Top Running Backs in Orange County (7-12)

Orange County has a long history of dominant running backs from DeShaun Foster in the 1990s to [player_tooltip player_id="25122" first="James" last="Bohls"] in 2020. There is an interesting crop of running backs in 2020, some of whom have drawn major recruiting interest, and some that have flown under the radar. This list was determined based on past production, potential and college appeal. Here is a look at the top 12 running backs in Orange County. <strong>12. [player_tooltip player_id="143137" first="Jason" last="Costa"], Santa Ana, 2022</strong> If this was a list of most versatile players, Costa would be higher. The guy is a college-caliber safety, can return kicks and is a very good running back. He rushed for 500 yards for an undefeated Santa Ana team in the spring. His athleticism gives the coaching staff a variety of ways to get him the ball and make plays. He is better as a safety but his ability to make plays with the ball gets him on this list. https://twitter.com/Jason_Costa157/status/1384006101637632002?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1384006101637632002%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fprepredzone.com%2F2021%2F05%2F2022-watchlist-breakdown-orange-county-part-1%2F <strong>11. Drew Barrett, Trabuco Hills, 2022</strong> Barrett missed a couple of games this spring but when he played he was solid. He is one of the better runners in between the tackles in the county. He didn’t break off many big runs this spring but it was a weird year when he was playing football and baseball at the same time. Trabuco also played one of the more challenging schedules in South County. I expect him to be close to a 1,000 yard rusher this fall with the full season and a rebuilding Trabuco offense that will rely on him a lot. https://twitter.com/Nolan_Football/status/1269011717486374913?s=20 <strong>10. Jackson Christie, Villa Park, 2021</strong> I saw Villa Park play a few times in the spring and each time Christie was featured more heavily in the offense. Villa Park was a pass-heavier offense last season but when they did run the ball, he got the lion’s share of the carries and averaged nearly seven yards per carry. They often motion him to the slot and run pass plays for him and he can always spill out of the backfield to catch a wheel route. He is a great athlete who makes guys miss with his quickness and agility. He was the Crestview League offensive player of the year and got an offer from Norbert College. https://twitter.com/dancich/status/1388231915287629827?s=20 <strong>9. Lucas Pesak, Tesoro, 2021</strong> He was the primary rusher for a very inexperienced Tesoro team last season and helped lead them to a 3-2 record. He isn’t afraid to lower his shoulder and barrel over someone to get that extra yard or two. He has decent speed and has really good field vision. Tesoro likes to run screens with him on long yardage situations and he breaks enough tackles and sees the field well enough to often pick up first downs. Tesoro has two good quarterbacks to open up the passing game which will only help Pesak this fall. https://twitter.com/JonathanKhamis/status/1375901692735094787?s=20 <strong>8. [player_tooltip player_id="120793" first="Nova" last="Kebeli"], Portola, 2022</strong> Kebeli is hard to evaluate because Portola runs a really simple offense that is entirely built around him. Portola also plays in a below average league so the level of competition wasn’t very high this spring. But when you watch his film, his numbers aren’t just a product of the offense Portola runs. He makes quick cuts, has a really good stiff arm and breakaway speed when he gets into the open field. He has the skillset to play in any style of offense and is the best player in the Pacific Hills League. He will be a prospect to watch this fall. https://twitter.com/JonathanKhamis/status/1417152258525962241?s=20 <strong>7. Evan Sanders, Corona del Mar, 2023</strong> Sanders is fun to watch on film because he has an incredible motor and plays 100 miles per hour all of the time. There is a play on his highlight film where he is the lead blocker on a quarterback draw and he pancakes a linebacker. He does a good job tip toeing threw the hole and then turning on the jets when he needs to break a tackle or sees open field. Assigning a linebacker to cover him in man coverage is a huge mistake because he has receiver speed out of the backfield. He can line up anywhere and will be a positive contributor even when the play isn’t designed to go to him. https://twitter.com/evan_sanders22/status/1382189572440739841?s=20