How Harlem's little sophomore running back is making big NIC-10 football history

MACHESNEY PARK — The NIC-10’s best passing team over the last few years turned into a running team last year, with Adrian Palos plowing through defenders for Harlem.

“Palos hit the hole as hard as he could and just ran people over,” said Austin Murath, a three-year starter on Harlem’s offensive line.

Being physical fit Palos, a four-year starter at middle linebacker who was the NIC-10 defensive player of the year the last two seasons. That also worked for him on offense, where he led the NIC-10 in rushing with 1,435 yards in his first extensive look at running back and led Harlem to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in a decade.

Harlem, which graduated the league’s all-time leading passer in James Cooper in 2020, was set to return to more of a passing game but lost three of its top four receivers to injury, two of them before the season even started. Suddenly, the Huskies were leaning on 5-foot-5, 150-pound sophomore Jahmani Muhammad more than expected.

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And it didn’t work at first. Muhammad averaged only 3.2 yards per carry and 40 yards in his first four games.

“Their running styles are so different,” Harlem offensive lineman Eddie Valdes said. “It took a while to adjust to, but we found our rhythm, our chemistry and the way to block and it just took off from there.”

It took off so much that Harlem is in the second round of the playoffs again, thanks to Muhammad’s 205-yard effort last week. He will almost surely be the first sophomore to ever lead the NIC-10 in rushing. He has averaged 185 yards in his last six games and has a 500-yard edge over Boylan’s Mekhi Glover, the next-closest rusher to him whose season is still alive.

“That’s impressive,” said Keshawn Harrington-McKinney, an all-conference defensive lineman who doubles as an H-back blocker in the backfield for Muhammad. “Since he is a smaller guy, he doesn’t need much room. He just does what he can. He just pushes through and keeps his head on straight.”

That wasn’t easy for Muhammad early in the season. He muffed three kickoffs and a punt in a Week 2 loss to Hononegah, pinning Harlem inside the 10 each time. But the fifth time he touched a Hononegah kick, he returned it 95 yards for a touchdown.

“I had to adjust to the kicks,” Muhammad said. “That one, that leveled everything off. I was fine after that.

"I have a lot of confidence now. I am still nervous, but not as nervous as before.”

And Harlem has been more than fine, with Muhammad breaking one long run after another.

“He can turn anything out of nothing,” Murath said. “You give him just the smallest amount of daylight and he’s off to the races. It’s really good to see him finally get the chemistry with us and the offensive line also get our own chemistry and put it together and make it happen.”

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That took a little extra time. Not just time to learn. Also a little extra time after he takes the handoff.

“He had to learn patience,” Harlem coach Bob Moynihan said. “As a young player, he was always the fastest kid on the field and it was probably just 'give him the ball and go.' At the varsity level, he had to learn patience and let the blocks develop. He did that, but it took him three weeks.”

Muhammad agreed.

“I had to adjust to the varsity level and become more patient in the backfield,” he said. “I’m seeing the holes better now and then taking off. That’s been paying off.

Harlem (7-3) now takes on Grayslake North (9-1) at 6 p.m. Saturday at Harlem. A win would put the Huskies into the third round of the playoffs for the first time in school history. To do that, Harlem will probably need another big game from the runner who looks a lot like former NIU star Garrett Wolfe.

“Garrett Wolfe — that’s exactly who he is,” Moynihan said.

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When Muhammad runs well, then it's also easier for DeAndre Young to be a big-play threat as either a receiver or runner. Quarterback Austin Redmon also becomes more effective.

“It opens up the passing game when you can average 200 yards a game in the backfield,” Redmon said. “We just had to find our own chemistry. Once it clicked, it all came together.”

Matt Trowbridge has covered sports for the Rockford Register Star for over 30 years, after previous stints in North Dakota, Delaware, Vermont and three years covering the Hawkeyes in Iowa City.

Soph touch

The three NIC-10 sophomores to rush for 1,000 yards or more.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: IHSA football: Harlem back first sophomore to lead NIC-10 in rushing