Brownsville had 鈥楧ynamic Duo鈥� of Gaddis and Grashion in 1984
Back in the day having two 1,000-yard rushers on a high school football team was a bit of a rarity. It has become more commonplace today.
In 1984 the Brownsville Falcons on their way to an unbeaten regular season were blessed with two 1,000-yard backs in Carl Gaddis and Mike Grashion.
It was unusual to have two 1,000-yard backs back then. It has become easier in today蘑菇视频 game.
When a running back hits 1,000 yards in a season, it蘑菇视频 kind of a big deal. At least it used to be. Now, the standard for an individual successful season on the ground appears to be 2,000 yards rushing in a season.
But what if two running backs on the same football team hit 1,000 rushing yards in a season? That feat is a rare occurrence, correct?
Truthfully, it蘑菇视频 not as rare as you might think.
Given the fact that most Pennsylvania football teams follow a running orientation on offense, seeing two backfield mates each eclipse 1,000 rushing yards in the same season is not all that rare.
Part of the reason for the spike in this statistic comes from the increase in length of the
high school football season. Back in 1988, when the PIAA playoffs were in their
inaugural season, teams that qualified for the state finals played a maximum of 14 games. Nowadays, the eight teams that qualify for Hershey play a total of 16 games.
Back in the day teams played maybe eight-, nine-, or 10-game schedules. A feat like two 1,000-yard rushers in those days was practically unheard of. But today, assuming a 16-game schedule, two backs each only need to average 62.5 yards per game to hit the mark.
But in 1984 when Gaddis rushed for 1,334 yards and Grashion rushed for 1,103 yards it was a big deal.
鈥淚t was something else,鈥� Gaddis stated. 鈥淚t was something that I鈥檒l never forget and we went undefeated that year. It was an accomplishment.鈥�
Grashion didn鈥檛 think about the numbers at all.
鈥淚t was difficult,鈥� Grashion offered. 鈥淏ut you know what? I didn鈥檛 even think about it at all.鈥�
Football starts up front and the Falcons offensive line made the rushing feat possible.
鈥淥ur offensive line was very good,鈥� Gaddis pointed out. 鈥淲ithout them what we did would never happen. We had a heck of a team.鈥�
Gaddis, 5-foot-9 and 150 pounds, and Grashion, 5-11 and 180, both had different running styles.
鈥淗e had more moves,鈥� Grashion said. 鈥淚 had more power. I was a halfback and I had speed. I just didn鈥檛 have any moves.鈥�
Brownsville went 6-4 in 1983 with a tough 8-7 loss to Moon in the WPIAL playoffs. Gaddis rushed for 1,113 yards as a junior, so the Falcons were primed for a big season in 1984.
鈥淲e figured we鈥檇 be good,鈥� Grashion said. 鈥淲e put in the offseason and worked hard.鈥�
Brownsville finished as Century Conference champs with a 9-0-1 record. The tie was against Beaver Falls 10-10.
鈥淭here was no egos on the team,鈥� Grashion opined. 鈥淚t was an actual team, we all cared about each other.鈥�
鈥淲e had a team that was like a family,鈥� Gaddis recalled. 鈥淪ome of us are still close to this day. I was the captain of the team and we basically stuck together as one and that蘑菇视频 why we succeeded throughout that year.鈥�
Brownsville was coached by Lou DeSimone and both Gaddis and Grashion had great respect for him.
鈥淗e was a football guy,鈥� Grashion stated. 鈥淲e would all probably run through a wall for him. Our whole coaching staff was great. We got along with all our coaches.鈥�
鈥淛ust like any other player we were pretty close,鈥� Gaddis stated. 鈥淗e was a fair guy and a player蘑菇视频 coach.鈥�
One of the highlights of the season was the showdown with Washington High School and their great running back Brian Davis. The newspapers played up the head-to-head with Gaddis and Davis.
鈥淚 wrote it down on the calender,鈥� Gaddis revealed. 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 wait for that day.鈥�
The showdown didn鈥檛 materialize because Davis was injured early in the second quarter and finished with 11 yards on five carries. Gaddis carried the ball 17 times for 87 yards and one touchdown in the Falcons鈥� 20-14 win.
Brownsville suffered a disappointing 15-14 loss to Riverside in the WPIAL playoffs ending their outstanding season. It was a bitter pill to swallow.
鈥淚t蘑菇视频 something you never forget about,鈥� Gaddis explained. 鈥淵ou think about what might have been. We played in bad weather. Against Riverside we were playing in four inches of mud. It was a game I鈥檒l never forget.鈥�
鈥淭o be honest with you what really hurt us in the playoffs was the last game of the season when one of our better defensive players got hurt,鈥� Grashion lamented 鈥淐lement Wynn broke his leg in a 31-12 victory over Burgettstown and that hurt us for the playoffs. He was our fullback and one of our linebackers and that really hurt us.
鈥淏oth my junior and senior years we lost by one point in both playoff games and played in bad weather. We played in five inches of snow my junior year at Moon and lost 8-7 and then the mud against Riverside and lost by a point 15-14. We think about what might have been.鈥�
Gaddis and Grashion both played college football.
鈥淚 played at Cal for four years,鈥� Grashion offered. 鈥淚 played for Jeff Petrucci and we were competitive. I was a defensive cornerback.鈥�
鈥淚 went to Pittsburg State in Kansas,鈥� Gaddis said. 鈥淚 only played a year which was disappointing because my freshman year my parents got laid off and I couldn鈥檛 afford tuition, I only had half a scholarship and I came back home and have been working ever since.
鈥淚 started my freshman year as a safety on defense. It was a disappointment I didn鈥檛 get to continue playing, but things happen for a reason.鈥�
Gaddis, 57, has been married to his wife Angie for 30-plus years and they have two adult sons. Gaddis works as a coal miner.
Grashion,56, has been married to his wife Barb for 33 years and they have two daughters and four grandchildren. He has been employed at Famous Supply for 33 years.
George Von Benko蘑菇视频 鈥淢emory Lane鈥� column appears in the Sunday editions of the 蘑菇视频. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.