Michael Johnson stands 5-foot-4 and weighs 175 pounds. Blake Huffman is 5-7 and weighs in at 168.
The duo may be small, but they have shown they can be mighty, as well. The pair are the main running backs on a Columbus North football team that is ranked No. 7 in Class 6A going into Friday night’s game at 6A No. 9 Southport.
“Being our size has some advantages at running back just because we’re kind of able to hide,” Huffman said. “You can’t really see us.”
Huffman, a sophomore, has gone over the 100-yard mark in both games for the Bull Dogs. He carried 11 times for 124 yards in a season-opening 64-7 win against Franklin and added 101 yards on 22 carries in Friday’s 17-16 victory against Columbus East.
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Johnson, a senior, ran for 152 yards on 23 carries against Franklin and 35 yards on 14 carries against East.
“Since I’m so short, I have good balance,” Johnson said. “So when somebody tries to tackle me, they think about tackling me up (high). They don’t think about going for my ankles or going for my knees. It give me a chance to actually drag them more yards.”
Through the first two games of the season, North coach Tim Bless has used Huffman as his short-yardage back. Most of Huffman’s runs have been between the tackles.
“I think speed is a huge thing and explosiveness,” Huffman said. “It’s just a mental part of the game. You have to put your head in there and say, ‘I’m going to do whatever’ and just do whatever it takes to get these yards.”
Both Huffman and Johnson have put up big numbers in the weight room for their size. Johnson benches 240 and squats 355, while Huffman benches 220 and squats 365.
“They’re both classic overachievers who make up for a lack of size with an abundance of toughness,” Bless said. “They both have pound-for-pound weight room strength and they both have powerful lower bodies that makes them hard to bring down.”
A third running back, junior Daveed Jolley, has given Huffman and Johnson a break the past two weeks. Jolley, a starting cornerback on defense, has carried 11 times for 47 yards.
Bless calls his running back situation an evolving scenario.
“Michael is the senior, so we gave him the start, but (Johnson and Huffman) knew they were going to be 1 and 1A,” Bless said. “It will kind of be, ‘Play the hot hand’ kind of thing. Daveed is a very talented running back, as well, and he just brings a burst. It’s kind of like bringing in a relief pitcher who throws gas, so we kind of have a three-headed monster at that position.”
Johnson is hoping to play college football next year. Huffman, who was a starting outfielder on the Bull Dogs baseball team as a freshman this spring, wants to play football or baseball at the next level.
While both players are focused on team goals of winning the Conference Indiana title and beating longtime nemesis Center Grove to win the sectional, Johnson has another goal.
“I want both of us to at least have 1,000 yards,” he said.
For two players their size, playing one of the state’s toughest schedules, that would go down as a major accomplishment.
“It just kind of reminds me that you always have to play with that chip on your shoulder and go and prove people wrong,” Huffman said. “I think that’s one of the reasons that us two are so successful — because people look at us and are like, ‘There’s no way these kids can do anything.’ That’s kind of where our drive comes from, and I think that’s why we have that hunger inside of us.”
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Dynamic Duo” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Name: Michael Johnson
School: Columbus North
Year: Senior
Height: 5-foot-4
Weight: 175
Position: Running back
Key stats: 37 carries for 187 yards and one touchdown, two catches for 73 yards
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Name: Blake Huffman
School: Columbus North
Year: Sophomore
Height: 5-foot-7
Weight: 168
Position: Running back
Key stats: 33 carries for 225 yards and one touchdown, five catches for 51 yards
[sc:pullout-text-end]
