A.J. Lamb Powers Columbia Raiders to 3,511 Rushing Yards

Columbia’s a.J. Lamb paves the way as Xavier Hendon reaches 2,000 rushing yards

Running back Xavier Hendon crossed the 2,000-yard rushing mark this season, and the Columbia senior did not hesitate to point at the man clearing the path. “I would not have as much success as I do now if A.J. Lamb was not on our team,” Hendon said, as Morning Journal reported after the Raiders’ 42-28 win over Firelands. The milestone came with the same blunt honesty Hendon brings to the field: the 6-foot-2, 300-pound right guard is the biggest and strongest lineman on the roster, and he reads blocks well enough to open gaps that turn carries into chunks.

That production is not a solo act. In 10 games, Columbia has rushed for 3,511 yards as a team, averaging 10.1 yards per carry while scoring 41.5 points per game. Nearly 90 percent of the Raiders’ offensive plays involve running the ball, a triple-option scheme opponents know is coming and still struggle to stop.

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A 300-pound transfer becomes the engine

Lamb transferred from Normandy to Columbia ahead of his sophomore season, and coach Michael Rice remembers the first impression vividly. “We came walking out to meet him, and I saw Lamb walking in, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ We could not have asked for someone better. It was like a dream,” Rice said. As a sophomore, Lamb played behind standout linemen Chase Vogue and Nate Chapman, earning playing time on a Division VI regional semifinalist team. In his junior year, he was named Division VI second-team All-Ohio when the Raiders went 9-2, a season that ended in a 34-15 home playoff loss to Dalton in the D-VI, Region 21 quarterfinal.

“We could not have asked for a better human being, coming from a better family. He has been great since the moment he came to Columbia. He is a hard-working kid, who is respectful and does everything we asked him to do. He is a giant and he is a really good football player on top of that.” — Columbia coach Michael Rice

The rest of the line has grown up around him. Sophomore left tackle Kyle Molnar, senior left guard Alex Andrews, junior center Ethan Hanna and sophomore right tackle Garrett Bellisario join Lamb in anchoring the offense. Rice calls Lamb the guy the Raiders like to run behind: versatile enough to base block, pull, kick defenders out, veer to the next level and get into space.

Next-play mentality, season-long goal

Lamb approaches each snap with a reset mindset. “If you dwell on plays that already happened, that is how you get in your own head,” Lamb said. “Then, you do not play well and you start spiraling out of control. Instead, if you reset your mind, focus on the next play, that is how you play better.” That focus carried a season-long promise: the linemen told Hendon at the start of the year that they wanted him to have a big year.

“That was our goal of the beginning of the season. We told him that we wanted Hendon to have a big year.” — A.J. Lamb

When Hendon crossed 2,000 yards, Lamb called it one of his favorite memories of the season. The Raiders finished the regular season 9-1, earning the third seed in D-VI, Region 21, and will host a home regional quarterfinal against Hanoverton United on Nov. 6. For a program that runs the ball almost nine times out of ten, the 2,000-yard mark is proof the blocking scheme — and the 300-pound guard at its center — works.

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