With over 1800 yards rushing last season, Tapio is the top returning rusher in the state. He has excellent vision when running between the tackles and sometimes makes two or three moves in a two-yard area. Don’t let his quick feet fool you. Finishing tied for fourth in touchdowns, he is a more powerful runner than his size projects. If the defender doesn’t have him squared up, Tapio will bounce or spin off an arm tackle or run straight through it. Not just a one-dimensional player, Tapio is a good blocker – both in the running and passing game – takes some shotgun snaps in Wildcat formations and will catch a screen pass occasionally too.

Even before you dig into the tape, Mountain Iron-Buhl RB Damian Tapio brings a strong resume to the table as a prospect. 9man state champ, 9man All-State, Duluth News Tribune All-Area, a 4th place finish in the 170AA bracket of the MSHSL state wrestling tournament, and a junior season in which he finished with 192 carries for 1,809 yards and 31 TDs, 23 receptions for 283 receiving yards and a TD, and 76 tackles, 8 TFLs, a sack, a FF, and an INT. That’s a heckuva junior year on the athletic front, no ifs, ands, or buts about it, and in the state championship game he had an excellent individual showing that included 18 rushes for 80 yards and 2 TDs with 4 catches, 29 yards, and 2 tackles. The tape is also electric, and Tapio looks naturally elusive and can break tackles in a variety of different ways. My two favorites are with standout footwork and a strong & balanced lower body that can slip and run through multiple tackle attempts in a single carry. He’s got great shake and is excellent at setting up defenders to make a big-time cut that shoots past defenders and creates a ton of space that Tapio uses to stiff arm and run over. It’s a very exciting style of running to watch and you don’t see RBs with such a diverse skillset to break tackles to use on the gridiron. Watch your ankles when you get around this dude! North Dakota got a gameday visit from Tapio back in the fall but since then, things have been a little quiet. That’ll change soon!