Effingham County football making a run for it with Evans
SPRINGFIELD — Effingham County entered the 2022 football season with a well-known stable of wide receivers.
But running backs? Two seniors who shared the position a year earlier had graduated. A promising tailback from the Atlanta area transferred in, then returned home.
The Rebels had multiple candidates of varying experience for the wide-open starting job.
“Running back was the unsure thing coming into the season,” junior Jayden Evans said. “We all had to work for it. Fortunately, I was the one who earned it and I’m just doing what I can to keep it.”
More: 'A small tribute to a great man.' Effingham Co. renames football field for former coach
The 5-foot-8, 180-pounder has exceeded expectations, providing another threatening dimension against opposing defenses looking to stop heralded receivers Keion Wallace, Timmy Brown, Ashley Thompson and others.
In six games, Evans has rushed for 469 yards and four touchdowns in the one-back, spread attack. He had a career-high 132 yards and two touchdowns against rival South Effingham on Sept. 23 and followed up with 78 yards and a touchdown in a key 31-14 win Wednesday night against Glynn Academy.
“He’s a grinder, a hard worker and he does everything right off the field, in practice and in the weight room,” ECHS coach John Ford said. “He’s strong and has strong legs and is good in the squat and power clean (lifts) and those (attributes) carry over to being a good runner.
“Miquel Allen and Xayvier Coppock (last year's ECHS starting running backs) were very good and left big shoes to fill. We had freshmen and sophomores in the mix. I knew Evans would be ready when he got his opportunity.”
Evans played mostly on the junior varsity team the last two years. He had only two varsity carries in his career coming into the 2022 season.
“It was a culture shock because I hadn’t been in that role and I had so much to learn,” Evans said. “But once I got that first game (a 68-yard night against Richmond Hill) under my belt, I think that’s when I started rolling.”
And he’s a quick learner. Evans is part of the school district’s STEM program (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), which prepares students for science and math courses in college, at the Effingham College and Career Academy.
Ford quickly learned he could feed Evans, who gained all 65 yards during the Rebels’ seven-play, touchdown drive on the second possession against South.
“Being able to move the ball just by handing it to the running back simplifies the (offensive) formula,” Ford said. “For me, being balanced doesn’t mean being 50-50. When someone is crowding the box, we need to throw and vice versa.”
Evans likes being an option.
“In the game, you’re just locked in,” he said. “If I’m hot, I’m like ‘just feed me, keep giving me the chance.’ When you’re grounding and pounding, you’re tiring (opposing defenses) out. You see their technique and tackling getting sloppy. You see things opening up.”
The double-edged offense, coupled with a stout defense, has ECHS (4-2) on a four-game winning streak for the first time since 2016.
Last season, the Rebels finished 6-4 and advanced to the state playoffs after consecutive years of two and three wins.
“Our mindset is always to get better,” Evans said. “Forget about yesterday, it’s all about tomorrow. Our goal is to go farther in the state playoffs, win a state championship, that’s always the goal.”
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: High school football, Jayden Evans, Effingham County, South Effingham
