Cole Delaughder is in the midst of one of the best seasons a Danville running back has ever had, and last week he put up some of his best numbers in a critical playoff win. For this, Delaughder has been named Mount Vernon Athlete of the Week.
“Cole is a phenomenal player but an even better kid,” said Coach Matt Blum. “The other players block hard for him because that's the level of respect he has earned by his teammates. He is now our single season rushing record which had been a record since 1998!”
In the playoff matchup with Lowellville, Danville took a 42-21 win and most of those scores were provided by Delaughder. He had 238 yards rushing on 23 carries, with four rushing touchdowns. That is an average of 10.3 yards per carry, meaning he was averaging more than a first down every time he got the call.
Delaughder also caught a pair of passes for 12 yards and a touchdown to give him five total touchdowns on the day. On defense, Delaughder was also a force with a sack, three tackles with two for a loss, and two QB hurries.
Coach Blum admired the patience shown by Delaughder in leading a Danville rushing attack that totaled 415 yards at 9.9 yards per carry. Blum said Delaughder helped allow vertical seams to form for the running game.
During the playoffs he has kicked it into high gear, as he had 175 yards and two rushing scores against Springfield and then against McDonald he had 197 total yards, a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown.
Delaughder was a first-team All-KMAC player this year, and has been a huge part of the 13-0 record Danville is riding. During the regular season he was first in the conference touchdowns with 18, which was four more than second place. He also narrowly missed the top spots for rushing yards yards per carry, placing second in both.
On the season he has run the ball 208 times for 1,676 yards and 25 touchdowns, averaging 8.05 yards per carry. He has 23 catches for 283 yards and three scores, as well. Delaughder has also thrown for two touchdowns and 37 yards.
Congratulations to Cole and good luck in the regional finals against Dalton.
