Last year, Ryan Love served as an understudy to running back Zier Williams.
The current Deer Lakes senior tailback learned and grew in the game during his junior season, one that saw the Lancers finish 8-3 and record their third straight trip to the WPIAL playoffs.
When he got the chance to carry the football, he did so with power. He finished the season with 147 yards and a touchdown (against East Allegheny) on 21 carries.
With Williams now playing collegiately at Grove City, Love is looking forward to leading a running back group for a Lancers team that, again, has designs on making noise in the Allegheny 7 Conference and beyond.
"I have some big shoes to fill. Zier did a very good job, and he was a really good teacher. I learned a lot with his help," Love said. "But I feel confident that I can come in and do the job. With the big, experienced line we have in front of us, all returning guys, we have the confidence to run the ball hard and make plays."
Love said he took advantage of every opportunity last year on both sides of the ball -- he started at linebacker -- and went into the offseason ready to work.
"I could see I improved throughout the year," Love said. "I got a few more chances to carry the ball toward the end of season. I was happy to be able to show what I could do. I was focused on the games we had last year, but I also was kind of looking ahead with thoughts of what I could do when it was my time."
Deer Lakes last year finished runner-up to Imani in the conference and lost to North Catholic, 21-14, in the first round of the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs.
Love said the dedication to the weight room set the table for other advancements from the winter through the summer leading up to heat acclimation workouts last week and the start of official preseason camp Monday afternoon.
"We were all accountable with each other and made sure that we took advantage of every opportunity to be together and work," Love said. "I really worked on increasing my speed and improving my vision of the field and finding the holes. I wanted to make sure I got bigger and stronger, so I can run through and over people."
Love knows he will be highly featured in the Lancers backfield, but he also knows he won't be alone.
Sophomore Roman Smith, who tallied 82 yards and a score on eight carries last year, will be in the mix to form a formidable 1-2 punch.
"Roman is definitely more of a speed back which will help us," Love said. "I am more of a power back. The coaches will be able to determine which situations will work the best for both of us. I am the one that could get the call if we need someone to punch it up the middle. Roman is really quick and can get into the secondary before defenses have enough time to react."
Love said the offense can be balanced as it has been the past several years with the likes of Williams, quarterbacks Jake Fleischer and Derek Burk and wideout Zach Grant.
Deer Lakes offensive coordinator Adam Santoro said it will be fun to game-plan with Love and Smith.
"Ryan has more of that north-south build where he's going to make that one cut and drop his pad level," Santoro said. "Roman has the ability to make people miss, get up the sideline, and turn it into a foot race."
Santoro said Love has grown into a senior leader.
"Ryan was a grinder in the weight room through the winter months," Santoro said. "Once we got on the field, he really led by example. He's a quiet kid. You don't hear much from him, so you kind of have to check in and make sure everything is good.
"He has a tremendous work ethic. He takes coaching so well, which makes it even better. Ryan has definitely put himself in a very good situation. He has embraced his role and has developed the running back position into his own."
Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at [email protected].