PINE GROVE — How do you find success as a running back when everyone in the stadium knows you’re getting the ball?
From the stands to the Cardinals’ sideline to the opposing bench, everyone knows that when Pine Grove is on offense, there’s a strong chance the ball winds up in the hands of No. 21, senior running back Logan Troup.
One of the state’s most productive rushers this season, Troup has been the definition of a bell-cow back for Pine Grove.
Through seven games, he has accounted for 251 of the Cardinals’ 320 total carries, racking up 1,387 yards and 13 touchdowns along the way. He has run for at least 100 yards in six of seven games and is averaging 5.5 yards per carry, all despite opposing defensive coordinators continuously stacking the box with eight or nine defenders in an effort to slow him down.
It’s a position Troup enjoys being in.
“It feels good,” Troup said. “Sometimes they can’t stop it. It’s great to be that guy where everybody’s looking for him to make the plays.”
“He’s confident in what we do, he’s confident in himself,” Pine Grove Coach Dave Shiffer said. “A lot of people mention the workload he gets, and he’ll be the first one to tell you: the more carries he gets and the more times he touches the ball, the harder he runs. As he gets tired and everybody else is getting tired, he elevates his game.
“It is no secret, everybody knows what we’re doing. But the difference is, he has the confidence in it, the linemen have the confidence in it, the fullback and tight end have the confidence in it, and that’s what makes it work.”
‘A higher standard’
While Troup has developed into not just one of the Schuylkill League’s best running backs, but one of the top rushers in the state. His biggest improvement over the years has come in his maturation and leadership, says Shiffer.
“(He’s) one of the hardest working, most disciplined kids,” Shiffer said. “When we have film, he’s the one that puts the basket out and tells everybody to put their phones in, so they’re focused on film and not on their phones. He just holds everybody to a higher standard.”
A perfect example of that leadership and holding his teammates to a higher standard occurred Wednesday. As the Cardinals wrapped up practice, Troup and the team captains ensured everyone completed a series of conditioning drills to address an earlier portion of practice the captains deemed unacceptable.
Troup led the sprints himself, despite bearing no fault for the mistake that caused them.
“To see a kid grow as a person like Troup has, and just grow to be a leader and a role model for the younger kids, is absolutely amazing,” Shiffer continued. “And the tone that he sets at practice, things get tough, right? We have two wins this year, we’re in Week 8, it’s a long season. And he just elevates the effort of everyone else and holds his teammates accountable.”
For Troup, the leadership role is one that brings a sense of pride and one he takes with the utmost seriousness.
“It’s very important,” he said. “We hold our guys accountable every day. So it’s good to have a leader that holds people accountable and just makes people work day-in and day-out.”
That accountability and leadership has built a strong brotherhood throughout the small Pine Grove team.
“The culture of this group of guys, it’s cliché to say it’s a brotherhood, but they do get along. They love like brothers, they fight like brothers, and they pick each other up like brothers, and it’s enjoyable to coach that,” Shiffer said. “It’s a long season. We’ve been at it since May, and we’ve been in the weight room since December, and to have those kids get along that way and have a good relationship, it’s awesome.”
‘They take the beating’
One of the strongest bonds on the field is between a running back and his blockers: the offensive line, fullback, and tight end.
“Our offensive line has been a pleasant surprise for us this year,” Shiffer noted. “We’re starting two freshmen. Last Friday, we started three freshmen on the offensive line and a freshman at tight end. Four out of our guys up front were freshmen, and the development that they’ve had throughout the year is amazing.
“At the same time, we have leaders like Cody Schneck, Beau Lyons, and Scout Frantz that bring those kids along. Showing them how to work hard and the things to do. And Zach Kurtz and Kolbey Buffington, our tight end and fullback, those two guys played line growing up, and now they’re getting to wear the skill numbers and it’s fun for them. They get to carry the ball every once in a while, but they take pride in opening holes for sure, and it’s fun to see.”
For Troup, knowing his blockers are taking the beating for him on every single snap makes him run that much harder.
“They take the beating. They do the hard work for me,” he said. “It’s great. It’s not just five guys, I’d say it’s probably seven guys. My tight end and fullbacks put in the work as well. They just grind it out and make things open up for me, and I’ve got to give credit to them.”
‘We want one more week’
As the season enters its final stretch, the realization that his high school career is winding down has provided an extra gear.
“It makes me push harder,” Troup said, fully aware his high school snaps are running short. “It makes me push my team harder. I hold everybody accountable, it makes me work harder, and for some of the seniors, it’s making them work harder and holding other people accountable too. More people are stepping up as leaders, and we’re just grinding it out.”
For Troup and the Cardinals, the collective mindset has narrowed down to a simple target over the final weeks of the regular season.
“We want to compete as hard as we can,” he said. “We want to win those games. We installed a new motto: We want one more week. We want to make it to playoffs.”
Ultimately, whether it comes three Fridays from now or deeper into November, Troup will soon take off the Pine Grove helmet and jersey for the final time. While the Cardinals’ record during his four-year tenure may not be what he would have hoped for, his performance on the field, especially as a senior, will be something Cardinal fans remember for quite some time.
“I want to be known as a guy that’s resilient,” Troup said when asked how he’d like to be remembered. “A guy that just grinds every play, fighting for extra yards, fighting to make the plays. I want people to be like, ‘Damn, man, he was a decent back and he didn’t give up.’”