Top LA City Section Running Backs (6-10)

When people talk about the top high school football in Southern California, they talk about the Southern Section and the San Diego Section. The Los Angeles City Section is often neglected and it's a shame because there is quality football being played at the top of the Section. Top programs like Narbonne, Birmingham, San Pedro and Crenshaw can hang with a good percentage of Southern Section teams on the field. NFL stars like Nnamdi Asomugha, Dashon Goldson, Malik Jackson, Mitchell Schwartz and Hayes Pullard III played their high school football in the LA City Section. Here is a look at five of the top ten running backs in the LA City Section: <strong>10. Virgil Tynes III, Manual Arts, Los Angeles, 2021</strong> Tynes is a hair under 6-feet tall and 180 pounds and doubles as an outside linebacker. He is very fast in the open field and even returns punts. He doesn't play side-to-side too much and he makes one move and goes. Tynes has excellent field vision which is helpful when he catches passes in the screen game and he is not afraid of contact. He definitely has the skillset to play at the next level and could garner some Division 3 offers during his senior year. https://twitter.com/virgiltynes/status/1235723073849942016?s=20 <strong>9. Elias Tuscano, Kennedy, Granada Hills, 2021</strong> Kennedy runs a variety of personnel groups and Tuscano excels in all of them. When they need short yardage they run 22 personnel (two running backs, two tight ends) and he can barrel through the line and get five yards. They run 10 personnel (one running back, no tight ends) and they hand him the ball and he can make one cut and break for 10 yards. Tuscano hits the hole hard and breaks tackles. He doesn't have the breakaway speed of some of the other players on this list, but he knows how to play football and will put up big numbers as a senior at Kennedy. <em><strong><a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/9838262/5dd0ea585b3e660fe40ccfdc">Hudl link</a></strong></em> <strong>8. Tyler Smith, Birmingham, Lake Balboa, 2021</strong> The first play on Smith's Hudl film is him trucking an opposing player in front of the Birmingham sidelines and his teammates erupting. Smith is a bruiser for his size at 5-foot-10 and 160-pounds. He also has some speed and can turn on the jets once he hits the corner into the open field. Birmingham is the defending City Section Open Division champion and they are losing Mason White to graduation and Marcus Arthur who transferred to Simi Valley, so Smith should get more touches and rack up touchdowns for the Patriots this season. <em><strong><a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/8044337/Tyler-Smith">Hudl link</a></strong></em> <strong>7. Caleb McCarty, Cleveland, Reseda, 2021</strong> Cleveland is a classic double-wing team and McCarty was part of a running back duo last year with Kariem Muhammad and they were dominant on the field. They would get the ball to McCarty with normal sweeps and with counters and when he breaks into the open field he is very dangerous. He also is a kick returner and makes big plays on special teams, even against superior competition. McCarty was All-CIF as a junior and will be the primary running back for Cleveland and can very well get some looks from Division 3 colleges. https://twitter.com/cavsfball/status/1165309564390129664?s=20 <em><strong><a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/10858599/5dfba6aa664b920e3c5ca60d">Hudl link</a></strong></em> <strong>6. Jorge Hernandez, Canoga Park, Canoga Park, 2021</strong> Hernandez has some of the most impressive numbers of any returning player in the City Section. Part of the reason for that is because City Section coaches are notoriously bad at updating stats online, but I digress. Hernandez rushed for 1,310 yards and 26 touchdowns for the Hunters last season, which earned him First Team All-City Section Division II honors. He is a big guy at 6-feet and 200 pounds, breaks tackles and when he gets into the open field, he is fast enough to score. Hernandez could very easily be higher on this list and will be one of the leading rushers in the Section again as a senior and should garner some recruiting attention. Oh and he helped lead the Hunters to a CIF- Division II championship. <em><strong><a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13688216/5e5780564205f8007c12960a">Hudl link</a></strong></em> &nbsp;