Just one player has rushed for 2,000 yards in the history of Franklin County high school football.
Can RJ Byrd become the second this fall?
It’s one of many topics I’m interested in discussing over the next three months in this space. For the first time ever, the Recorder — well, me actually — is devoting a weekly column every Friday during the fall season to a fantasy-related look at the high school football scene.
We took the idea out for a test drive in 2017. During the sports department’s weekly Facebook Live show, “The Fumble,” Recorder sports editor Jason Butynski and I previewed the games of the week and added a new wrinkle. Throughout the season, we picked players from throughout Franklin County and went head-to-head in fantasy football. I won, edging Jay by a wide margin at the end of the regular season. He exacted a bit of revenge when we did a special postseason version, but the segment at the end of each episode of “The Fumble” proved to be our most popular in the community. The show is back for Season 2, where each Thursday night we’ll talk about the games, players and storylines dominating the water coolers of Franklin County.
From the seeds of that fantasy segment spawned this column. What can you expect each Friday in this space? Well, in addition to our normal preview that runs every Friday throughout the fall season, The Fantasy will provide weekly rankings, updated statistics and totals throughout the year, as well as interviews with players and coaches. It’s meant to be a fun way to blend the action on the field with something many of you are playing at the professional level in your own time. I’m excited to dive into the numbers and see what comes out on the other end.
Speaking of which, let’s talk about the formula we’re going to use to tabulate fantasy points throughout the year. It’s not a perfect science and we’re going to keep it relatively simple.
• Points for quarterbacks will be accumulated for passing yards (one for every 10 yards) and touchdowns (six per TD), while negative points were given for interceptions (minus-2). Rushing yards and touchdowns will also be taken into account for the quarterback.
• For running backs and receivers, one point for every 10 yards gained and six for a touchdown. Two-point conversions will count for two additional points, while any kicked extra points are another bonus point.
The rest we will compute with our discretion. The statistics tabulated by our reporters covering games and compiled into box scores running in Monday’s paper each week will be the numbers used. It’s not perfect, but we’ll do the best that we can.
I wrote a column at the end of last year, posting the final rankings for fantasy purposes at quarterback, running back and receiver. Here’s a look back at the top 5 at each position:
Quarterback
1. Sam Paul, Mahar (257.7 points)
2. Kyle Dodge, Turners Falls (196 points)
3. Owen Phelps, Greenfield (133.9 points)
4. Seth Aldrich, FC Tech (119.9 points)
5. Scott Perlberg, Pioneer (113.7 points)
Running back
1. Aaron Landry, Frontier (286.1 points)
2. Stephen Worthley, Frontier (264.2 points)
3. Wyatt Keith, Pioneer (260.4 points)
4. RJ Byrd, Greenfield (247.8 points)
5. Robbie Nelson, Athol (224.1 points)
Wide receiver/tight end
1. Jaden Whiting, Turners Falls (108.8 points)
2. Danny Vega, Greenfield (107.5 points)
3. Andy Craver, Turners Falls (99.3 points)
4. Karl Wheeler, Pioneer (71.9 points)
5. Jared Bergmann, FC Tech (63 points)
The top quarterback, Paul, and top two running backs, Landry and Worthley, have graduated. I’m hoping to have a weekly ranking each Friday as to whom I think will have the biggest performances, mostly based on matchups. It’s a fluid space, but expect a little of everything fantasy-related.
Back to the topic I began with in this space, and whether Greenfield senior tailback RJ Byrd can challenge for the Franklin County rushing record in a single season. Turners Falls’ Ryan Wilder is the only rusher in area history to topple 2,000 yards, amassing a total of 2,007 yards in 2012. He broke Peter Bergeron’s record of 1,851 yards from 1995.
Byrd enters his senior season having rushed for 1,578 yards and 15 touchdowns a year ago. He was the No. 4 scorer at the running back position as a junior, and he did that despite missing a game due to injury. If he can stay healthy, and continue to be a dominant rusher (6.8 yards per carry in 2017), there’s no reason Byrd can’t sniff the 2K mark. It will depend on the run/pass balance Greenfield coach Mike Kuchieski goes with. Senior quarterback Owen Phelps is likely to take on even more responsibility as a veteran signal caller, and the area’s No. 3 passer a year ago is going to put up some big numbers himself.
It’s an interesting discussion, and one particularly relevant to us here at The Fantasy. We’ll be keeping an eye on Byrd, Phelps and the rest of the area players. It’s going to be a fun season. For a different perspective on it all, look for this column every Friday during the fall campaign.
Jeff Lajoie is a Recorder sportswriter and once finished fifth in a four-team fantasy football league. Email him at jlajoie@recorder.com.