By CARLY WANNA, Gazebo Editor
Last week, Stratford rushed for 339 yards and scored six touchdowns. Stratford’s trio of running backs ran 328 yards and put up five of those touchdowns.
Throughout the season, they have combined for a total of 2,945 yards on 350 carries and scored 35 touchdowns. Last week alone, these three players rushed a total of 308 yards, leading the Eagles to a 43-15 win against Pinecrest in the GHSA Class A quarterfinals.
You could say they’re a powerful force.
The fearsome trio is composed of senior O’Showen Williams, junior Kasey Sanders, and sophomore Tyler Jordan. Head football coach Mark Farriba described the role of the running backs as falling under three basic categories: running, blocking, and faking, obviously mixed in with discipline and solid execution.
Each running back brings his own special skills to the team. Williams, a 5-foot-11, 170-pound senior, is the team’s leading rusher, with 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns. Sanders, a 5-foot-9, 165-pound junior, has 912 yards and 13 touchdowns. Jordan, a 6-foot, 188-pound sophomore, has 718 yards on the ground and scored seven times.
“Most of [Kasey’s] stuff is just straight ahead, sort of a downhill type running,” said Farriba. “O’Showen is one of the best open field type runners I’ve ever seen, and Tyler is a little bit of a combination of both of them. I think they complement each other really well.”
Sanders was a new addition to the team last year after transferring from Peach County. Williams also acted as a key player. He had previously attended FPD. Jordan had to sit the season out due to eligibility rules concerning transfer students.
The three-pronged attack, along with the rest of the team, will face off against Aquinas in the semifinals this Friday The Eagles will face off against Aquinas at 7:30 p.m. in Augusta. They will be competing for a shot at the state championship, a spot in the Georgia Dome on December 12, and revenge against a team that has beaten them twice this season.
“Personally, it means a lot to me because I haven’t beaten them in my high school career,” said Williams. “When I was at FPD, we lost to them, so I’m 0-4 in my high school career with them. So it means a lot to me if we win. For the team, it means a lot too because we’re 0-3 against them.”
Williams will graduate next year, but, according to Farriba, having Sanders and Jordan to help fill his shoes is comforting. Williams’ brother currently plays at the University of Tennessee, but Williams has made no official announcement on where he wants to play in college.
“They’ve come to realize that the other guys’ success is dependent on them,” said Farriba. “So they understand they’re all tied together.”
