The running back position is far from dead in Iowa high school football.

Led by Woodbury Central star Abe McGill, several players put together monster games on the ground during Week 2 action.

Despite less-than-ideal conditions with a heat warning taking over much of the state, McGill rushed for 315 yards and four touchdowns in a 35-7 victory for Woodbury Central over West Monona. And he racked up all of that production on just 16 carries.

McGill has already rushed for 496 yards and seven touchdowns through two games, averaging an eye-popping 13.8 yards per carry. He is also a starter on defense for the Wildcats, one of the top teams in Class A, and returns kickoffs.

Davis Tokheim, Laken Caves Explode In The Ground Game

Another strong performance on the ground came courtesy of Davis Tokheim, as the senior led Des Moines Christian to a key win over Roland-Story, 21-15. Tokheim rushed 26 times for 269 yards with three touchdowns, including an 85-yarder.

Laken Caves of Alburnett had his second 200-yard game in two tries this fall, as the University of Northern Iowa commit went for 215 with two touchdowns, highlighted by a 61-yarder. He added a 24-yard receiving touchdown and four tackles on defense.

Caves has 504 yards rushing this season.

Henry Smid, Emri Jones Show Off In Class 5A Battle Between Dowling Catholic, Johnston

Last year, Dowling Catholic leaned heavily on Ian Middleton as they made a run to the Class 5A state championship. This season, Henry Smid is looking like the workhorse back to rely on.

Smid rushed for 250 yards and scored a touchdown in a thrilling 41-35 victory over Johnston.

In that same game, Johnston’s Emri Jones showed off his speed, rushing for an 84-yard touchdown and hauling in an 80-yard receiving score. He finished with 168 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns, averaging almost 13 yards per touch.

Braydan Doss had himself a night in a tough loss by Lewis Central to Sergeant Bluff-Luton. The junior did all he could, rushing 26 times for 234 yards with three touchdowns.

Handful Of Others Rush For Over 200 Yards

Hampton-Dumont/CAL’s Lukas Showalter, Tyce Wilkner from MFL MarMac and Nathan Bixel of West Hancock were among those who ran for over 200 yards. Showalter had 227 with three touchdowns, Wikner went for 209 with four scores and Bixel had 207 and a touchdown.

Not to be outdone even though he just missed the 200-yard mark was Landen Nelson of Northwood-Kensett. Nelson, a senior, had 199 yards and three touchdowns on six carries. That comes out to over 33 yards per carry.

And the producers were not limited to just running backs. Creston’s Tanner Ray, who had a game with over 300 passing yards earlier this year, rushed for 232 yards and scored four touchdowns on 13 carries in a 56-21 victory over Winterset.