Athlete of the Week: Dakota Vandermark
Bainbridge-Guilford senior running back Dakota Vandermark is drawing a comparison to the school’s all-time leading rusher. It’s pretty heady company for the speedy Bobcats tailback.
“He reminds me of Johnny Stevens,” said B-G fifth-year coach Tim Mattingly. “John was a little bigger, but maybe Dakota is a little bit quicker.”
Stevens set single-season and career rushing records for the school during his three-year career. Stevens’ career numbers may be out of reach, but Vandermark has the single-season record of 1,332 yards within his sights.
Vandermark had his fourth straight 100-yard rushing day last week in a 24-6 victory over Oxford. He capped his strong day with the type of run Mattingly has grown used to. He took the pitch on an end sweep, hit the corner, and sped down the sideline untouched. He received tremendous blocking from his teammates, and once he was in the clear, no one was going to touch him.
“Oxford keyed on him the whole game and wanted to shut him down,” Mattingly said. “He got us some really tough yards. He kept pounding them, and eventually he broke it. Whether it’s an inside trap or a pitch to the outside, (Dakota) is a threat to go all the way every time he touches the ball.”
Vandermark had a tremendous junior season playing for the Bobcats. He had 639 yards rushing and seven touchdowns. Again, his staple was the big play with four TD runs over 30 yards. Through five games this season, Vandermark has eclipsed his season total of a year ago with 746 yards, and has matched the touchdown total. On his resume of TD runs this year are scoring jaunts of 75, 66, 54, 42, and 32 yards. In all likelihood, Vandermark will add more substantial numbers to a stellar senior season, and he is this week’s Smith Ford LLC, Giant’s Warehouse/Evening Sun Athlete of the Week.
“He’s become our leading ball carrier this year because he is so explosive,” Mattingly said. “He’s proven that with some unbelievable runs.”
It helps that Vandermark’s running mate is bruising junior fullback Billy Holden, who himself is on pace to rush for over 700 yards this season. Holden has opponent’s thinking about the middle, and Vandermark offers a perfect complement with his home run ability on any play. “It’s a great one-two punch, one I liken to John (Stevens) and Eric Finch from the late ‘90s,” Mattingly said. “Dakota is a just a tough kid to tackle in the open field, and with the long runs he’s had, he has shown his quickness, ability to read blocks, and obviously a lot of credit goes to the offensive line.”
Vandermark isn’t just a game-day player. He practices as hard as he plays in games, and in full-contact scrimmages, he regularly breaks long TD runs against a fairly stout B-G defense eager to stop him.
“He just works so hard in practice,” Mattingly said. “I just love to see that he’s being rewarded for that hard work.”
“He reminds me of Johnny Stevens,” said B-G fifth-year coach Tim Mattingly. “John was a little bigger, but maybe Dakota is a little bit quicker.”
Stevens set single-season and career rushing records for the school during his three-year career. Stevens’ career numbers may be out of reach, but Vandermark has the single-season record of 1,332 yards within his sights.
Vandermark had his fourth straight 100-yard rushing day last week in a 24-6 victory over Oxford. He capped his strong day with the type of run Mattingly has grown used to. He took the pitch on an end sweep, hit the corner, and sped down the sideline untouched. He received tremendous blocking from his teammates, and once he was in the clear, no one was going to touch him.
“Oxford keyed on him the whole game and wanted to shut him down,” Mattingly said. “He got us some really tough yards. He kept pounding them, and eventually he broke it. Whether it’s an inside trap or a pitch to the outside, (Dakota) is a threat to go all the way every time he touches the ball.”
Vandermark had a tremendous junior season playing for the Bobcats. He had 639 yards rushing and seven touchdowns. Again, his staple was the big play with four TD runs over 30 yards. Through five games this season, Vandermark has eclipsed his season total of a year ago with 746 yards, and has matched the touchdown total. On his resume of TD runs this year are scoring jaunts of 75, 66, 54, 42, and 32 yards. In all likelihood, Vandermark will add more substantial numbers to a stellar senior season, and he is this week’s Smith Ford LLC, Giant’s Warehouse/Evening Sun Athlete of the Week.
“He’s become our leading ball carrier this year because he is so explosive,” Mattingly said. “He’s proven that with some unbelievable runs.”
It helps that Vandermark’s running mate is bruising junior fullback Billy Holden, who himself is on pace to rush for over 700 yards this season. Holden has opponent’s thinking about the middle, and Vandermark offers a perfect complement with his home run ability on any play. “It’s a great one-two punch, one I liken to John (Stevens) and Eric Finch from the late ‘90s,” Mattingly said. “Dakota is a just a tough kid to tackle in the open field, and with the long runs he’s had, he has shown his quickness, ability to read blocks, and obviously a lot of credit goes to the offensive line.”
Vandermark isn’t just a game-day player. He practices as hard as he plays in games, and in full-contact scrimmages, he regularly breaks long TD runs against a fairly stout B-G defense eager to stop him.
“He just works so hard in practice,” Mattingly said. “I just love to see that he’s being rewarded for that hard work.”
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