By Jeremy McDonald

jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com

SALEM, Ore.–  The power back is a rarity in football nowadays, especially down at the high school level.

With everyone wanting to be like the Chris Johnson’s and Adrian Peterson’s with speed and bouncing out to the open field for twenty yards, it’s hard to find a Frank Gore-type out there in 2016.

Luckily, Sprague’s Anthony Nunn is continuing that power type of running back’s onto the collegiate level as teams are looking for that smash-mouth back to compensate their speed guys.

The 5’11, 205-pound back was a fixture for the Olympians this past fall; scoring nearly 30 touchdowns as Sprague went 7-3 overall and 7-1 in the Greater Valley Conference before falling to Sunset 34-27.  The game saw the Olys mount a second half rally that Nunn contributed with a score in the second half.

But as the senior reflects on his time in the Orange and Black as honorable.  Through all the heavy, summer lifting and sprinting up the steps of the home stand under the Olympic Stadium sign that welcomes you to the stadium, he’s proud to have dawn the Olympian name on his jersey.

“I’ve definitely evolved as an athlete,” Nunn describe his experience playing at Sprague. “The coaches taught me a lot.  Coach (Jay) Minyard has been a great role model for me.  He’s like a third dad, he’s been a great dude.  It’s good competition, Sprague is a really good school, I love it.  I wouldn’t have trade it for another school.”

Nunn’s credits his 28 touchdown senior season to his team.

His lineman down in the trenches to give him holes to run through, his receivers on the edge if he had to bounce to the outside threw great blocks as well as Nunn played for something more.

“I felt like I had to prove myself, but also play for this team,” said the senior. “I think I succeeded, I thought I did better than I thought what I was going to do.

“But I wish I did better.  I wish I didn’t’ take the game against McKay off, I wished I would’ve played that game.”

The senior will now take his talents south.

No, not to South Beach like LeBron James did in basketball; but to the College of the Siskiyous in Weed, California to play in the power run system that Head Coach Charlie Roche  runs.

“He reminds me of Coach Minyard,” said Nunn on Roche.  “They run the power, they run the ball a lot.  They have the same running scheme and everything, so it’s like going to another Sprague High School but more intense.  I like their vibe a lot and I felt like it’ll be perfect for me.”

The Eagles had the Offensive Player of the Year, who happen to be a Running Back, with First Team All-American and First-Team All State Lashone Garrnett.

Big shoes for the young running back.  But Nunn is ready for the challenge.  He’s already expecting himself to be playing his first-year, he’s setting a goal not to redshirt when he arrives onto campus in the summer for camp.

“My goal is for this summer is to get the best shape I can,” started Nunn.  “I’m already seeing a trainer and everything.  I go to track every day, then I go from Track to the trainer to get speed, quickness and strength dialed in.

“I’m going to be doing that in the summer, so when I get there I’m in top-notch so I can start when I get there.  I don’t want to redshirt, I just want to get there, get my stuff done, do my work and hopefully after the season I’ve got colleges looking at me.”

That’s the goal here in a few months, but now, following his meet against Cascade Wednesday, the question is why Track?  Nunn was a baseball player come the spring before coming out to track this season.

There’s many reasons for Nunn for the switch from the bats and gloves to the running blocks and running spikes.  But mainly, to help him out down the road (no pun intended).

“There’s a couple of reasons for track,” said Nunn.  “One, I think it’ll help me get faster, which it has.  It gives me better running form because I use to run really weird, so I got my arms dialed in running.  I like the competition, and with baseball I feel like I was getting burnt out with it.

“I love baseball but I just need to take a break, it goes through the summer so it’s a long season and I just want to take a break.”

For Nunn, there’s nunn-thing to it but to do it.  Nunn has big shoes to fill in college, but after his senior season, with his drive and determination to be the best he can be in the classroom and on the field, he should be just fine at the next level.