offense will have another offseason to gel.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tamorrie Brown</strong> | Cummings</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brown has tremendous size for the running back position and flashed in 2025, including a 135-yard game early in the season. He split carries with three departing seniors and could have a bigger role in 2026.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Make sure we don't miss anyone. Let me know on Twitter/X (@whelms21) which players need to make our deep dive rankings. Don't miss out on everything Prep Redzone has to offer. Our 7-Day free trial offer runs from March 5-9.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->