Junior running back leads  rushing attack for undefeated WC

Six weeks ago, Warren Central’s running back situation was as muddy as the Mississippi River during a flood.

The Vikings’ top two rushers from 2013 were gone, and the No. 3 guy was a receiver. Stepping into the void were a bevy of largely untested players with potential, but little varsity game experience.

One of them, however, has literally been a Knight in shining shoulder pads — as in D.J. Knight, a 5-foot-10, 200-pound junior who has emerged from the pack to become the team’s featured back.

Knight had 56 yards and a touchdown on only eight carries in a 54-7 win over Greenville on Friday, giving him a team-high 563 yards for the season.

“We were anxious to see who was going to take over in that tailback battle, and he pulled away,” WC coach Josh Morgan said. “He’s adding another dimension to our offense, which is very welcome.”

That dimension is explosiveness, something the Vikings haven’t had from their running backs in some time.

Aaron Stamps and C.J. Ross combined for nearly 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns last season, but neither had a run longer than 45 yards. Marcus Ragan, who is now a senior, was the team’s big play threat in the running game on jet sweeps and reverses, but played receiver.

In fact, the last time Warren Central had a running back break off a run longer than 50 yards was in 2011. Knight did it in his third game this season, a 65-yard touchdown against Vicksburg.

His 6.7-yards per carry average is also the highest for a WC running back with at least 50 carries since Shon Jackson averaged 7.1 yards in 2010.

“He’s becoming a more patient runner. He’s seeing holes. He has the capability of breaking long runs, which is what makes him dangerous,” Morgan said. Knight isn’t just a one-dimensional player, though. Quarterback Alex Stevens said he’s been impressed with Knight’s ability to fight for yards and to make plays in the passing game.

In addition to the five touchdowns Knight has scored on the ground, he has two touchdown receptions.

“The way he’s running the ball has been really good for us. He fights for every single yard. He breaks tackles and makes plays. It’s really helped us a lot in our running game,” Stevens said. “Any time he gets the ball, there’s a chance he can go the whole distance. He’s also made some big plays with his hands. He’s been good all-around for us.”

For his part, the soft-spoken Knight deflected credit for his success.

“The linemen and fullback have done a good job blocking,” he said.

Morgan also sang the line’s praises, and the Vikings’ team stats back it up. They’ve rushed for 1,310 yards as a team — an average of 218.3 per game — and scored 17 touchdowns on the ground. They had 15 rushing touchdowns all of last season.

Knight has been at the forefront of WC’s rushing renaissance, and the best might be yet to come. Morgan said Knight has been supplementing raw talent with a willingness to learn, which will lead to even bigger things down the road.

“He’s listening and taking coaching, and preparing well,” Morgan said. “Vision would be the word to use, and the game is starting to slow down for him. When that happens, that’s when backs become special.”