Sports
Cougars Ready to Run Through Competition
Diomi Roberts is expected to be the featured running back this year. Last season he carried the ball 117 times, gaining 1,269 yards with 16 touchdowns.
It was a great day to be a running back.
And at Countryside, the position starts and ends with senior Diomi Roberts.
Last season, he toted the rock 117 times, gaining 1,269 yards with 16 touchdowns. Terry Johnson carried 99 times for 742 yards but he was a senior. So, Roberts will be in a featured situation this year.
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“This is my last chance to play for the Cougars, I want to go out in a big way,” Roberts said.
It was a nice, sloppy day for the Cougars, practicing in full pads for the first time Thursday (Aug. 11) and on a field that can barely be described as a bog - more like a giant but shallow pond.
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The scene had a Hollywood feel to it with athletes soaked in mud, smacking into each other, landing in puddles and other players puking on the sidelines.
Roberts hit the weight room hard this spring and summer and his physique shows it.
“He runs bigger than what he is,” said head coach Jared Davis. “He carries the ball with an attitude.”
“He’s as good as they come,” Davis said.
Roberts could get 150 carries, maybe more, this year. He averaged 8.6 yards per carry last year, so you can do the math. Luckily, he won’t be alone.
Backup running back, junior Mike Flory should press for carries and give Roberts a breather when needed. According to Davis, Flory is more of a scat back and is actually a converted receiver.
“He’s shifty and tough to bring down in space,” Davis said. “That’s what we try to do with him is get him the ball in space.”
The Cougars will play a third back, junior Jake Larsen when he’s healthy again.
At full back, they have some eyebrow raising options.
Junior Ryan Yates will line up at full back but still carry the ball quite a bit, Davis said.
“He could get more than 30 carries this year,” Davis said. “He’s a load of a guy to bring down.”
Davis hopes to use Yates in a similar capacity as Johnson last year. Johnson scored 17 touchdowns, mostly in short yardage situations.
Yates also plays linebacker on defense, so you will see junior AJ Satinger drop back from the tight end spot and line up at full back.
They might look a little dirty in August but the Cougars are running pretty well.
