DeMichael Harris is a speedster on the gridiron and the track. There’s no denying how fast he is. He runs a 4.37 40-yard dash and rushed for 2,102 yards last season, helping St. Aloysius get to the MHSAA Class 1A football championship game, and set Class 1A records in the 100- and 400-meter dash.

But when Harris rolled his ankle in the first series against Pisgah two weeks ago, it seemed like the running game for the Flashes might’ve been reduced to a sluggish jog.

Until Connor Bottin stepped in and picked up where Harris left off.

The sophomore Bottin has rushed for a combined 282 yards and scored a touchdown against Pisgah and Madison-St. Joseph in Harris’ place.

“Connor’s a ballplayer. He does a good job and just loves to play,” St. Al coach BJ Smithhart said. “He runs hard and I don’t think anybody can doubt that. He’s committed to the run.”

Bottin thinks he performed well and adjusted to his unexpected responsibility.

“I’m trying to keep the team up,” Bottin said. “I hope that I proved I’m able to run with the varsity. I think we’ll (him and Harris) be able to run together.”

Bottin wasn’t expecting to carry the ball as much as he did in the past two weeks and was shocked when his number was called against Pisgah. He didn’t think he’d play at all, let alone the entire game.

Bottin finished with 119 rushing yards and a touchdown, and also returned a kickoff for a score.

Going into Friday’s matchup against rival Madison-St. Joseph, he was a lot more anxious about following up his breakout performance.

“This week I was actually more nervous because last week I didn’t know it was going to happen. This week I knew I was going to play the whole game,” Bottin said.

After starting the game with an exhilarating 50-yard punt return, he finished the night with 163 total yards. He was able to find open spaces in the defensive line and scored on a 43-yard carry.

“When we run the ball we really don’t have a specific hole to run through. I just run it and if I see a hole then I’ll go through usually, and if they open up a hole for me I’ll run through it.”

The most challenging part for Bottin has been getting used to playing an entire game without coming off the field. He grew tired right before halftime and said if he had a backup, he’d have been able to perform better at times.

The defense found ways to contain him, causing him to become overwhelmed at times.

“It was pretty frustrating but I try not to get frustrated and just tried to keep going forward. I kept telling myself to keep breathing and run the ball,” Bottin said.

The Flashes travel to play Washington School next week and Bottin said he’s going to practice hard, pay attention and watch film on his opponent.

“Hopefully I’ll be ready.”

Up next

St. Al at Washington School

Friday, 7 p.m.

Radio: 101.3 FM

Online: For live scoring updates on Friday night, visit Facebook.com/thevicksburgpost