WEST ROXBURY — The purpose, when defending the Catholic Memorial offense, is to maintain working backs Datrell Jones and Carson Harwood from going off and having large video games.
Maybe, for those who’re being somewhat extra reasonable, you hope to cease one.
But, in actuality, and the way it has performed out of their illustrious careers, most defenses don’t cease both.
Going again to the Fall II season after they had been sophomores, Jones and Harwood have been explosive playmakers who’ve paced the offense of the top-ranked Knights. They led CM to a Div. 2 state title final 12 months, and are the favorites to repeat.
With Jones at 5-foot-10, 185 kilos and Harwood at 6-0, 220, the title for the one-two punch turned apparent.
“My sophomore year is when they called us lightning and thunder,” mentioned Jones, who’s from Mattapan. “That just stuck with us the last three years.”
“I’m more of a physical, downhill runner,” mentioned Harwood, a Gloucester native. “Dayday’s (Jones’ nickname) more of the speedy, shifty, outside guy who runs really hard. And it’s just really hard for teams to contain. It’s hard to contain both of us, because I’m so big and physical, and Dayday, once he gets outside, he has that getaway speed.”
All that’s true, however each gamers are extra well-rounded than these nicknames would possibly counsel, as their coach John DiBiaso mentioned.
“We raced in the preseason, and besides Dayday, (Harwood) beat everyone else on the team, and we’ve got some fast kids,” DiBiaso mentioned. “So he’s quick. He’s 225 kilos, however he’s quick. When we examined, he benched 225 kilos, which is the NFL testing weight, 25 occasions. For the working backs within the NFL, that will have been the very best of the draft class.
“But Dayday’s very strong, too, in the weight room. He squats over 500. He benches over 300. They’re both strong. They’re both fast. But most importantly, they’re great kids. They’ve bought into it. They’re team players.”
Each participant had robust Fall II performances, however they actually broke out as juniors. Jones rushed for 1,100 yards and 18 touchdowns, and Harwood had 1,280 yards and 17 touchdowns.
With CM at 2-0 heading into Friday evening’s recreation towards Bishop Hendricken, DiBiaso is aware of what he’ll probably see from opponents.
“They dare us to pass,” DiBiaso mentioned. “The great part about both of them is they complement each other. They don’t have a selfish or a greedy bone in their body. Sometimes when you get an outstanding running back, they want every single carry. Those two, they understand that team’s first. They understand that for this offense to be optimum, we need both. You have to get kids that will buy into it, and they have.”
Indeed, Harwood and Jones take pleasure in being a part of a various offense.
“It’s a lot of fun, because coach Dibs gives everybody a chance to shine,” Jones mentioned.
“Dibs, he really likes sharing the ball around,” Harwood mentioned. “It’s not the same person pounding the ball every time. It’s a lot of fun.”
Jones is a Boston College commit, and Harwood remains to be undecided on his faculty plans. But proper now, their focus is on a senior 12 months with all their objectives nonetheless in entrance of them.
“It’s been amazing,” Jones mentioned. “It shows all the hard work that we’ve done. It feels great where we’re all able to do our dream.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com