Before the season began, football coach Ryan Cornelsen said if Republic’s offense was clicking, several runners would have similar numbers by the end of the season. So far, that’s working out just fine.
Running behind its out-sized but gutsy offensive line, Republic has four running backs with more than 250 rushing yards through five games. Quarterback Avery Moody leads the team with 588 rushing yards (7.44 per carry). Connor Sandridge has 458 rushing yards (7.39 per carry). Kanon Krol, who picks up most of his yardage with tough inside running at the heart of the defense, has gained 357 yards (4.82 per carry). And Ezekiel Meads has 283 rushing yards on just 41 carries (an average of 6.90).
Among the contributors up front this season have been Derek Kabetske, Carter Nation, Tyler Burks, Mikah Erickson, Trysten Hart, and Max VanWyk, among others. Their work has opened holes that have allowed running backs to get into the secondary untouched at times.
In all, Republic has 1,754 rushing yards at the midway point of the season. That’s an average of 350.8 yards per game. Over the past 12 years, Republic has averaged more than 300 yards rushing twice: in 2014 (about 310) and in 2015, Jerney Jones’ senior season (about 330).
