Smoky Mountain football running back Isaiah McNeely explains his punishing running style

It usually takes more than one defender to bring down Smoky Mountain sophomore running back Isaiah McNeely.

Not even an equipment malfunction, like losing a shoe or his pants falling to his ankles slows him down, either.

He said in eighth grade a defender tried to tackle him and ended up taking off one of his shoes and his girdle. He quickly shook it off and trudged forward, breaking two more tackles and eventually finding the end zone.

That play encapsulates McNeely’s mentality as a running back.

“It was very evident he ran the ball angrily and he was going to be difficult to bring down,” Smoky Mountain coach Ricky Brindley said about his first impression of McNeely.

Brindley believes that his running style is something a tailback is born with.

Besides yards after contact, Brindley said one of McNeely’s strengths is his stamina. He recalled a four-game stretch where he received 30 carries or more last season. In three of those four games, he posted more than 250 yards.

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Brindley credits his ability to stay healthy to his work ethic in the weight room. He said McNeely works out at the school on days off.

He was Western North Carolina’s leading rusher in the regular season by the end of his first varsity season. McNeely finished his sophomore campaign with 2,084 yards and 31 touchdowns. He eclipsed 300 yards in games vs. West Henderson and Hickory.

McNeely announced his presence loudly in his first game as a starter last fall vs. Cherokee. Smoky Mountain ran a halfback screen to the left for McNeely on third and 4 at its own 37 in the second quarter vs. Cherokee.

McNeely got the ball with three of his offensive linemen out in front and ran forward about five yards until he locked eyes with an unblocked defensive back.

He then lowered his left shoulder and braced for contact. Pop. The defender crumbled to the ground as McNeely charged on for about eight more yards.

“He just keeps his legs moving,” his father, Christopher said. “He just never stops. … He never quits running until he’s actually on the ground. His feet doesn’t ever stop moving.”

The Mustangs' sideline, only a few yards away, exploded into screaming and hollering. McNeely quickly jumped back up after being tackled and yelled back with excitement.

He ended the game with 22 carries for 154 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-13 win.

McNeely said he’ll look for contact but won’t pass up open space to bulldoze another opponent.

One running back he has always looked up to is Hall of Famer Barry Sanders, even though he played several years before McNeely's birth. He said his father first introduced him to Sanders by showing him highlights.

“I really loved the way he would run and break through tackles and do crazy stuff,” McNeely said. “I just watched film on him all the time.”

McNeely believes one of the biggest reasons he was so successful last season is because of his offensive linemen’s discipline. He said they always generated large holes. For Smoky Mountain, it returns four offensive linemen from last season.

McNeely hopes he can have a bigger year than he did last season and avenge its 37-34 postseason loss to Hickory.

“I still think about it every now and then like how we could have gone far in the playoffs and just lost,” he said. “Yeah, I mean it doesn’t get me down. It just gives me a lot more motivation to keep going and get them next time.”

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Smoky Mountain's Isaiah McNeely thrives on punishing running style