Trojans find second RB from defensive unit

The Euless Trinity football team’s offensive modus operandi isn’t a secret. The Trojans are going to run the ball at you, and then run it some more. That isn’t a one-man job. To function how it wants to, Trinity needs at least a pair of reliable running backs.

“We’ve always had our running back that can do everything — run game, pass game, everything — and that guy this year is Courage Keihn,” Trojans coach Chris Jensen said. “But we also know that as much as we utilize the running back, that one guy can’t typically do it all. There’s got to be somebody in there to lighten the load.”

Trinity entered the season with Keihn atop the running back two-deep chart, but that second spot wasn’t written in ink. However, after the past two games, in which Greg Garner has scored five times on just 20 carries, the senior appears to have at least scribed his name in very dark pencil.

“We always want two backs we feel good about,” Jensen said. “Going into the season, we knew we had one. Now, with the emergence of Greg we have two, and it’s always comforting to know you have more than one guy. When it’s all on one guy, it’s kind of scary.”

Garner’s road to running back has been a bit unconventional. The three-year letterman began his varsity career as a receiver, when he had three receptions for 41 yards as a sophomore. He added seven receptions last year. But in the spring, Garner was moved to defense. The idea was that he could learn the cornerback position, and if needed, could always return to the offensive unit given his full knowledge of the playbook.

“We did expect him to help us this year, we just didn’t know where,” Jensen said.

The third week of the season, prior to the game against Colleyville Heritage, Garner was moved back to the offense and started taking reps at running back. He responded with three touchdowns on nine carries for 70 yards.

He followed that up with two more scores this past week against Lewisville on 11 carries and 75 more yards. His average of 7.25 yards per carry is second on the team only to Keihn’s 7.5.

“It wasn’t anything he was doing defensively or we didn’t need him, we just felt like we could use him on offense more than defense, so we brought him back over and started working him at running back.”

The move seems to have paid off for both Garner and the Trojans offense. Jensen says that they now more closely resemble the two-headed monster they had last year with Ja’Ron Wilson and De’Jaun Garrett and that the backs have their own personal styles.

“Greg doesn’t make a lot of moves. He’s going to hit the hole 100 percent every snap,” Jensen said. “Courage may make a cut here or a cut there. Greg is going to get it and go.”

This story was originally published September 26, 2016 at 11:05 AM with the headline "Trojans find second RB from defensive unit."