The high school football season is upon us again.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be taking a position-by-position look at some of the best players in Pennsylvania high school football.
We started with the best quarterbacks and now we’re looking at the best running backs in the Keystone State.
There are many outstanding football players in Pennsylvania and these lists are not exhaustive. Tag us on X or Instagram at @SBLivePA to discuss the other running backs who deserve fans’ attention in 2024. You can also send player nominations to [email protected].
(Note: These lists were compiled before the first week of the season)
Shavane Anderson Jr., Jr., William Penn
Anderson surpassed 1,300 yards as a sophomore and finished the season with 17 touchdowns. The star running back’s early offers include Kent State and Old Dominion.
Donald Barksdale, Sr., Steel Valley
Barksdale was named a Class 2A All-State selection last season and ran for 2,061 yards while scoring 36 touchdowns. He also intercepted four passes on defense and turned two of them into touchdowns. His brother Da’Ron plays alongside Donald for Steel Valley.
Luke Blessing, Sr., Mount Carmel
Blessing also made the Class 2A All-State team as a junior after rushing for 1,370 yards and 22 touchdowns. He added four two-point conversions and three receiving TDs.
Brian Box, Sr., Marple Newtown
Box, who committed to Cornell lacrosse, had 1,548 all-purpose yards and 16 touchdowns as a junior and was named a Class 5A All-State selection.
Sy’eer Coleman, Jr., Imhotep Charter
A do-it-all running back, Coleman averaged 9.6 yards per attempt and scored eight total touchdowns as a sophomore. The four-star junior’s long list of prospects includes Penn State, Pittsburgh and West Virginia.
Drew Engle, Jr., Twin Valley
Engle had 1,528 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns last fall, averaging 10.5 yards per attempt. The junior is also a star lacrosse player for Twin Valley.
Nehemiah Ewell, Sr., Harrisburg
Ewell is a somewhat underrated prospect compared to some of his more famous teammates. He is a productive running back who rushed for 1,203 yards and 16 touchdowns last season. He is also a good receiver out of the backfield.
Elijah Faulkner, Sr., Central Catholic Church in Pittsburgh
Faulkner was selected to the Big 56 Conference first team as a junior, catching 194 passes for 1,426 passing yards with 25 touchdowns. His numerous offers include Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Navy.
James Fisher, Sr., Strath Harbour
Fisher, the Delaware County Player of the Year, had 1,347 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns for Class 5A semifinalist Strath Haven as a junior. He also had 499 yards receiving and four TDs while playing strong safety and returning kicks.
Tiqwai Hayes, Sr., Aliquippa
Hayes, the 2023 Class 4A Player of the Year, began his senior season with 6,078 rushing yards. The four-star Penn State product rushed for 2,137 yards and 26 touchdowns as a junior while leading Aliquippa to a perfect 14-0 record and the 4A title.
Jance Henry Jr., so., Main Valley
Henry Jr. had an incredible freshman season for Central Valley, rushing for 1,008 yards and 13 touchdowns. The sophomore sensation’s early offers include Michigan State, Ole Miss, Pittsburgh and West Virginia.
Armand Hill, so., West Mifflin
Hill made national headlines in his freshman season after rushing for 495 yards and five touchdowns in a win over Hopewell. He finished the year with 1,529 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns while intercepting seven passes on defense. His early offers include Michigan, Penn State and Pittsburgh.
Austin Johnson, Sr., Muncy
Johnson, a wrestler from Oklahoma, is a two-time Fargo national champion, three-time PIAA state finalist and the 2023 state champion in the 215-pound class. On the football field, he is a hard-hitting running back who amassed 1,743 yards of offense as a junior en route to Class 1A all-state honors.
Jayden Johnson, Sr., Conestoga Valley
Johnson was named the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 2 Co-Offensive Back of the Year last fall after carrying the ball 140 times for 1,038 yards and 16 touchdowns and catching 21 passes for 451 yards and eight TDs. He also returned two kickoffs for TDs with his 10.61-second 100-yard dash speed. He will play running back and slot receiver for Conestoga Valley.
Elijah Jordan, Sr., Jersey Shore
Jordan was selected as a Class 4A All-State athlete last year. He ran for 934 yards and 14 touchdowns while catching 23 passes for 310 yards and three more scores. The talented athlete also plays in the defensive backfield for Jersey Shore.
Messiah Mickens, Jr., Harrisburg
Mickens was Trinity’s star as a sophomore, rushing for 961 yards and totaling 17 touchdowns. The four-star player from Penn State transferred to Harrisburg in the offseason and will form a deadly three-headed monster in the backfield with Nehemiah Ewell and fellow transfer D’Antae Sheffey.
D’Antae Sheffey, Jr., Harrisburg
Sheffey spent his first two seasons at State College, leading the Mid-Penn Conference in rushing as a freshman (1,725 yards, 22 touchdowns) and scoring 12 more TDs last fall. The four-star prospect transferred to Syracuse in April.
Jabree Wallace-Coleman, Sr., Imhotep Charter
Wallace-Coleman rushed for 1,585 yards and 28 touchdowns as a junior and was named Class 5A Player of the Year. The electrifying four-star running back transferred to Penn State in June.
Isaiah West, Sr., St. Joseph’s Preparation
West made the Class 6A All-State team last fall after totaling 861 yards and 10 touchdowns. West is a four-star prospect and has committed to Ohio State.
Jayden Zandier, Sr., Exeter Parish
Zandier was an all-around talent for Exeter Township, running for 1,358 yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior, earning Class 5A All-State honors, and had three receiving TDs and a kick return TD.
Stick with SBLive Pennsylvania all season long for all of our high school football coverage. You can follow our Pennsylvania high school football scoreboards all season long.
