Boone, Terrell lead unbeaten Madison

MADISON — Stuart Dean has a problem that most coaches in the area would like to have. He has a pair of stud running backs in Logan Terrell and Devon Boone, and only one football to split between the two.

Yet while too much talent at the offensive skill positions can lead to distractions, Dean seems to have hit the jackpot with Terrell and Boone, because neither one of them seems too concerned about touches.

“We’ve been playing together for so long now,” Terrell said. “If one of us is having a bad day, the other one is going to pick it up.”

“We’re just looking to put points on the board,” Boone added. “Whoever gets the ball gets it. But if you get it, do something with it.”

His backs’ unselfish attitudes give Dean flexibility in play-calling, and so far this season it has been a key to success.

“They play off of each other,” Dean said. “If people want to make adjustments to stop Logan, then it’s going to be Devon’s turn to run the ball. When they go to stop Devon, it’s Logan’s turn. And they know that. We preach to them that if you’re not getting the ball it’s just as important to block or carry out your fake.

“It takes the two of them for everything to work.”

Last week against Stonewall Jackson, Terrell and Boone combined for 241 yards of offense and three touchdowns.

Three weeks ago against Page County, both tailbacks went over 120 yards and pooled together five touchdowns.

With these two backs and an athletic defensive line that continues to improve, the Mountaineers are sitting pretty with a pristine 5-0 record.

“This is exactly where we wanted to be,” Dean said. “Still, there are some parts of our game that we want to improve on. I don’t think we’ve played four quarters yet. We’ve played three, sometimes two and a half, but I haven’t seen a complete game yet.”

Last week, the Mountaineers trailed by 13 after 12 minutes of play. In the final 36 minutes, Madison outscored Stonewall Jackson 26-0.

“The game against Stonewall Jackson tells the tale of the tape,” Dean said. “We gave up 13 points in the first quarter. In the rest of the game, those guys only got across the 50-yard line one time.”

With the Madison offense firing on all cylinders, beating Eastern View (3-2) should be about staying consistent on defense.

“Defensively, we’ve got to win the battle on the line of scrimmage,” Dean said. “We feel like if we can have success, we’ve got to stop [Stevie Strother] and contain him.”

Two weeks ago against Kettle Run, Strother ran for 249 yards and five scores. Dean hopes that his tailbacks can eat away at the clock and keep the Cyclones tailback on the sidelines.

“On offense we’re hoping to do some of the same things we’ve been doing,” Dean said. “We want to run the ball and have some long drives and just move the ball both inside and outside. But we’ll just see how they play defense and see what we can take advantage of.”