Feed the beast.
Since complacency doesn’t appear to be in the DNA of junior running back Ammar Banire, Oswego’s coaches have been preparing to turn their backfield standout loose.
You probably thought Banire had his coming-out party last season, didn’t you? Even though his recruiting stock took off like a rocket this spring and summer, he insists there’s more to come.
For the team. And for him.
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Countdown to football: Top 10 rankings for Beacon-News/Courier-News
“This year, we’re winning state,” said Banire, who led the surprising Class 8A state runner-up Panthers last season in rushing with 609 yards while scoring seven touchdowns. “There’s no doubt in my mind that we are. And this year, everybody’s gonna have breakout years.
“My personal goal is rushing for 2,000 yards and at least 20 TDs. Some people on our team who don’t have offers yet are going to get big offers. We know what we want and what we’re going to get.”
Banire, who did not start a single game last fall, has 11 Division I scholarship offers, including four from Power Four programs Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Arkansas.
He should end up being a headliner among the returnees for Oswego, which comes in at No. 1 in the Beacon-News/Courier-News preseason rankings. The Panthers return seven starters on offense and five on defense from a team that finished 11-3 after losing 20-3 to Mount Carmel.
Banire was with the varsity throughout his sophomore season but was brought along slowly by coach Brian Cooney and his staff and stepped up big in the playoff run that included impressive quarterfinal and semifinal wins — 24-21 at Maine South and 10-7 vs. Lockport, respectively.
“I was just trying to work hard and get myself in the game as much as I could,” Banire said. “I knew I’d be on varsity last summer. I was a bit excited, but knew it was something I was prepared for because I’d been working for it my whole life.”
Well, at least since he started in the sport at age 8 playing with the Oswego Youth Tackle Football organization.
His Nigerian parents are former athletes, but his dad, Hafiz, mainly played mainly soccer and his mom, Yewande, competed in volleyball and track, according to Ammar.
Ammar and his dad, an engineer and automation and energy sales executive with Schneider Electric, had to sell his mom, a family nurse practitioner, on the sport.
“She doesn’t like the idea of two people colliding at max speed,” Ammar said. “But she supports me and knows that’s my dream.”
A long TD run by Banire in Week 4 at Plainfield South caught Cooney’s attention.
“We didn’t expect too much but he turned up the sideline heading to the north end zone,” Cooney said. “He just turned the corner and turned on the jets. Me and another of our coaches just looked at each other surprised and realized he’s got some burst.
“At the start of every game, he was on the sideline with the coaches, but he kept asking questions, constantly wanting to improve and he kept working.”
His time of 4.37 seconds in the 40 at a Lindenwood camp opened the recruiting floodgates.
Banire finished the season at 6-foot-1 and 178 pounds but his work in track and training throughout the offseason have boosted his weight to 190.
“He’s always been a lean kid and needs to continue to work in the weight room and stack on body armor,” Cooney said. “If there’s any way to get him the ball we’ll try.
“We’ve had him out at the slot, trying to get him in open spaces, but the backfield is his home.”
Oswego’s returnees include senior quarterback Drew Kleinhans, senior fullback Graham Schwab, four of five offensive line starters as well as South Dakota State-bound senior tight end Ryan Wynn, who is an excellent blocker.
Banire believes a strong receiving group that nobody knows about yet is ready to shine, too.
“Of course, we have a target on our back, but we don’t deal that way,” Banire said. “We feel like hunters. We target everybody. Teams are gonna give us 100%.
“But just know, we’re gonna give 110% and do our best to dominate.”
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Quick hits
Team: Oswego.
2025 record: 11-3.
Offensive leaders: Drew Kleinhans, senior quarterback; Graham Schwab, senior, fullback; Gabriel Guzman, senior, offensive lineman; Alejandro Acosta, senior, offensive lineman; Ryan Wynn, senior, tight end.
Defensive leaders: Dontrell Young, senior, safety; Quinten Jackson, senior, cornerback; Cam Loghmani, senior, linebacker; Caden Cooney, senior, linebacker; Ethan Pilip, senior, defensive end.
X-factor: Jordan Walker, senior, wide receiver.