3A high school football: Tigers blessed with balanced backfield

Injuries forced Hurricane to spread around the workload in its backfield this season. What started out as a necessary measure born out of circumstances beyond the team's control has evolved into something that has become a big strength for the Tiger offense.

Three different backs have accumulated at least 600 rushing yards during the course of the season. Robert Reeve tops the charts with 714 yards and 15 touchdowns on 96 carries. Right behind him are Jarom Healy and Jacob Pugh. Healy has piled up 647 yards and 13 touchdowns on 113 carries. Pugh has rushed for 625 yards and nine touchdowns on 74 carries.

It has created a situation where game planning on ways to stop the Hurricane running attack is a much more complicated process.

"Our balance does make it hard for teams to prepare for us," Tigers coach Chris Homer said. "It doesn't seem like we ever have the same kid have the big game back to back. It's always one or the other. There's really five or six kids that can have a big game for us."

A balanced backfield offers a stark contrast to what Hurricane forced opposing defenses to deal with in their run to the 3A title game a year ago.

Back then, the Tigers were more of a one-man band marching to the beat of whatever Gordie Dotson could drum up in the backfield. Dotson established himself as one of the state's most dangerous rushing threats in a hurry. By season's end, he had scored 27 touchdowns and rushed for 1,836 yards on 270 carries – good for an average of 6.8 yards per carry.

Going to one dominant back was just not possible this time around. Healy looked to inherit Dotson's spot as the featured back when the season started... Those plans came crashing down after he injured his left knee in a double overtime victory against Pine View in September.

The mantle of lead rusher fell to Reeve next and he carried the load well until spraining his wrist in Hurricane's 3A quarterfinal victory over Morgan.

By that time, Healy had returned to full strength and flexed his running muscles again with 140 yards on 24 carries in the Tigers' 24-19 3A semifinal victory over Park City last week.

Homer said his team has learned to adjust and work around various injuries as they crop up.

"When you're running as much as we do, it's kind of bound to happen," Homer said. "Everybody gets injuries. We've been lucky enough to not get season ending injuries so far."