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Connor Smith has rushed for more than 300 yards in each of his last four games, ranking him as the third-leading rusher in the nation by MaxPreps.
GIBSONBURG, Ohio – As we enter the eighth week of the high school football season, Gibsonburg running back Connor Smith just continues to amaze.
He won the state wrestling championship last year, but he’s having a dream season on the football field that’s drawing national attention.
It doesn’t seem to matter how much you plan to stop Smith, no one has been able to do it, and he does it on both sides of the football.
“Some people think he’s a better linebacker than a running back,” Gibsonburg head coach Joe Wyant said.
That says a lot. He’s the team’s leader on defense, but what’s grabbing the headlines is what he’s done on offense, and for good reason. These numbers are borderline outrageous.
In week four, he ran for 355 yards and six touchdowns against Tiffin Calvert. He ran for 323 yards and four touchdowns against Northwood in Week 5. In week six, he ran for 305 yards and four touchdowns against Lakota, and in week seven he ran for 340 yards and six touchdowns against Monroeville.
For some perspective, Smith is now the third-leading rusher in the entire country, according to MaxPreps.
“As teammates, we love watching him run all those yards,” teammate Martin Meyerholz said. “We’ve seen him work hard in the offseason, so what he’s doing on the field is no surprise to us because he’s been working all season non-stop.”
“I don’t really look at it. A lot of guys will come up to me or write about it and I’ll love it,” Smith said. “But they’ll come up to me and I’ll say, ‘That doesn’t mean much.’ It’s cool, but it doesn’t mean much to me.”
It seems that the attention does not distract him. He says a win means everything and the Golden Bears are now 6-1.
“It’s all about wanting to win,” Smith said. “The numbers are great and everything, and I like being that guy, but at the same time, I just want to win.”
“He’s not a PR guy. He’s laid back and gives credit to the other guys on the team,” Wyant said. “Although it’s something to get 300 yards in the last four games, I think for anybody at any level and any size.”
“I really just focused on next week, getting better and going 1-0 every week,” Smith said. “The numbers are great and all that, but we’re just focused on winning the league title and moving forward and getting better every week.”
