Whether it's in the National Football League or New York City's Public Schools Athletic League , yardage-eating, touchdown-scoring running backs are hard to find. But here you'll discover the top five running backs in the PSAL's highest-ranked Championship Division. Watch out for these young runners in the upcoming city playoffs and beyond, as they have what it takes to play on the next level.
Junior Ricardo Appleton has been lighting up the scoreboard at Sheephead Bay.
Adam Martini
5. Ricardo Appleton, Sheepshead Bay — Appleton, who has 902 yards and 10 touchdowns, has carried the Sharks' offense. He was especially impressive in week four against a stingy Flushing team with 175 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The senior has hit pay dirt at least once in every game this season.
4. James Gales, Brooklyn Tech — Gales is one of the best athletes in the city. The junior plays defensive back, receiver, returns kicks and plays running back. Clearly, running the ball is his best skill. Gales (935 yards and 13 touchdowns) has at least 100 yards and a TD in every game this season. In his best performance, against Lehman, he racked up 247 yards and four touchdowns.
3. Kareem Folkes, Abraham Lincoln — Folkes took over in the backfield this year for the Railsplitters, who reached last year's city championship game. The senior hasn't let them down. Folkes has 944 yards and a league-leading 14 touchdowns on the ground. Folkes kicked off the season with 224 yards and three touchdowns against New Utrecht and hasn't looked back.
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2. Benjamin Ezike, Susan Wagner — Ezike, who last season rushed for all of 45 yards, has been a true find for the Falcons. The senior has chewed up 1,239 yards on the ground with 11 touchdowns. In a week three showdown with the league's leading rusher, David White, Ezike rumbled for 249 yards and four touchdowns. His totals are amazing when you consider his 86-yard game in week one.
1. David White, Herbert H. Lehman — White is running away with PSAL rushing title; he has 1,504 rushing and 13 touchdowns on the ground. In week four, against Brooklyn Tech, the senior erupted for 300 yards and four touchdowns. It was his second 300 yard game of the season and third game with at least three touchdowns. White is being looked at by local colleges such as Temple, Syracuse and Rutgers, but hasn't been offered a scholarship—not yet, anyway.
Honorable mentions: Senior Brent Rachel of William E. Grady leads the Bowl Division—the league's second-tier grouping—with 1.035 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. Petrides Senior Joseph Henry has rushed for 1,260 yards and 11 touchdowns to lead the lower-ranked Cup Division.
Adam Martini is a freelance sports writer who has reported on New York City high school sports since 2000. A graduate of Forest Hills High School (Queens, N.Y.), he has covered prep championship games at Madison Square Garden, Shea Stadium and Yankee Stadium.
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