There’s a famous line in one of the most iconic football movies of all time — Varsity Blues — where Coach Bud Kilmer explains to his quarterback, “You understand that by running the ball, we control the clock, and we can grind them—and the tempo of the game—way down?”

Tamaqua, Lehighton and Northwestern Lehigh certainly will have a chance to implement that type of game plan on a weekly basis this season with the return of the Times News Area’s version of the three-headed monster in running backs Terrence McDowell, Lukas Croizier and Chase Sukanick.

“Scary Terry” Terrence McDowell struck fear into the hearts of opposing defenses last season—and he did it as just a sophomore. The Raiders have long been known for their physical style of play under Coach Sam Bonner, and McDowell fit right in, rushing for a Times News-leading 1,740 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Word out of Stadium Hill is that McDowell has added nearly 30 pounds of muscle in the offseason, meaning that he is once again primed for an impressive year.

“He’s coming off a big season, and he’s taken that momentum and carried it into the offseason. He has put in a ton of time and really worked his tail off in the weight room. He’s matured, and he’s up to 185 pounds from 155 a year ago. And he was breaking tackles at 155 last season, so I think you’re going to see even more of that this year,” said Bonner.

“He’s really increased his power and his speed. What I love about his running style is that he has great vision — he can cut back and make plays; he can turn it up to get that first down, and he always seems to find a lane. But what’s most impressive is that he gets stronger as the game goes on. I think he’s going to make a lot of noise as one of the best backs in the area again this season.”

Lukas Croizier has been making an impact on the defensive side of the ball ever since he stepped on the field as freshman for the Indians. But in his junior campaign a season ago, Croizier grinded his way onto the scene from the running back position, rushing for 1,129 yards and nine scores.

With an experienced offensive line returning for the Tribe, Croizier is expected to pile up the yardage in his senior season.

“Croizier had a great junior season for us. He was our first 1,000-yard rusher since maybe 2017. He’s been a leader for us and he was making a name for himself on the defensive side of the ball since he was a freshman, but last year he was our featured guy on offense, and he did a really nice job with a younger offensive line in front of him,” said Lehighton head coach Tom McCarroll.

“He bulked up this summer, and he was always a dedicated guy for us in the weight room, but he really got after it this offseason. He took it to another level, and he told us he wanted to build his strength so he could carry the ball 30 times in a game if we needed him to. He just does everything the right way, and he is the type of guy who will do everything and anything for the team.”

Chase Sukanick served as a perfect change of pace to Northwestern’s starting running back last season in Braxton Lakatosh. Sukanick’s speed and burst helped him to rush for 924 yards and 13 touchdowns at an impressive 7.9 yards per carry. The junior will be taking on the top ball carrier role for the vaunted Tigers offense this season.

“Chase has been a special player in our program for a long time even when he was coming up through the youth ranks. He’s always been a special athlete. He was kind of in that change of pace role last season, but this season he is going to carry the rock a lot for us. His knowledge and feel for the offense have grown a lot,” said Northwestern Lehigh head coach Josh Snyder. “He’s been really committed to the weight room and he’s been training hard. And I what I like about his running style is that he has a little bit of everything in his arsenal. He can stop and start, he has really good vision, he cuts on a dime and he’s added some weight, so you’re going to see him break some tackles as well. We want to create matchups where he’s one on one with people as much as we can. His work ethic has been really impressive, too. He does a full 30-yard sprint after every rep he gets, and then he hustles back and does it again. Over my 15 years, only a handful of guys have practiced like that.”

Pleasant Valley’s Chris Ward (577 rushing yards, 8 TDs), Palmerton’s Michael Garey (420 rushing yards, 5 TDs), Northern Lehigh’s Chris Frame (496 rushing yards, 4 TDs), Marian’s Tyler Price (216 rushing yards, 3 TDs), and Jim Thorpe’s Bobby Levins (223 rushing yards, 2 Tds) are all expected to make their mark in the rushing department this season as well.