Oct 8, 2025 By Jerin Steele 4 min read

When he was a kid, Ben Hays heard stories about his dad, Ben Sr., and his football career from people in Ellsworth and Bentleyville.

“I grew up hearing people saying things like ‘Your dad was so good at football and you’re going to be just like him’,” the younger Hays said. “I had a standard to live up to.”

Ben Sr. was a standout at Bentworth and went on to be an All-PAC defensive back at Washington & Jefferson.

The younger Ben is making a name for himself this season.

Hays is the leading rusher in the entire WPIAL with 1,259 yards through seven games, has 20 touchdowns and has helped Bentworth to a 5-2 record overall and a 3-1 mark in the Class A Tri-County South Conference entering a huge matchup Friday with first-place Jefferson-Morgan.

He’s already the single-season rushing record holder at Bentworth with 1,382 yards last season breaking a mark set in 1982 by Tom Lapcevic and seems destined to break his own record this year.

He’s become the latest in a long line of Tri-County South running backs like California’s Lee Qualk and West Greene’s Ben Jackson among others that have either won the WPIAL rushing title or put themselves in the conversation for it.

Hays is aware of his ranking and those that are chasing him like Leechburg’s Tim Andrasy and Mars’ Ayden Yocum, but getting into the playoffs is more important to him than a rushing title.

“I can’t say I envisioned this, but it’s nice,” Hays said. “It’s not my focus though. My focus is winning games whether that means I get no yards or 200 yards.”

The race for the rushing title is tight, so it remains to be seen if Hays will win it, but one thing is certain, he is making his dad proud. Ben Sr. said it’s a dream come true to see him succeed and that his son is the better athlete between the two.

Hays said the foundation for this season started with maturity. He admitted there were times in his freshman, sophomore and junior years that he did not feel he gave 100-percent and made it a point to dedicate himself 100-percent to football for his senior year.

Bentworth coach Dave Pordash, saw the drive Hays had in offseason workouts.

“Ben worked all summer for this season,” Pordash said. “He put on 20 pounds from last year. He has been a leader in every way, on and off the field. He is also very humble.”

Hays’ humbleness showed when he was asked what has made him successful this year. He gave credit to his offensive line for clearing the way for him and the defense for getting stops to give him more opportunities to carry the ball.

“My O-line…I love those boys and they are more than half of the reason I’m getting all these yards,” Hays said. “Any running back that doesn’t have a good O-line doesn’t get the opportunity to run and I’m just blessed to have an O-line that allows me to get yards and score.”

Hays showed he’s more than just a running back Friday against West Greene. He scored five touchdowns and four of them were different ways.

In the second quarter he had a 4-yard touchdown run, a pick-six, and a punt return for a touchdown. He added another rushing score in the second half and caught a touchdown pass.

It was a fun homecoming game and Hays believes the good times will continue with how hard the team is working.

“Everyone cared to start this year and we’re still caring,” Hays said. “We’re all putting in work. I’ve been working harder this year and everybody is pushing each other to work harder.”