Sports
Rushing Trio to Carry Maysville
By: Megan Stamper
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After falling one win shy of an MVL title in 2014, Maysville has one word on its mind: revenge.
With a plethora of starters returning for their senior seasons, the Panthers are in a position to take the MVL title out of Tri-Valley’s hands.
Starting quarterback Jacob Miller graduated, making way for new starter Tanner Ashcraft. Joining Ashcraft in the backfield will be a healthy Chase Roberts. The senior running back missed the majority of last season due to various injuries.
Roberts spearheads a three-headed rushing attack along with Chase Himmelspach and Johnny Runkle, which stands as one of the premier rushing attacks in the MVL. Though each back makes an impact, there is no selfishness in Maysville’s backfield.
“Johnny Runkle, our fullback, who is an absolute animal,” Roberts said. “And Himmelspach, he’s fast so it’s great blocking for those guys when they score because they would do the same thing for me.”
The cohesiveness of Maysville’s backfield can lead to success, but it’s the versatility of the group which makes the trio difficult to contain.
“I have the speed and a little bit of strength, Himmelspach has the speed but he’s a lot smaller than me, and Runkel is going to pretty much power over anyone,” Roberts said.
An experienced offensive line will be paving the way for the three backs. Senior left tackle Nik Smith, a team captain, placed extra expectations on himself to contribute and lead.
“It feels pretty good that my teammates can trust me to be a leader, it feels really good actually.” Smith said.
While head coach Craig Clarke has confidence that his offense can carry the team, he knows his defense will have some growing to do. New faces will be tasked with replacing three linebackers, two defensive backs, and two defensive linemen.
Maysville will put its defense to the test when it opens up its season on Aug. 27th at conference foe Crooksville.