On a cool 70-degree evening in Arizona, Micah Newcombe turned on the heat. The Dobson High School (Mesa, AZ) running back rushed for 500 yards and seven touchdowns on 39 carries, etching his name in the record book and leading the Mustangs to a 62-35 win over Paradise Valley (AZ) on Oct. 16.
It was a masterclass for Newcombe, who also had 38 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown, per Richard Obert, who covets high school sports for the Arizona Republic — part of the USA TODAY Network.
How does this stack up in the Arizona history books?
Arizona rushing records
Newcombe enters the top-10 for rushing yards in a single game in the 2A-6A conferences, according to the Arizona Interscholastic Association. While he didn't quite match the record of 566 yards set by Ethan Johnson in 2015, he becomes the sixth player to rush for 500 yards in a game. The new top 10:
- 566, Ethan Johnson, 2015
- 518, Dylan Lee Williams, 2022
- 516, Sean Fitzsimmons, 2013
- 514, Christian Velasquez, 2017
- 508, D.J. Foster, 2011
- 500, Micah Newcombe, 2026
- 469, Stanley Jackson, 1976
- 468, Christian Wilridge, 2015
- 453, Vincen Wagner, 2018
- 444, Malik Taylor, 2018
Johnson's 566 is the record for the 5A Conference, which Dobson plays in. The record for Arizona's highest classification, 6A, is 518 by Lee.
Micah Newcombe's season
Newcombe is now up to 1,376 yards and 14 touchdowns on the season, according to MaxPreps stats through the first seven games and Obert's report on the eighth. He also entered the game with 47 tackles and five tackles for loss from the linebacker position, both of which are second-most on the team.
His performance Friday helped Dobson even its record at 4-4 on the year. The Mustangs have two more games in the regular season.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Performance of the year? Arizona high school RB rushes for 500 yards, 8 TDs