The 20 most underrated high school running backs in the West
The high school football recruiting world seems to get bigger and glitzier every year.
As the hype around top prospects grows, high school football players who don't get flooded with D1 offers keep grinding away.
SBLive Sports has been featuring high school football players from the Western United States who might not be big names in the recruiting world — but could be soon if they keep showing out on the football field.
We started with quarterbacks, defensive backs, pass rushers and tacklers, and now it's the running backs' turn.
Here are 20 running backs in line to boost their recruiting stock this season.
LaMarcus Bell, so., Lake Oswego (Oregon)
Bell is the "speed" half of a speed-and-power duo in the backfield at Lake Oswego. Senior Zavier Russell is the bruiser and Bell is the one-cut sprinter, and the latter had a breakout game in the Lakers' season opener, rushing for 206 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries.
Andres Bonilla, jr., Buena (Arizona)
Bonilla topped the 100-yard mark nine times as a sophomore, running for 1,546 yards and 16 touchdowns on 187 carries. He also caught a touchdown and had one sack and two quarterback hurries on defense.
Navarre Dixon, sr., Emerald Ridge (Washington)
Dixon transferred to Emerald Ridge in the offseason after serving as the starting running back at Lincoln for three seasons. The state-champion wrestler is coming off a 17-touchdown season and looking to finish his high school football career with a state title.
Eli Finlayson, sr., Elko (Nevada)
Finlayson is a power back with more than enough speed to turn the corner. As a junior, he rushed for 1,398 yards and 14 touchdowns for Class 3A power Elko. He entered this fall with 36 career rushing TDs.
Blake Griffin, sr., Montrose (Colorado)
Colorado’s second-leading rusher as a junior, Griffin ran for 2,061 yards and a whopping 26 touchdowns last fall. He is a strong runner between the tackles who also has the speed to run away from defenders.
Jason Hong, sr., South Pasadena (California)
Hong exploded on the scene as a junior, rushing for 1,584 yards and 26 touchdowns last fall. He scored in 12 of his 13 games, including four-TD efforts against Temple City and Yucca Valley.
Drew Jackson, sr., Cheyenne East (Wyoming)
Jackson is a versatile offensive weapon who helped Cheyenne East reach the Class 4A state title game a season ago. He compiled 1,765 yards of total offense during his junior year for Cheyenne East.
Mark Kudryn, sr., Houston (Alaska)
Kudryn led Alaska in rushing yards (1,719) and touchdowns (21) during his junior season for Houston. The 5-foot-11, 190-pounder averaged 191 yards per game on the ground.
Isaiah Lauofo, sr., Liberty (Nevada)
Lauofo used his quickness and vision to rush for 1,334 yards on 205 carries as a junior. He exceeded the 100-yard mark seven times and scored 11 rushing touchdowns.
Marquevios Lee, jr., George Washington (Colorado)
Lee was productive as a sophomore, turning 175 carries into 1,280 rushing yards. Lee ran for 10 touchdowns and added another TD as a receiver.
J’Sean McIver, sr., Jefferson (Oregon)
McIver only needed 82 carries to rush for 912 yards during his junior season for Jefferson. He led the Portland Interscholastic League in rushing and is in line to shoulder a bigger load of the offense this fall.
Peter Minnaert, sr., Bishop Kelly (Idaho)
Minnaert was one of the most productive backs in Idaho a season ago, rushing for 1,477 yards and 27 touchdowns. Minnaert could exceed those numbers this fall running behind a talented offensive line that features Oregon State commit Rakeem Johnson.
Gunnar Peterson, sr., Eastmont (Washington)
The 5-foot-9, 180-pound Peterson is a workhorse who rumbled for 2,110 yards and 20 touchdowns entering his senior season. He ran for 1,125 yards and nine TDs a year ago.
Kameron Rague, jr., Cascade Christian (Oregon)
Rague rushed for 1,331 yards and 20 touchdowns last season as Cascade Christian went 13-0 en route to the Class 3A state title. Rague also caught a touchdown and had 61 tackles and four interceptions on defense.
Isaiah Rameau, sr., Chatsworth (California)
Rameau topped the 100-yard mark in 11 of his 12 games last fall, finishing with 2,434 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on 254 carries. The speed back also has plenty of power at 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds.
Talen Reynolds, sr., Loyola-Sacred Heart (Montana)
The son of former Montana Grizzlies running back and NFL special teamer Chase Reynolds, Talen Reynolds is a workhorse back for Loyola-Sacred Heart. He rushed for 1,690 yards and 22 touchdowns last fall and entered his senior season with 2,522 career rushing yards and 34 TDs.
Isaiah Savoie, sr., Red Mountain (Arizona)
Savoie led Class 4A in rushing last season for Apache Junction, carrying it 256 times for 1,865 yards and 24 touchdowns. Now at 6A Red Mountain, Savoie is looking to catch the eye of college coaches with a big senior year.
Matthew Spurbeck.
Photo by Vince Miller
Matthew Spurbeck, sr., Sumner (Washington)
Spurbeck averaged 7.2 yards per carry as a junior while rushing for 1,946 yards and 20 touchdowns. He was voted player of the year for the Class 4A South Sound Conference.
Tevita Valeti, sr., Springville (Utah)
Valeti needed just 10 games as a junior to rush for 1,744 yards and 22 touchdowns. He also caught a pair of TDs and registered 1.5 sacks and five quarterback hurries as a pass rusher.
Sam Webb, jr., Gilbert Christian (Arizona)
Webb was electric as a sophomore for Gilbert Christian, turning 148 carries into 1,988 yards and 20 touchdowns. He also caught 12 passes for 258 yards and three more scores.
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-- Bob Lundeberg | @sblivesports
