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The Des Moines Register's top 10 Iowa high school football running backs in 2023

eli mckown, des moines register
·4 min read

Week 2 of the Iowa high school football season saw one position group shine a little bit more than everybody else on the field.

There is an influx of extremely talented running backs in the state. In our Week 2 top performers list there were six rushers featured. However, only one of those running backs from our top performers list last week is in our top 10 running backs in the state of Iowa, outlining the incredible depth of tailbacks this state has to offer.

Here are the Des Moines Register’s top 10 running backs from an incredibly deep group.

More: Introducing the top 100 Iowa high school football players heading into the 2023 season

Running backs are listed in alphabetical order by last name.

Kaden Amigon, Columbus

Senior. After rushing for over 1,100 yards as a sophomore, Amigon led his team in 2022 with 1,872 yards rushing and 26 touchdowns on 11.6 yards per carry. In two weeks this season, Amigon is already up to six rushing touchdowns on 277 yards and 7.9 yards per carry in Columbus’ 1-1 start.

Jaxon Cherry, Webster City

Senior. A two-time feature on our top performers list already in 2023, Cherry has rushed for 266 yards in one game and 321 yards in the other during Webster City’s 2-0 start. His 587 rushing yards and 612 all-purpose yards are currently good for second in the state. After rushing for 1,804 yards as a junior, he’s already well on his way to topping that number if he keeps it up.

Jaxon Cherry has already shown he's one of the best RBs in the state in 2023, racking up 612 all-purpose yards this season.
Jaxon Cherry has already shown he's one of the best RBs in the state in 2023, racking up 612 all-purpose yards this season.

Ty Cozad, Muscatine

Senior. Cozad checked in at No. 19 on our top 100 preseason list. He is the leading returning rusher in the state from last season, surpassing 2,000 yards on the ground. When taking off for a 71-yard touchdown run in Week 1 against Cedar Rapids Jefferson, Cozad suffered a hamstring injury, according to a post on his social media. When he returns to the field, he’ll shoot up the rushing yards leaderboard.

More: Coaches Confidential: Iowa high school football coaches reveal who is the toughest to gameplan for

Titus Cram, Bondurant-Farrar

Senior. Rushed for over 1,200 yards last season and was an All-Iowa selection, earning him the No. 23 spot on our preseason top 100. Through two games, the senior running back has already accumulated 390 yards and four touchdowns on 10 yards per carry.

Bondurant-Farrar's Titus Cram has already racked up four touchdowns in 2023.
Bondurant-Farrar's Titus Cram has already racked up four touchdowns in 2023.

Ra’Shawd Davis, Dowling Catholic

Junior. Davis is the first member of our top 10 not featured in our top 100 in the preseason. However, he burst onto the scene against Cedar Rapids Kennedy with four rushing touchdowns and 144 yards on the ground. He brought a kickoff return to the end zone that week too. He also scored the only two touchdowns of the game against West Des Moines Valley in Week 2 in what was a contentious defensive showdown. He’s one to watch as the season progresses behind a stout Maroons offensive line.

More: Four things we learned in Dowling's 14-0 shutout victory over Valley

Brevin Doll, ADM

Senior. No. 8 on our top 100 preseason list and an Iowa Hawkeye commit, Doll is a weapon with the ball in his hands. After posting 1,475 yards rushing, 640 receiving yards and 33 total touchdowns last season, he’s already up to 411 all-purpose yards and six touchdowns this year. He has a great argument as the best running back in the state.

ADM's Brevin Doll has six touchdowns through two weeks of action in 2023.
ADM's Brevin Doll has six touchdowns through two weeks of action in 2023.

Grant Glausser, Western Dubuque

Senior. Glausser is already the school's record holder for rushing yards and is off to another solid start in 2023 with 436 rushing yards and five touchdowns. He was in the top 20 rushers a year ago in the state with 1,564 rushing yards. Despite that, his 9.9 yards per carry this year is 2.3 yards better than last season.

Ben Gordon, Van Meter

Senior. 1,734 rushing yards and 28 rushing scores got him a No. 34 spot on our preseason top 100. The senior tailback is already up to 333 yards rushing and three total touchdowns in Van Meter’s 2-0 start.

More: 28 things we learned from Week 2 of the Iowa high school football season

Van Meter's Ben Gordon was the No. 34 player in the Register's preseason list of the top 100 Iowa high school football players.
Van Meter's Ben Gordon was the No. 34 player in the Register's preseason list of the top 100 Iowa high school football players.

Corder Noun Harder, Lynnvillle-Sully

Senior. The Hawks haven't had to rely on him much this season, with just 17 carries and 117 yards in their two wins. However, Harder is the second-returning rusher in the entire state from a year ago with 1,896 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns on 11.1 yards per carry. When the volume returns, expect those numbers to inflate quickly.

Ankeny Centennial's Elijah Porter will be heading to UNI next season.
Ankeny Centennial's Elijah Porter will be heading to UNI next season.

Elijah Porter, Ankeny Centennial

Senior. The Northern Iowa commit rushed for 187 yards and a touchdown in his season debut against Ankeny, which has been one of the best games of the year so far in Iowa. He was inactive in Centennial’s win over Ames in Week 2 but is undoubtedly one of the best in the state when on the field.

Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: The Des Moines Register's top 10 high school football running backs