Here are the top 10 returning running backs in Polk County
In Richie Marsh's first coaching stint at Frostproof, he coached future Tennessee and NFL star Travis Henry. In his first year back at Frostproof, Marsh inherits Donavan Solomon, who was the county's leading rusher for 2022 with 1,476 yards.
There are a lot more high-flyng passing teams now than 30 years ago, but in high school football, a star running back remains a game-changer and the backbone of many offenses.
Here are the top 10 returning running backs in Polk County for the 2023 season.
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1. Donavan Solomon, Frostproof
Solomon burst on the varsity high school scene with three consecutive games of nearly 200 yards. He opened the season with 193 against Lakeland Christian then followed up with 200 yards vs. Harder and 239 yards vs. Okeechobee. Solomon is a speedy back who finished with eight 100-yard games. He missed the playoff loss against Bishop Verot because of an injury.
2 D'Marius Rucker, Lakeland
Rucker was the leading rusher of the three-back Dreadnaught backfield in 2022. His great strength is his speed, but he has learned to become more of a north-south runner where he makes his first cut and is gone. His 64 yards in the state championship game gave him 1,004 yards for the season.
3. Alfred Smothers, Winter Haven
Smothers is one of the strongest players on the Blue Devils. He's a downhill runner who has the ability to break down opponents and use his speed for big plays. He rushed for 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns last season and had two 200-yard games, including a career-high 267 yards against Ridge, plus a 179-yard performance against Celebration.
4. Fentrell Graham, Lake Gibson
Graham emerged as the Braves' No. 1 running back after an injury to Jacoby Fowler. The brother of former Lakeland standout Fenley Graham, who is now at Florida, Fentrell rushed for 763 yards and seven touchdowns. He is versatile. He can be physical and run between the tackles but has more than enough speed to bounce it outside. Fentrell is expected to be an even bigger part of the offense this season with more carries and also be part of the passing game.
5. Rashad Orr, Lake Wales
The 5-foot-10 senior was a major focal point in Victory Christian's offense a year ago as the Storm's No. 1 running back, rushing for 1,030 yards and 10 touchdowns on 164 carries. He rushed for 369 yards in his first five game then had five consecutive 100-yard games for 661 in his last five games. Orr also had 18 receptions for 298 yards.
6. Jordan Henderson, Lakeland
Henderson, a junior, is a speedy back who can burst through a hole but he has a knack of running with pace behind his blockers. Henderson is strong, fast with good vision. He began last season as Lake Wales' No. 1 back while Corey Harris Jr. was recovering from an injury and was limited to defense early in the season. Henderson, whose brother Justin is a former Ledger offensive player of the. Year, ran for 621 yards, with 347 of them coming in his first two games: 215 yards against Zephyrhills and 132 yards against Ridge Community.
7. Ke'Shon Tyler, Haines City
A standout on both sides of the ball, Tyler was the centerpiece of the Haines City offense that averaged 216.6 yards rushing and only 48.3 yards passing. He had six 100-yard games for the season, including a season-high 162 yards against Tohopekaliga. A 5-11, 185-pound senior, Tyler finished with 801 yards and eight touchdowns in eight games.
8. Markell Johnson, Lakeland
The 5-10, 180-pound Johnson was the Dreadnaughts' power runner in their three-back rotation last year with Rucker and Donares Johnson. He rushed for 696 yards and 10 touchdowns. Johnson averaged 7.9 yards per carry and had four games in which he averaged more than 10 yards per carry.
9. Day'rel Glover, Bartow
Glover rushed for 931 yards, including 122 yards in the championship game, to help lead Santa Fe Catholic to the Sunshine State Athletic Conference AAA championship. After transferring to Auburndale last season, he led the Bloodhounds with 705 yards and nine touchdowns. He is now at Bartow, where he'll look to replace 1,000-yard rusher Trequan Jones.
10. Josh Bellamy, Lakeland Christian
Bellamy burst on the high school scene with 209 yards rushing in his first high school game as a freshman against Davenport. For the past two seasons, he shared time in the backfield with Lloyd Knight, Deuntae Burgess and Earl Cooper. Bellamy transferred to Lakeland Christian and is expected to be an integral part of the Vikings' revamped offense.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Polk County's top high school football running backs for 2023
