It's the Year of the Running Back in South Jersey
Bo Melton is a running back. He also is a wide receiver. "Sometimes, I'll even take a couple snaps at quarterback," said Melton, the Cedar Creek High School star.
Bo Melton is a running back.
He also is a wide receiver.
"Sometimes, I'll even take a couple snaps at quarterback," said Melton, the Cedar Creek High School star.
Ask Melton to name his position and he responds: "Athlete."
It looks like the Year of the Running Back in South Jersey football.
It looks like the Year of the Rutgers resurgence in recruiting, too.
Melton, the Inquirer offensive player of the year after leading Cedar Creek to the South Jersey Group 2 title in 2015, is front and center of both trends in the sport this season.
So, too, are seniors John Lovett of Cherokee and Jon Taylor of Salem.
The three are playmakers. They run fast. They run far.
They limited their range when it came to making a college choice, though, as all three have committed to attend Rutgers on football scholarships.
"There's something about staying home and playing for your home-state team," said Taylor, who earned the title as the state's fastest young man by winning the 100-meter dash at the track and field Meet of Champions in June.
Melton, Lovett, and Taylor are among seven South Jersey athletes in the class of 2017 who have committed to Rutgers. The others are Woodrow Wilson defensive back Edwin Lopez, Timber Creek defensive back Naijee Jones, Burlington Township wide receiver Everett Wormley, and Cedar Creek lineman Owen Bowles.
With the sport at the high school level moving toward the passing game - with more teams every year employing the no-huddle, spread approach to get their athletes into space - South Jersey has been marked in recent seasons by explosive wide receivers and prolific quarterbacks.
There will be no shortage of either this season. But 2016 also could mark a reemergence of the running back as the featured athlete in the area.
The 6-foot, 180-pound Melton projects as a slot receiver at Rutgers, although it's not hard to imagine the Scarlet Knights coaches devising ways to use him as a runner and return man as well.
At Cedar Creek, Melton does a little bit of everything. He even threw a couple of touchdown passes and blocked a potential game-winning field goal in the playoffs last season.
"I just try to make plays in any way I can to help my team," Melton said.
As a junior, Melton caught 31 passes for 676 yards and 11 touchdowns. But he also rushed for 742 yards and 13 touchdowns, showing the willingness to power inside and attack tacklers as well as skirting the edge.
"He's a physical football player," Cedar Creek coach Tim Watson said.
When Melton committed to Rutgers in April, he said he hoped to encourage other New Jersey players to stay home and play for the state university. He said he was thrilled when Lovett and Taylor committed to the Scarlet Knights a couple of months later.
"It meant a lot," Melton said. "We're going to tear it up."
The 6-0, 200-pound Lovett is a classic "downhill runner," according to Cherokee coach P.J. Mehigan.
Lovett ran for 1,306 yards and 13 touchdowns as a junior, despite being limited at times with an ankle injury. Fully healthy and operating behind a veteran offensive line, he has the chance as a senior to put together one of the best seasons by a running back in Cherokee history - no small feat given the fabled history of that program.
"I'm really confident," Lovett said. "I worked hard all through the offseason, in the weight room every day, getting stronger, field work."
Lovett and Taylor will enter Rutgers at the same time, playing the same position. They likely will compete against each other, although there are ample opportunities for multiple running backs in college systems.
"Competition is good," Lovett said. "We'll push each other. We'll make each other better."
The 6-0, 211-pound Taylor was a surprise winner of the 100 dash at the Meet of Champions. He won the race in 10.61 seconds, beating a field of the state's fastest runners.
Taylor is a football player, first and foremost. He ran for 1,382 yards and 13 touchdown for Salem as a junior.
"He runs so hard," Salem coach Montrey Wright said. "He runs with a chip on his shoulder. He doesn't get tackled easily."
Taylor was a tight end when he started playing football in fifth grade. He didn't switch to running back until a couple of years later.
"I love running back," Taylor said. "I want the ball. I want my team to count on me."
Taylor said it was the "energy" at Rutgers that persuaded him to commit to the program.
"I've been up there on a multiple occasions and it just feels right," Taylor said. "It's like it's home."
@PhilAnastasia