Oct 17, 2018 3 min read

Name: Drew Engel

School: Canon-McMillan

Class: Senior

Sport: Football

Engel’s week: In what was essentially a must-win game for Canon-McMillan, the senior wide receiver made his first varsity start at running back a memorable one. Engel rushed for 292 yards and three touchdowns on 33 carries to inch the Big Macs closer to a playoff berth with a 34-12 victory over Norwin.

Engel scored on runs of 14, 15 and nine yards as Canon-McMillan gained an edge for the sixth and final playoff spot in Class 6A.

“I was pretty excited when (coach Mike Evans) asked me,” Engel said of a meeting the Tuesday before the victory. “He believed in me, and I believed in myself. If we are winning, nothing else matters.”

He was replacing injured running back Josh O’Hare.

Engel entered the game with only two carries on the season – both jet sweeps – but reverted back to his youth football days when he played running back. It was the first time he lined up in the backfield as a tailback since eighth grade.

“Having played the position before did help,” Engel said. “It was like riding a bike. I took the first few series to get acclimated and then it came back. But the holes were there all night. Everything was open. Our offensive line works so hard and they kept talking about my 292 yards after the game. I told them, ‘That’s all you guys.'”

Whatever it takes: Through seven games, Engel has been successful in every phase of the game for Canon-McMillan. He has 25 catches for 372 yards, forced turnovers on defense and serves as a returner on special teams.

“If I had to play guard or center I would,” Engel said. “We are doing something special this year. I’d say (the win over Norwin) was the biggest of my career. That was a playoff win for us. Every game from this point forward is considered a playoff game.”

Nobody, including Evans, knew how many yards Engel amassed until the game was over. Evans pointed back to a mark set in 2015 in his first season as the Big Macs’ coach, when Bryan Milligan ran for 301 yards in a win over Baldwin.

“Milligan broke the record for yards per game in 2015,” Evans said. “But you just don’t know how many carries (Drew) can take. He was supposed to be a running back his freshman year but got moved to quarterback out of necessity. We had messed around with the possibility of running some wildcat. He is a kid who we just want to get the ball into his hands. It’s a lot easier to just hand it to him. That was one of the top-five rushing performances in Canon-McMillan history. You have to give the kid a lot of credit.”

Compiled by staff writer Luke Campbell.