Here are my top five favorite running back to watch in 12 years of covering high school football. I will admit up front to having an affinity for power backs. Scatbacks need not apply.

5. Buddy Nickerson, Bangor

Nothing fancy. Absolutely nothing fancy. Three yards and a cloud of dust. But google the word “indefatigable” and you’ll probably run across a newspaper article about Buddy Nickerson. Bangor won the 2001 state title by giving him the ball 43 times for 225 yards. So he pretty much ended Western Maine’s 20-year stranglehold on Class A singlehandedly.

4. Justin Staires, Mountain Valley

He looked like a guard or a nose tackle and he ran like Keith Byars, but defenders were usually left grabbing air when they went to tackle him. He did it with just enough of a burst to exploit a hole, just enough power to get whatever extra yards he needed/wanted and incredible vision (including uncanny peripheral vision) and quick feet that allowed him to weave through traffic.

3. Josh Strickland, Leavitt

Three games, 93 carries, 807 yards, seven touchdowns. Those numbers don’t begin to do justice to what was probably the most dominant playoff run of any high school athlete I’ve ever seen, which is what this 220-pound bull had in leading the Hornets to the Gold Ball in 2009.

2. Jared Turcotte, Lewiston

Power and speed, mixed with an Earl Campbell-like nastiness on the gridiron. As violent a runner as you will ever see in Maine high school football. Dished out as much punishment as he took, and was paying for it by the time he got to UMaine.

1. Phil Warren, Brunswick

Remember Super Tecmo Bowl Christian Okoye? If not, look it up on YouTube. That was Phil Warren when he led the Dragons to the PTC title. I swear I could hear that cheesy Tecmo soundtrack whenever he carried the ball.

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