Drayson Nespo might not be the biggest running back.
But the 5-foot-8, 160-pound senior doesn’t hesitate to lower his shoulder. And he welcomes the opportunity to be LaPorte’s workhorse, with the physical demands such a position entails.
The Slicers’ offense tends to spread the ball among various talented options in the backfield.
Nespo leads them with 1,283 yards and 16 touchdowns on 165 carries in eight games. He ranks 11th in the state in rushing, according to MaxPreps.
“I love having the ball in my hands and I love playing in this offense,” Nespo said. “It’s gritty, hard-hitting, hard-nosed football. We’re blue-collar workers and we hit hard, and we have fun doing it. It’s fun to be a part of it.”
Nespo has been a large part of it, especially in recent weeks.
He has rushed for 1,064 yards and 13 TDs in the last five games. In that time, he has produced four games of at least 212 yards with his lowest output 151 yards.
Nespo has logged his three highest number of carries of the season in the last three games. In the last two games, he rushed for 234 yards and four TDs on 32 attempts against Crown Point and a season-high 237 and three TDs on 27 attempts in LaPorte’s dramatic win against Michigan City. Junior running back Detrick Merriweather has missed the last two games with an ankle injury, though the Slicers like the potential of sophomore Isaac Alexander.
“We prefer it to be more even, but we’ve relied heavily on Drayson the last two weeks,” LaPorte coach Dave Sharpe said.
“He’s the perfect halfback for our system. We like our halfbacks to be able to block and he takes his blocking seriously. The other thing, he takes the ball and hits it up where it’s supposed to go. He knows our base offense and he’s really starting to find cutback lanes and bounceback lanes. He knows what to expect because of the experience he has.”
Nespo ran for 729 yards and six TDs on 155 carries last season. He was third on the team in yards, second in carries and tied for third in TDs.
With the graduation of Brennen Long and Chris Juszkiewicz, Nespo prepared for an increased workload this season, putting in extra work in the offseason. Senior quarterback Nolan Lorenz, a returning starter, is second on the team with 574 yards and six TDs on 73 carries.
“I’ve definitely had to take that role that Brennen and ‘Juice’ had,” Nespo said. “I’m not necessarily a bruiser like those guys, but I’ve had to take that leadership spot. I try to work hard and perfect my craft, and just try to be that guy the coaches can look for to get a tough first down or to get a big run. Anything they need me to do, I’m ready.”
Nespo was quick to credit the coaches and the offensive line — which Sharpe called “as good a group as you’re going to find in northern Indiana” — for his success.
“I have to give it to the O-line,” Nespo said. “They’re great guys. They put in so much time and effort working on their game. I can’t thank them enough.”
Sharpe described Nespo as someone the underclassmen want to emulate.
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“He’s so small in stature, but he’s such a ferocious football player,” Sharpe said. “And then when he takes off the helmet, he’s the nicest kid in the whole school. He’s a happy-go-lucky kid, a big smiler. He’s just a joy to be around.”
Twitter @MichaelOsipoff