5A high school football: Davis' Hinds has Darts on edge of a title

KAYSVILLE – Davis running back Tanner Hinds tries to avoid praise as well as he eludes tacklers.

He's rushed for 1,888 yards and scored 23 touchdowns and been the heart and soul of the Darts' offense. Defenses know Davis is going to hand the ball off to Hinds, and they haven't been able to stop him.

Hinds, however, declines to take much of the credit for his success.

"I couldn't do it without my O-line," Hinds said. "They deserve the credit."

And what does he do well as a runner that's helped him put up monster numbers during his senior year?

"I follow my blockers," Hinds said.

That may be true, but there's a little more to it than that.

Hinds does run behind an excellent offensive line, but you can't just throw a player in a backfield and have him gain close to 1,900 yards in 13 games. Hinds has put up great numbers for the second straight season, as he rushed for 1,319 yards as a junior last year.

"He's the best running back in the state," said Hunter coach Dustin Pearce. "He's very fast, very deceptive, very physical. I haven't seen a back that's better than him (this season)."

Hinds had perhaps his best game of the season in the 5A semifinals. He rushed for 187 yards on 22 carries and scored on touchdown runs of 77 and 38 yards against Hunter's physical defense. The Darts will need another out-of-this-world type of performance from Hinds to have a shot against Bingham in the 5A championship game on Friday.

Not that the Darts or Hinds look at it that way. Davis gives the ball to Hinds because it gives the team the best chance to win. Hinds is simply doing what he believes his best for his team and couldn't care less about his stats or scores.

"My favorite thing about Tanner is his unselfishness," said Darts coach Ryan Bishop. "He's very unassuming. He's never made it about his individual success. I've never had Tanner say anything to me about stats or yards or touchdowns. He's just not that way."

Hinds, at least in the eyes of others, had a lot of pressure to perform as well this season as he did last year. Not many juniors run for more than 1,000 yards. But Hinds did all he could to live up to his hype, working tirelessly in the weight room to prepare for his senior season and playing smart during the year.