[8/25/03]Heading into the season, Porters Chapel Academy coach Bubba Mims knew he had to find a running back capable of carrying the offensive load.

After a week of two-a-days, three weeks of practice, and Friday’s season-opening 40-0 win over Tensas Academy, he still hasn’t found one.

He’s found five.

Gerald Mims, Kenny Simms, J.D. Lee, Humphrey Barlow and Josh Lancaster combined for 219 of PCA’s 222 rushing yards in the win over Tensas. None of the backs had more than 80 yards or seven carries, and they averaged 7.2 yards per carry.

“I knew they could play. We’ve got a lot of weapons,” PCA coach Bubba Mims said. “Gerald can play, but he’s just a part of the mix. We’ve got several weapons, and we plan on trying to utilize them all.”

Gerald Mims won the starting job during preseason drills, but was slowed by a knee injury for the opener. He ran for 35 yards on six carries, and the rest of the backs picked up the slack.

Lee ran for 64 yards and a touchdown on five carries, and Barlow ran five times for 36 yards and a score. Lancaster was the most impressive, however.

The sophomore, playing in his first varsity game, totaled 80 yards and two touchdowns on seven rushes. On his first carry, he took a delayed handoff and broke through the defense for a 38-yard touchdown.

“I think that’s tremendous,” Bubba Mims said. “That was his first carry in a regulation varsity game, and to break that 30-something yards for a touchdown is a sign of things to come.”

The Eagles hope that statement applies to all of the running backs.

By sending wave after wave of fresh backs into the game, PCA was able to wear down Tensas by the third quarter. There were other factors to PCA’s dominance on the ground, such as solid line play and a thin Tensas roster that included only 14 players.

PCA only threw one pass in the second half a 50-yard bomb from Ryan Hoben to Jason Pugh for a touchdown. Of PCA’s 16 second-half running plays, just two went for negative yardage a fumbled snap by Hoben and a last-play kneeldown by backup quarterback Blake Purvis.

“I really felt like we’d throw the ball more, but our line was controlling the line of scrimmage,” Bubba Mims said.

The Eagles are hoping the Tensas game was a blueprint for the rest season. All of the backs said their preseason conditioning helped against Tensas, and by sending in a fresh set of legs every few plays it should keep opponents reeling.

“I think we should end up with a good season if we keep practicing and playing the way we are,” Lancaster said.