Springdale ball carriers rely on their physicality

Growing up in a Class A football community, learning to run the football comes shortly after learning to walk, and this year's Springdale team has a stable of running backs who have cheered, watched and waited for their time to make their marks and cement their place in Springdale football lore.

“I went to every game (as a kid), even playoff games,” Springdale senior halfback Ethan McFarland said. “It's such a small town, and everybody just went.”

McFarland, senior fullback Ben Sowinski and junior halfback Josh Harmon might not be the quickest or most athletic ball carriers in Class A but the trio finds more joy in running over their would-be tacklers than trying to run around them.

“Maybe that kind of a macho attitude about football has gone by the wayside, but at Springdale that's still the brand of football that we play and we pride ourselves on it,” Dynamos coach Dave Leasure said.

“We are going to give the opponent (heck) for 5 yards both up front and with our (running) backs.”

That brand of football they play at Springdale has been given the name “Five yards of fury” by Dynamos players and coaches, the idea being that the running game gains 5 yards on every run play.

The lead back in Leasure's brand of the wing-T offense is the 6-foot, 204-pound Sowinski. He broke onto the scene last season in his first year as the Dynamos' full-time starter. Nicknamed “Benny the Bull” by his teammates, Sowinski eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark and found end zone 11 times. Sowinski also met the “Five yards of fury” standard with a 6-yard-per-carry average.

“Last year, I got 1,001 yards; this year I want to get around 1,500 yards and around 70 tackles (on defense),” said Sowinski, who also starts at middle linebacker.

Sowinski never will be confused for a speedster. In fact, Leasure estimated his fullback runs the 40-yard dash in 5.5 seconds. Defenders' arms might tend to get a bit shorter late in games as defenders grow weary of Sowinski's punishing running style.

“(Sowinski) doesn't have great speed, but he has a huge heart, and you could say the same about Ethan (McFarland),” Leasure said. “It might be a good idea to get more than one guy at the ball when you hit them. They are powerful kids.”

McFarland presents his own set of problems for opposing defenses. Where Sowinski is tall and has a great first move through the hole, the 5-7, 214-pound McFarland is just the opposite.

McFarland, who grew up emulating former Dynamos running back Chris Liberto, runs with a low center of gravity and barely is recognizable behind the Dynamos' stout offensive line. He has gained the reputation of being a hard-nosed, downhill runner while at the same time embarrassing defenders who try to tackle him up high.

“I always watched (Liberto) because he was more of a power back like me, and he would just run people over,” McFarland said. “You get more people who just try to arm tackle you rather than square you up and tackle you late in games.”

McFarland, or “Easy-E” as his teammates call him, rushed for 434 yards and eight touchdowns last season. He also hit the “Fury” mark by averaging 5.5 yards per carry.

McFarland turned in a 166-yard, two-touchdown performance filling in for an injured Sowinski in the Dynamos' 20-0 win over Leechburg last season.

While blasting through holes might be McFarland's forte, it's his ability to get open and catch the ball out of the backfield that is often overlooked. McFarland caught eight passes for 72 yards last season and is expected to have more of an impact in the receiving department this season.

“I'm not fast, but coach always tells me that I'm quick (in the first) 10 to 15 yards,” McFarland said. “I like contact. I've been playing running back since I first started, which was about 12 years ago.”

Where Sowinski and McFarland might lull a defense to sleep with a steady pounding up the middle, the third piece to Springdale's dynamic trio is Harmon, who had limited carries last season but showed flashes of potential in both the running and passing games.

“(Harmon) probably has more speed than the other two (backs). He's a kid with a tremendous upside … and he can catch the ball,” Leasure said.

Harmon scored two receiving touchdowns last year, finishing third on the team with 99 receiving yards.

The 6-foot, 187-pound Harmon is Leasure's quickest halfback, with an ability to hit the edge or burst through the offensive line and rip off a long run.

“I bring the outside run,” said Harmon, who also is the Dynamos' back-up quarterback behind senior Sammy Carey. “I go anywhere they need me. There's some formations where I'm throwing the ball, and there's some formations I'm catching the ball; it's all different.”

William Whalen is a freelance writer.