Sep 21, 2016 3 min read

Name: Dylan Rush

School: Mapletown

Class: Junior

Sport: Football

Rush’s week: One of the WPIAL’s most productive running backs, Rush set a school record for single-game rushing yards with 388 on 42 carries in a 39-33 win against Avella. Rush had five touchdowns on the ground, threw for another, kicked an extra point and scored on a two-point conversion run. On defense, Rush had a team-high five tackles.

Rush has had many big games this season, running for 1,027 yards over four games. He said he’s usually able to get a sense for how Friday night’s game is going to go depending on practices leading up to a game.

“Practice this week went very well throughout the whole week,” Rush said. “And obviously, it helped during the game.”

Entering this season, Rush knew who previously held Mapletown’s single-game rushing record because he set it a year ago, 387 yards against Avella in a 58-24 victory. But that didn’t mean he tracked his numbers as this year’s game was going on.

“I had no clue how many yards or touchdowns I had,” he said.

Keep away: Until his freshman year of high school, Rush was a physical runner, despite a small build. Entering high school, he and his father, Jeff Rush, who coached him in youth football, knew that would need to change in order for him to avoid injury and maintain stamina for entire games.

Now, Rush relies on his ability to run past people. The transition wasn’t immediate though. “I’m finally able to do that more than just trying to run people over. Now, I’m trying to avoid more contact,” Rush said.

He began to see positive changes toward the middle and second half of his sophomore season. Rush said he put on 15 to 20 pounds this offseason and is now 5-8 and 180 pounds.

Multi-talented: Growing up, Rush played quarterback and running back.

Though he mostly runs now, he can hurt defenses with the pass, as evidenced by his five-yard touchdown pass against Avella. He also took snaps against West Greene the previous week and completed three of seven attempts for 42 yards with two interceptions.

Rush will line up in the shotgun in those instances and occasionally will practice at quarterback.

Rush had no prior experience with kicking, but he took over from his older brother Mathew last season after he injured his knee. Dylan surprised himself with his kicking ability and continues to handle that special teams role this season. He has yet to attempt a field goal in his kicking career.

“I just wear my normal cleats,” Rush said. “I kick straight on because we only ever kick extra points, really.”

Compiled by Jasper Wilson