Nigel McDuffie didn’t get the chance to carry the football too often during his junior season with a couple of talented running backs in front of him on the depth chart.
But with the departures of last year’s top runners - the opportunities are coming.
In his third game as the feature back, McDuffie found his stride accounting for 141 of McKinley’s 350 rushing yards en route to their 40-16 victory at Niagara Wheatfield.
Through just three games in 2023, the senior has team highs in carries (38), rushing yards (371), and rushing touchdowns (2).
Much of the running back's burst can actually be attributed to his involvement in indoor track and field, which is a team his football coach also coaches.
“It means a lot to coach him in both sports. We’re building a relationship year-round, and once football ends I can make sure he’s training for both track and football,” said head coach Brian Davis.
McDuffie exploded onto the scene in his first game of the season, totaling 202 yards on the ground as well as two trips to the endzone in a 32-22 win over Hamburg. The Macks’ only loss came to Class AA power Bennett.
Outside of the athletic abilities of McDuffie, his head coach raved about the positive attitude in which he carries.
“He’s been real positive, finding ways to motivate his teammates to be better,” Davis said. “He leads by example both on and off the field, carrying a 3.8 GPA in the classroom.”
The Macks host Lockport next on Friday as they look to improve to 3–1 early in the season against a team that allowed 198 yards on the ground, in Week 3.