
09-12-2008, 07:06 AM
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Head Coach
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Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 10,774
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Total Points: 498,913.30
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Quote:
Published: September 12, 2008 6:00 a.m.

Harding back can run into history
In reach
Harding junior Rod Smith has 3,580 rushing yards. He could break school, SAC, area and state rushing records by the end of his career.
School record : Tarvar Baskerville (1993-96), 3,889 yards
SAC record : Ray Byers, Wayne (2004-07), 5,328 yards
Area record : Brandon Robinson, Heritage (1995-98), 7,303 yards
State record : Otis Shannon, Cathedral (1997-2000), 7,560 yards
There seems to be no conflict between Harding?s team goals and the potential individual conquests of junior running back Rod Smith.
If Smith does well, the team wins. If the Hawks keep winning, Smith can reach some lofty career rushing records in the school, the SAC, the area and the state.
At this point, the only thing Smith needs to set rushing records seems to be playing more games. So, Smith needs help from his teammates to keep the wins coming in the postseason, which extends the amount of games he could play over the next two seasons.
?He will get his 20 to 30 carries a game, and it is up to him to gain the yardage,? Harding coach Sherwood Haydock said.
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Smith, who rushed for 1,885 yards as a freshman, 1,200 as a sophomore and 495 so far as a junior, enters a big Week 4 matchup against Class 2A top-ranked Bishop Luers (and its three straight shutouts) with 3,580 career yards.
He is 309 yards away from Tarvar Baskerville?s school record of 3,889 rushing yards. And with a strong senior season, Smith could reach Wayne?s Ray Byers? SAC record of 5,328.
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And whenever Smith wants to compare his mind-boggling numbers, all he has to do is call up another chart-topping junior in Fort Wayne and good friend ? Bishop Luers? Deshaun Thomas.
Thomas (1,453 points) is on his way to becoming the top career scorer in the city (1,823) and could challenge Damon Bailey?s state record of 3,134.
Besides the pursuit of career records, Smith and Thomas have a lot in common with state championship rings (Smith as a freshman and Thomas last year as a sophomore), and they played on the same AAU basketball team a few years ago.
?So far, he has been dominating the city in basketball, and I have been dominating the city in football,? Smith said. ?We like to brag (to each other), but it is all love.?
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Harding back can run into history | The Journal Gazette
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