Two running backs, one big success for Rams
Ringgold’s Chacar Berry has rushed for 1,162 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Ringgold’s Brenden Small has rushed for 806 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Chacar Berry was once a small freshman running back watching a highly touted upperclassman make highlight-reel plays in front of sold-out crowds at Joe Montana Stadium.
Berry, now a senior running back for Ringgold, remembers those nights in 2012 when Demetrius Louis shined. Carrying the football was unlikely, but Berry treasured every second he was on the field for special teams.
It was on those plays that he developed a reputation as a hard-working, hard-nosed player who would do whatever it took to help the Rams win. He was hungry to prove everyone he was not too small to be an every-down tailback.
Berry worked his way into the starting role as a sophomore and though he entered preseason football camp in 2014 as the only proven running back, he wanted to show a new coaching staff he was capable of carrying the load on offense.
Brenden Small had other plans. An incoming freshman, Small was dominant in middle school, drawing the praise of many in the community, and wanted to play right away. Berry saw that confidence in practice and knew what it was like to be a young player trying to get noticed.
Both wanted to be ‘the guy,’ but Berry didn’t want that desire to fracture what could be a special combination.
“I just told him that we’re going to need each other,” Berry said. “We competed, but in the end, we knew that the team was going to need both of us to win these games.”
Berry, a powerful, shifty, between-the-tackles runner, assumed the starting role and Small, now a sophomore with sprinter speed, became the change-of-pace threat. The thunder and lightning duo helped the Rams become a prolific offense the past two seasons, leading them to a 19-3 record.
Their latest challenge will come Friday, when the fifth-seeded Rams (9-1) face fourth-seeded Mars (9-1) in the WPIAL Class AAA quarterfinals at Chartiers Valley. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m.
The Planets will plan to stop Berry and Small – an arduous task few teams have been able to accomplish. Berry has rushed for 1,162 yards and 14 touchdowns on 158 carries. Small, who stretches defenses with sweeps to the outside, has 806 yards with 12 touchdowns, averaging more than 10 yards per carry.
“In my opinion, I don’t think any defense can stop the both of us, especially with our offensive line,” Small said. “I don’t think we can be stopped. We should definitely be able to make it to Heinz Field. We need to become one team and forget about stats. We have to do whatever it takes to get to Heinz Field for our city and our school.”
Playing a position that is known for its egos and personalities, Berry and Small have not only learned to coexist, they work together. Last season, when the latter was struggling to learn the offense, it was Berry who helped him learn the playbook, showing him what cuts to make on certain runs and how to read a defense.
Though he is soft-spoken and humble, which he credits to those days of special teams work and being labeled too short, Berry has become one of Ringgold’s leaders on a team that is trying to make history.
“I’m his mentor,” Berry said. “Everything he struggles with, I help him through it on the field. It’s paying off. He’s starting to come along and taking some weight off my shoulders.”
His running style is a reflection of the chip on his shoulder. Like any underclassman, Small is more laid back and a jokester, but Berry is there to preach the same message that solidified the Rams’ backfield a year ago – it takes a team to win a championship.
Those early days last season weren’t easy for Small. He knows people were expecting greatness and he wants the same. His father, Ramont, was a standout at Ringgold who went on to play collegiately at the University of Akron and Washington & Jefferson College. It was only natural that Small, who is nicknamed “Bam,” follow in those footsteps.
The two running backs expect much from themselves, and while some high school athletes welter under that kind of pressure, Berry and Small have thrived, helping the Rams’ offense average more than 30 points per game.
They have created a predicament for not only opposing coaches, but Ringgold head coach Nick Milchovich is tasked with how to utilize both.
“We’ve come up with ways to get the two on the field at the same time and it’s electric,” Milchovich said. “It really gets interesting when they’re both on the field. Teams have to account for both guys.”
His game plan was delayed when Berry was limited by an ankle injury during the regular season. With the three-year starter now healthy, Milchovich has opened up his playbook to keep opponents guessing.
Both players know they’re capable of producing impressive statistics, but it doesn’t matter to them. All they care about is leading Ringgold to the WPIAL championship game at Heinz Field.
“This year, it’s all about winning games and making it to Heinz Field,” Berry said. “I’m just focused on winning. The stats will be there. We won’t be talking about stats down the road. Years from now, it won’t be about rushing for 1,000 yards, it will be about we won together at Heinz Field.”