Sac-Joaquin Section’s Top Returning Rushing Leaders, #6-10
A few weeks ago, PrepRedzone took a look at the top five returning rushing leaders in the Sac-Joaquin Section. Today, we dive into some more running back in the area by taking a look at numbers six through ten. Below…
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Continue ReadingA few weeks ago, PrepRedzone took a look at the top five returning rushing leaders in the Sac-Joaquin Section. Today, we dive into some more running back in the area by taking a look at numbers six through ten. Below is a snapshot of what each of them brings to the table.
Christian Ridgeway – Consumnes Oaks – Class of 2021
2019 Stats: 1,454 rushing yards, 8.8 yards per carry, 9 rushing TDs
Ridgeway is a back who has a knack for breaking off big runs. On outside stretch runs, he has good change of direction skills to cut up the field. When breaking through the line of scrimmage, he displays a very good initial burst to get up the field quickly and has good second-level vision to turn short to medium gains into long ones. The Consumnes Oaks product runs with his shoulders down and fights for extra yards through contact. If Ridgeway can improve on his long speed, he’ll become one of the best home-run threats in the section this season.
Joseph Filippini – Tokay – Class of 2021
2019 Stats: 1,347 rushing yards, 5.6 yards per carry, 20 rushing TDs
Filippini is another runner who is a threat to take it the distance every time he touches the ball. As evidenced by his 4.66-second 40-yard dash time, he has plenty of speed to score from any area of the field. The Lodi native also has good vision to find rushing lanes and open space, which he also shows off as a kick returner. With the ball in his hands, Filippini has good agility in space to make people miss and has good play strength and balance to stay upright when breaking tackles. His speed does allow him to be a deep threat out of the backfield, but there’s some room for growth in his route running to become a legitimate threat in the passing game.
Christian Zamora – Lodi – Class of 2021
2019 Stats: 1,159 rushing yards, 7.6 yards per carry, 14 rushing TDs
As a change of pace from the other two backs mentioned above, Zamora is more of a between the tackles type of runner. He has good patience in the backfield to set up blocks and has a solid second gear when he reaches the second or third levels of the defense. The Lodi product keeps his legs moving through contact, refuses to go down, and has good play strength to run over linebackers. He also displays qualities of an unselfish player, using good effort and leg drive when blocking on the perimeter to help his teammates spring long runs. If Zamora can start running with a little lower pad level he’ll become a very impressive power running back.
James Sherman – Linden – Class of 2021
2019 Stats: 1,157 rushing yards, 9.9 yards per carry, 17 rushing TDs
Sherman is a shifty runner who is extremely difficult to bring down in the open field. He has good vision out of the backfield to find cutback lanes, and he can explode out of his cuts when turning upfield. The Eagle also displays a nice burst when reaching the second level and has some impressive agility, quickness, and change of direction skills to make defenders miss in the open field. Sherman does run with a good lean, allowing him to consistently fall forward on contact, but could use some extra strength to break tackles and become a more complete back.
Luke Anderson – Escalon – Class of 2021
2019 Stats: 1,154 rushing yards, 6.3 yards per carry, 17 rushing TDs
Anderson is a straight line, downhill runner who is great in short-yardage situations. He has solid acceleration when breaking through the line of scrimmage to get upfield, runs with low pad level, keeps his feet moving through contact and can run defenders over. The Escalon native also has a nice stiff arm to get extra yards and is hard to bring down. Anderson does lack some lateral movement skills to make people miss in open space, but his powerful running style could make him a good change of pace back at the next level.