It’s safe to say that Hoboken High School has had a history of great running backs.
Going back to the Lisa brothers like Jimmy and John, heroes of the 1950s, then continuing into the 1980s and 1990s with players like former Hudson Reporter Male Athlete of the Year Jason Casessa (1991-1992 recipient, first ever), then All-State honorees like Ravon Anderson, Tyrell Dortch and current head coach Keeon Walker, the Redwings have been blessed with superstars in the backfield.
You can add sophomore Kyrin Rhone to the list of Redwing great backs, because the young man is simply electrifying.
In his last two games, Rhone has exploded for 172 yards on 25 carries and followed that game up with a sizzling 208 yards on 12 carries and three touchdowns.
Rhone got his chance to play last year as a freshman after standout Nyjon Freeman suffered the catastrophic knee injury in October. Freeman had reconstructive surgery on his knee and is sitting out all of this season to prepare for his senior year next year.
Rhone didn’t like the way he got his chance to play, but figured he better capitalize on the opportunity.
“When Nyjon went down, I knew I had to take over the spot,” Rhone said. “It was tough for me, not only because I was a freshman, but because Nyjon is a close friend. He’s like a brother to me. But when he got hurt, I knew I had to take over from that point.”
Getting thrown into the fire certainly wasn’t easy.
“But I learned a lot from it,” Rhone said. “I knew I had to grow up real quick and take over my role.”
Walker could see that Rhone had a world of potential.
“He played a little last year,” Walker said. “He basically got on-the-job training and was forced to play varsity football right away. He took on a lot of the workload after Freeman got hurt.”
But did Walker know that Rhone was going to develop into the running back that he has become?
“Yes and no,” Walker said. “He showed a little potential, but he still has a long way to go. He’s just scratching the surface. He’s only a sophomore. But he’s a hard worker. He still had to show us that he could do it regularly. I actually predicted that he would become a great back, but I thought it would come later down the road.”
Rhone was blessed with all the attributes to become a premier running back, an NCAA Division I style back. First of all, he has the size. He’s already 6-feet tall and weighs 225 pounds, so he’s already built like a man at the tender age of 15.
“I just decided that I wanted to be the best running back that I could be,” Rhone said. “I practiced hard. I spent a lot of time in the weight room. I did a lot of strength and conditioning exercises during the summer. So when the season began, I was ready to go.”
Rhone also had some excellent tutors in Walker, who went from being an All-State running back to becoming an All-Big East defensive back at Syracuse, and Dortch, who was an All-American at Hoboken and went on to play at Michigan State before injuries curtailed his career. Both Walker and Dortch are long-time close friends and both are members of the Hoboken Fire Department, along with the aforementioned Casessa (now a captain in the HFD).
Rhone was impressed when he learned of the exploits of two of his coaches.
“They inspire me a lot,” Rhone said. “They tell us all the time about what they used to do and what they needed to do. They tell us stories of how they were as running backs and how they went to college. They always say that they wish they had my size.”
“He’s a big guy with a finesse style of back in his mind,” Walker said. “I told him that it’s okay if he wants to run through people a few times. We’re trying to get him to lower his shoulder and get the extra yards, but he still wants to finesse people. So he’s a work in progress.”
Dortch serves as the Redwings’ running back coach, so he spends most of his time with Rhone.
“He tells me that we have to keep feeding Kyrin the ball,” Walker said. “It’s been fun to watch him develop. Tyrell keeps reminding me that he needs to have a 1,000-yard runner under his belt. Kyrin is just a baby. He’s still learning.”
But it’s not too early for Rhone to start to get recognition from the major colleges.
“We put up a highlight film of him for the schools to see,” Walker said. “We expect him to continue doing this next year and the season after. Like I said, he’s just scratching the surface. He has to stay the course and he’s going to have a bunch of people knocking on his door.”
“When I get the ball, I try to make the most of it,” Rhone said. “It’s hard to believe that I’ve done all this. I didn’t think I’d get the chance this early. Now that I have, I’m trying to make the most of it.”
Rhone, who plays linebacker on defense and does well there as well, is also a good student, so colleges will be after him in the future. But Rhone hopes it’s at one position.
“I like carrying the ball,” Rhone said. “I think it’s my future.”
Right now, it’s his present as well – and Rhone’s been a present for the Hoboken coaching staff, especially the head coach and former star running back…
Last week, Hudson Catholic dropped a hard-fought contest to the state’s No. 1-ranked team, DePaul Catholic, but quarterback Johnathan Bates had a great game, completing 18-of-36 passes for 306 yards and two touchdowns, with Isaiah Decias being the main target, hauling in four passes for 136 yards and a score…
Three former Hudson Reporter Athletes of the Week namely Maasai Maynor of St. Peter’s Prep and Jean Alvarez of Union City had great games. Maynor completed an astounding 15-of-16 passes for 263 yards and five touchdowns in the Marauders’ 42-0 win over Paramus Catholic, while Alvarez continued his workhorse season, rushing for 171 yards on 25 carries and scoring two touchdowns in the Soaring Eagles’ 20-7 win over Shawnee…
But the third member of the AOW club, Jamar Casey of Lincoln, had perhaps the best game of all. Casey rushed for 104 yards on 12 carries and scored three touchdowns and had two receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown in the Lions’ impressive 48-16 win over Nutley in Lincoln Park last Saturday. So much for the Reporter AOW jinx…
Maurice Ezzell had to step in as the starting QB for the Lions in that game, replacing the injured DeShawn Brooks. Ezzell completed nine of 15 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns in that win…
Hudson Reporter High School Football Top Five (as of Oct. 19): 1. St. Peter’s Prep (5-2). 2. Union City (5-1). 3. North Bergen (5-1). 4. Bayonne (5-2). 5. Lincoln (5-2)…
Hudson Reporter High School Soccer Top Five (as of Oct. 19): 1. St. Peter’s Prep (13-2-1). 2. Union City (12-4). 3. Ferris (12-1). 4. Hoboken (11-4-1). 5. North Bergen (7-8-1).
