2017 11 IN 11: RUNNING BACKS

Back by demand, the 11 in 11 football position rankings! CatchitKansas ranks the top 11 players by position in Kansas every Friday until the first week of high school football. This week is the Running backs: 1] Brody Kooser – Derby 5’10” 185 lbs senior – Brody Kooser is a returning leader for the Panthers at running back after rushing for 1,681 yards on 220 carries and 30 touchdowns as a junior. He is also a lethal kick returner and an effective receiver out of the backfield. Kooser’s speed is undisputed with his top 40 yard dash time being 4.47 seconds. Kooser finished the 2016 season as the AVCTL Division I's top rusher. 2] Dejuan Scott – Wichita Heights 6’0” 195 lbs junior – During his sophomore year, Scott was extremely hard to bring down. Scott is a bruising running back for the Falcons and has shown the ability to trust his blockers. When defenders try to arm tackle him he escapes tackles easily. Scott contributed 904 yards rushing on 156 carries and ten touchdowns in an multiple running back offense that rushed for 4,500 yards in 2016. 3] Travis Theis – Pratt junior – Travis Theis' sophomore season was highlighted by a 253 yards and four touchdowns performance in the 4A Division 2 state championship versus Topeka Hayden. During the 2016 season, Theis ran for 1,975 yards and 24 touchdowns on 254 carries, while splitting time with Hunter Kaufman. 4] Dalton Brown – Buhler 5’10” 170 lbs senior – Defenders beware! Dalton Brown is back for a final year after rushing for 1,943 yards on 275 carries and 22 touchdowns in 2016. Brown rushed for a season high of 286 yards in a playoff game versus Mulvane. 5] Parker Roth – Hesston 5’10 190 lbs junior – Parker Roth is not afraid to leave the ground to get extra yards for a first down. Roth runs the ball with 'reckless abandon' runner and will do anything for his team. Roth put his speed on display during the state track meet, finishing third in the 100 meter dash with a time of 11.14 seconds. 6] Brody Smith – Hutchinson 5’10” 165 lbs senior– Hutch's Brody Smith rushed for 1,043 yards on 130 carries and 13 touchdowns last season. Once he finds the gap in the line of scrimmage, he turns on the full acceleration. Smith reads his blockers well and is very good kick returner. 7] Taylon Peters – Salina Central 5’10 193 lbs junior – Peters anchored the rushing attack for the Mustangs going for 1,044 yards on 231 carries and eight touchdowns in 2016. Once he gets to the edge, he turns on the jets. A key to his success running the football is that he does a good job of keeping his legs moving despite getting hit. 8] Kesean Deshazer – Wichita West 5’4” 130 lbs senior – Deshazer is fast! When he runs the ball, he looks like he’s being shot out of a cannon. Deshazer ran the ball 109 times for 1,018 yards and 11 touchdowns as a junior. 9] Nick Channel – Kapaun 6’1” 197 lbs senior – In the past few years, Channel has been used heavily in the passing game while playing slot back for the Crusaders averaging 11.5 yards per catch. When he gets the ball in the running game, Channel hits the outside hard. 10] Sean Urban – Hoisington 5'7" 185 lbs senior – Urban is the only returning running back for the Cardinals who rushed for over 1,000 yards last season. Hoisington had three different rushers that went over one grand on the ground. When Urban runs the ball, he has good balance and knows how to get past the defense. 11] Kyle Anderson – Smoky Valley 6'2" 195 lbs senior – Anderson and teammate Riley Odell are back for their senior season after combining for 2,325 yards and 26 touchdowns in 2016. Anderson averaged 130.5 yards per game for the Vikings. Others to Watch: Dalyn Johnson - Maize, Wyatt Seidl - McPherson, Peyton Kuhns – Nickerson, Riley Odell – Smoky Valley, Trenton Jones - Conway Springs, Riley Akiu - Conway Springs, Cameron Young – Mill Valley, Brison Cobbins – Bishop Miege, Darius Russell – Goddard, Drew Hicks – Aquinas, Andrew Bliss – Maize South, Tyson Stites – McPherson, Aaron Brown – Independent, Denton Schurr – Osborne, David Thompson – Logan/Palco, Lane Peters – Pike Valley, Colton Smith – Sedgwick, Breece Hall – Wichita Northwest, Caleb Rains – Valley Center, Caden Cox - Maize

2017 11 IN 11: RUNNING BACKS

Photo Credit: Hutchinson High School High School

Contact Us