Greatest High School Running Back You Ever Saw Play?

UNTLifer · March 27, 2017

Lot's of new people on the board since this post originated in 2007 and the last comment over 5 years old. Anyone care to add to this list. Pretty fun read.

Withers940 · March 27, 2017

Henry Melton - Grapevine

-Guy was an absolute beast. I played against him in high school and it took 2-3 guys to take him down every time.

UNTLifer · March 27, 2017

More recently I watched Xavier Scott at Denton High. Incredible running back. Ended up at East Central in Ada, OK.

Edited March 27, 2017 by UNTLifer

kingwoodgreen · March 27, 2017

On 3/10/2012 at 0:00 PM, trussbussdad said:

In 1977 - 78 I went to North Mesquite and played against Herkie Walls from Garland. He was a qb and went on to play at Texas. Ran the option to perfection. It was amazing to see him run...I had a good vantage point on the field...far behind him.

I lived down the street from memorial stadium and grew up watching garland high school games. I was around the age of herkie growing in pee wee football and he was hard to catch. I went to north garland but always checked in on herkie and the Love Brothers. Dwayne love was great and played some run back for cardinals

badnewspears · March 27, 2017

Another QB, but Jerrod Heard from Denton Guyer was amazing to watch. So evasive, so many plays where he kept doubling back on himself in the backfield and you're yelling for him to throw it away and more often than not he'd find a seam and gain yards if not take it to the house. Once in the open field it seemed few could catch him at full speed.

Shame he went to Texas during Strong's reign. Didn't see much action before transitioning to WR.

FirefightnRick · March 28, 2017

On 3/18/2012 at 10:54 PM, FirefightnRick said:

Great thread revival.

But now having 4 years since this thread started to watch Aledo's Jonathon Gray(I live in Weatherford)set nearly every record but one, I still have to say Benson was the most dominant. My brother-in-law and I have had some great debates over this.

Gray, playing at the 4A level, had a massive, all-senior offensive line, anchored by 6-6, 280 pound Ok State signee Micheal Wilson. Gray rarely got a hand put on him till he got past the LB's, and many times not even after that. The line for Aledo the past three years has been one of the most dominant I have ever seen. Benson, playing at the 5A level at Midland Lee, had a good O line, but not one that dominated the LOS like Aledo's did. Benson truly looked like a man among boys out on the field.

And this is a high school thread. But what may allow us the best tool to gauge between Benson and Gray is to see how Gray, like Benson before him, does at the college level at tU?

Rick

And there you go.

Rick

DeepGreen · March 28, 2017

Jamail Charles, Port Arthur Memorial. Went on to play for the whorns, then Kansas City Chiefs.

ntsumck · March 28, 2017

On ‎6‎/‎3‎/‎2007 at 10:22 PM, centex eagle said:

Glad you brought up Paul Rice. That district with Plano, Lewisville, Gainsville, Bonham, South Grand Prairie, McKinney & Berkner was a real showcase for Rice to show how great he was.

My dad coached in that district so I got to see some great talent during those years. Saw Rice play several times. But, Earl Campbell was by far the best I've ever seen. I saw Worster in that McKinney game but was too young to really remember.

Daunte Hickson, Randy Simmons had unbelievable HS careers, but college was derailed by injuries.

MGNation92 · March 28, 2017

I grew up in Midland during the Lee Three-peat Cedric Benson/Eric Winston years.

my older brother was a couple years younger than them and played scout team linebacker against Benson.

Easily the best running back in high school I've ever seen. I specifically remember going to the Lee-Westlake state championship with my dad. A Westlake dad was talking to mine at halftime about how great Westlake was at making adjustments and how Lee wouldn't be able to do anything in the second half. I believe they gave the ball to Benson something like 30 straight times and he just took over the game singlehandedly. Insane

ttunt1970 · March 28, 2017

The best athlete and was great runner was Bill Bradley Palestine and hands down the best back was Tyler Rose Earl Campbell!!!!

UNTLifer · March 28, 2017

14 minutes ago, ttunt1970 said:

The best athlete and was great runner was Bill Bradley Palestine and hands down the best back was Tyler Rose Earl Campbell!!!!

Did you get to see them in high school?

Withers940 · March 28, 2017

Greatest QB/WR tandem I ever saw was McGee/Shipley from Burnet.

ttunt1970 · March 28, 2017

Played against Bradley watched Campbell.

jtm0097 · March 28, 2017

I watched the below 2 backs play in high school.

Jamario Thomas - Spring Hill (UNT great)

Keontay Ingram- Carthage ( Class of 2018- Number 1 RB in state)

Played against the below 2 RBs. They were very talented.

Lamichael James- Liberty Eylau (Oregon and played a few seasons in NFL)

Lennon Creer- Tatum (Tennessee and La Tech)

Edited March 29, 2017 by jtm0097

SilverEagle · March 28, 2017

On 6/4/2007 at 4:24 PM, SilverEagle said:

Out of the same Texas backfield, I saw Billy Dale (#22) and his Odessa Permian team play at Amon Carter Stadium against Texarkana. Dale wasn't particularly impressive, but (like he did in the first Texas/Notre Dame Cotton Bowl game), he got the job done. Texarkana's Robbie Patman was much more impressive that day, but Permian, and Dale, made the plays when they had to.

During the same era, I saw Jacksboro's Glen King play. He was an all-state RB and ended up playing for Oklahoma.

I also saw a pretty impressive performance from John Griggs of Plano in a regional game vs my old High School (Decatur) in 1966.

I forgot to add former New York Giants WR Johnny Perkins (77-83). He played his HS ball at Granbury HS where he played RB. Saw him play against Decatur. He played his college ball at Abilene Christian. I don't know if he played RB or WR there.

southsideguy · March 29, 2017

The tyler rose earl campbell

NT93 · March 29, 2017

Bam Morris may have been the best I ever witnessed in person, but I was chasing him around the field as he ran for 300+ yards

Best I ever saw as a spectator was probably Donta Hickson from McKinney.

John Chiles was pretty special at Mansfield Summit. He threw the ball, ran the ball, and caught the ball.

DT 90 · March 29, 2017

No. 1 Eric Dickerson - Sealy High School. A true MAN amongst boys.

No. 2. Tra'von Smith - Cameron Yoe High School

No. 3 Jorvorskie Lane - Lufkin High School

Best I ever saw in person and played against? Bo Jackson - Auburn 1986 Cotton Bowl.

18 hours ago, jtm0097 said:

Keontay Ingram- Carthage ( Class of 2018- Number 1 RB in state)

Saw him play against China Spring last year. He put the ball on the carpet three times in that game after only fumbling twice all year long. Big reason for that is UNT Commit - LB Cody Fulp and his LB friends knocking the crap out of him nearly every play. He got 128 yds in the game but earned every step.

Edited March 29, 2017 by DT 90

untjim1995 · March 29, 2017

I think we can agree that Earl Campbell, Billy Sims, Eric Dickerson, LaDanian Tomlinson, and Adrian Peterson are the best running backs from Texas HS that went on to have incredible college and NFL careers. Maybe more to add to the list, but not looking at HS, but after that, these 5 are the ones that really stand out to me since the full integration of major college football in this state.

jtm0097 · March 29, 2017

2 hours ago, DT 90 said:

No. 1 Eric Dickerson - Sealy High School. A true MAN amongst boys.

No. 2. Tra'von Smith - Cameron Yoe High School

No. 3 Jorvorskie Lane - Lufkin High School

Best I ever saw in person and played against? Bo Jackson - Auburn 1986 Cotton Bowl.

Saw him play against China Spring last year. He put the ball on the carpet three times in that game after only fumbling twice all year long. Big reason for that is UNT Commit - LB Cody Fulp and his LB friends knocking the crap out of him nearly every play. He got 128 yds in the game but earned every step.

Yeah, I was at that game. It was a heck of a game. He has a bright future.

UNTLifer · March 29, 2017

1 hour ago, untjim1995 said:

I think we can agree that Earl Campbell, Billy Sims, Eric Dickerson, LaDanian Tomlinson, and Adrian Peterson are the best running backs from Texas HS that went on to have incredible college and NFL careers. Maybe more to add to the list, but not looking at HS, but after that, these 5 are the ones that really stand out to me since the full integration of major college football in this state.

The original intent of this thread was for people to post who they had personally watched play in high school, not who the greatest of all-time were. There are a number of really good RB's, less today than in the past, that nobody ever really hears about, or were great in HS but didn't pan out in college.

NT93 · March 29, 2017

1 hour ago, UNTLifer said:

The original intent of this thread was for people to post who they had personally watched play in high school, not who the greatest of all-time were. There are a number of really good RB's, less today than in the past, that nobody ever really hears about, or were great in HS but didn't pan out in college.

Agreed. The best I ever saw might not make a Top 50 or even Top 100 list of Greatest HS Running Back ever, but they are the best I ever got a change to see.

buff64 · March 29, 2017

Warren McVea San Antonio Brackenridge. ( For you old timers )

DT 90 · March 29, 2017

Played against Anthony Byerly, Newton High School. Top rated running back in Texas in 1981. Signed with Texas.

Saw Ladainian Tomlinson, University High School, Waco, Texas. 1997

Edited March 29, 2017 by DT 90

MeanGreenTexan · March 29, 2017

1 hour ago, UNTLifer said:

The original intent of this thread was for people to post who they had personally watched play in high school, not who the greatest of all-time were. There are a number of really good RB's, less today than in the past, that nobody ever really hears about, or were great in HS but didn't pan out in college.

I saw LT play at TCU. Flat out amazing player. Not what the thread was about though, like you're saying. It's about the player's HIGH SCHOOL career.

So, for me, still without a doubt Byron Hanspard.

A lot of guys are mentioning running QBs too... for that, I'll say James Franklin from Lake Dallas not too long ago. Was at the game in 2009 where he single-handedly decimated Denton Ryan, led by that year's AP TX state POY, Scotty Young, Bud Sasser & Antonio Anderson. Every time Ryan put something together offensively, Franklin answered. I think he ran for over 200yds in that game... Nothing that Ryan defense could do. Incredible player.