Lake Forest knows it can run the ball effectively with senior Graham Garrigan and junior Marty Hippel.
The Scouts have a luxury in their backfield. Graham and Hippel have almost interchangeable skills.
“It’s a blessing that we have two backs that we can count on and expect similar results from,” Lake Forest coach Chuck Spagnoli said. “They complement each other really well, partly because they’re similar in size and stature. We don’t ask one to do anything different than the other.”
Spagnoli obviously doesn’t view the shared commitment as a knock on what either running back can’t do. With the current setup, the Scouts (1-1) don’t have to go outside their comfort zone, and opposing defenses can’t cheat in their pre-snap assessments identifying who is behind center.
In Lake Forest’s 20-10 loss to Carmel last week, the 5-foot-6, 155-pound Garrigan and the 5-9, 165-pound Hippel combined for 114 yards on 29 carries. There was a fairly even mix of run plays between the tackles and targeting the perimeter.
That type of balance will be necessary Friday in the Scouts’ North Suburban Conference opener at Waukegan (1-1), which shut out Round Lake in the first game of the season.
“It definitely keeps the defense on its toes,” Hippel said. “We usually rotate by the series, and if someone has a few long runs and gets tired, we can sub out. That’s what I love about the arrangement.”
Hippel has the edge in carries (26 to 20) and yardage (152 to 62) compared to Garrigan so far this season. That echoes the breakdown in 2022, when Hippel rushed for 511 yards and two touchdowns, and Garrigan ran for 269 yards and four TDs.
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Despite the similarities between the two players, though, Spagnoli likes one thing in particular about Garrigan: He’s a senior. Perhaps partly due to his advantage in experience, Garrigan has an ability that any running back wants.
“He’s got incredible vision in seeing opportunities that open up in front of him,” Spagnoli said. “He’ll hit the hole with the right amount of speed and understands where every one of his blocks are.”
Hippel certainly notices that, too, which pushes him to continually refine that part of his game. But that’s not the only strength Hippel sees in Garrigan.
“One area that he has an edge on me is close in, punching it over the goal line,” Hippel said. “He’s a little shorter than me, and he’s really good at getting his pad level low to run people over. That’s a place where I try to take a page from his book. We try to learn from each other.”
Trusting each other also allows Garrigan and Hippel to go about their duties without looking over their shoulder. They know they’ll be out there when their turn in the rotation comes. That confidence is handy when the inevitable mistakes occur.
Garrigan only has to revisit the season opener for an example.
“I saw a linebacker blitzing out of the corner of my eye, and that made me rush it, and I bobbled the exchange,” Garrigan said.
There haven’t been many mistakes. But there is plenty of sideline banter between Garrigan and Hippel, like when one goes onto the field as the Scouts get close to the opponent’s end zone. Garrigan and Hippel call each other a “vulture” in those situations, with one “stealing” a TD from the other.
Hippel said there have even been times when they’ve forgotten whose series it is to be on the field.
“We joke around in situations like that, but we’re both humble,” Garrigan said. “Neither of us are bitter, and we don’t care how the other is doing individually as long as the team does well.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.