THUNDERING HERD

This was to be the year quarterbacks ruled the City Section. But the predictions have not come to pass.

Only Ruben Zaragoza of Kennedy and Jason Winn of Granada Hills are on pace to surpass 2,000 yards through the air in the regular season.

The anticipated aerial assault has given way to a stampede. Defenses must look out below.

Running backs on 10 of the 17 City teams in the region average more than 100 yards rushing per game.

“It might be boring to fans, but it behooves us to control the ball as much as we can,” Coach Jeff Engilman of Sylmar said. “A team has to stay true to what the coach believes in.”

And in keeping with a long-held stereotype, most City coaches are throwbacks, a label they object to only because it contains the word throw.

“The Valley is known for a strong running tradition,” Coach Jason Garrison of North Hollywood said. “When you have a back able to average seven yards a carry, play-calling becomes more clear.”

No coach has an easier time than Garrison, who reasons, “Why resort to tricks when I’ve got Hicks?”

Garrison came to that realization last season after trying the run-and-shoot for three games--all losses. He changed to the double wing, put Hicks at tailback, and instructed quarterback Billydee Payne to pitch him the ball--underhand.

Hicks rushed for more than 1,200 yards in seven games and already has exceeded that total this year. He is the most prolific of the group of 10 who average 100 or more yards a game.

The Package

Hicks, a 5-foot-11, 200-pound senior, leads City rushers in the region with 1,307 yards and 15 touchdowns while averaging 7.9 yards a carry. He’s had four games of more than 200 yards and none with fewer than 134 yards.

He has all the right moves off the field, too. Hicks took his linemen to dinner when he reached 1,000 yards and plans to do so again should he reach 2,000.

“Matthew is a best friend and brother to everyone,” Garrison said.

Hicks follows in the footsteps of former Husky rushing standouts Leon Gable, Chip Grant and Dante Clay. He also is the third North Hollywood player in his family, following brothers Jonathan Hicks and Augie Nelson, both linemen.

The Burners

James Bethea, a Cleveland senior, and Lee Marks, a Taft junior, are breakaway threats.

Once Bethea (5-11, 180) gets outside, the scoreboard operator can add six points to Cleveland’s total. One of the City’s best sprinters, he has broken off 12 runs of more than 40 yards.

He scored 32 points in a 61-0 victory last week over Chatsworth and rushed for 279 yards and five touchdowns three weeks ago against Calabasas.

“James has developed into an all-around running back, not just a guy running away from people,” Cleveland Coach Bill Paden said.

Marks began the season as a secondary weapon to the Toreador passing game, but his breakaway ability on pitchouts and draws makes him as dangerous as any receiver running a fly pattern.

He jolted Dorsey with a 95-yard scoring run seconds before halftime and rushed for 246 yards in the Toreadors’ first victory, over Kennedy.

The Bruisers

Aspirin sales must rise the morning after teams face Tyrone Burwell of Monroe, Bob Stanley of San Fernando or Omari Mack of Granada Hills.

All three go out of their way to punish defenders. They break arm tackles like fans pushing through turnstiles.

At 6-3, 235, Burwell is the biggest back in the region. It’s nearly impossible for one defender to bring him down. He’s fast, too.

“I just do what I do best, run the football,” he said. “I was born with that gift and I’m using it.”

Burwell transferred from Pasadena, where he rushed for 1,100 yards as a fullback last year. At Monroe, he has a talented running mate in DeAndre Phillips (571 yards, nine touchdowns) and alternates at tailback and fullback.

“There are more good running backs in the Valley,” he said. “It’s hard to believe the numbers guys put up--200, 300 yards. It makes me want to work harder in practice.”

Stanley, a 6-1, 215-pound junior, is so easygoing he grins and waves at his family in the stands during halftime. He also suffers from severe asthma, which forced him to miss a game.

Then he takes the field and opponents are the ones sucking wind. He tears off six to 12 yards at a time, gains that would be longer if he didn’t seek out defensive backs to trample.

“I want my mom and family and everybody to know I’m having fun,” he said. “But the way I have fun? That’s by hitting people.”

Mack averages 100 yards a game despite serving primarily as a change of pace for Winn’s passing.

A 5-11, 195-pound senior, Mack isn’t as big as Burwell or Stanley but hits like the truck that bears his name.

“Omari is a hard-running, dependable back,” co-Coach Tom Harp said. “And he surprises people with his speed.”

The Bread & Butter

Becoming the focal point of a team’s offense is an ongoing challenge. Nagging injuries must be ignored. A day off is unthinkable.

David Contreras of Sylmar, David Valencia of Poly, Eddie Robinson of Reseda and Justin Graham of El Camino Real know they will carry the football 15-25 times a game.

And they know the defense knows this, too.

“My eyes light up when my number is called,” Graham said. “My line can provide a big enough hole. I can get the tough yardage. I’m ready for the challenge.”

Like most top running backs, Contreras, a 5-7, 190-pound senior, also plays defense. Unlike most backs, he is a kicker with three field goals and 12 extra points.

He has scored 115 points, more than half of Sylmar’s total. He’s also rushed for more than 1,000 yards two consecutive seasons.

“David is a tremendous high school football player,” Engilman said. “We’ve had better college prospects as running backs. But he ranks with any of them as a pure athlete.”

Valencia (5-8, 171) is Poly’s primary weapon, leading City rushers in the region with 196 carries. Opponents bring as many as nine defenders near the line of scrimmage, but the stocky Valencia is relentless, having rushed for at least 112 yards in all but one game.

Robinson, a 6-0, 185-pound junior, is a rapidly improving runner with college potential. And in Coach Joel Schaeffer’s run-oriented scheme, he is getting plenty of opportunities.

“Things go in cycles, but we’re not going to change,” said Schaeffer, Reseda’s coach of 22 years. “We’re going to run the football.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

RUNNING WILD

Matthew Hicks, N. Hollywood

Yards Per Carry TDs 1,307 7.9 15 * James Bethea, Cleveland Yards Per Carry TDs 1,160 9.6 14 * David Contreras, Sylmar Yards Per Carry TDs 1,119 7.6 18 * Lee Marks, Taft

Yards Per Carry TDs 962 8.2 5 * David Valencia, Poly

Yards Per Carry TDs 944 4.8 7 * Tyrone Burwell, Monroe

Yards Per Carry TDs 919 7.9 10 * Eddie Robinson, Reseda Yards Per Carry TDs 832 7.8 9 *

Bobby Stanley, San Fernando Yards Per Carry TDs 808 5.4 11 *

Justin Graham, El Camino Real Yards Per Carry TDs 711 5.5 7 *

Omari Mack, Granada Hills Yards Per Carry TDs 704 6.8 7