As the clock hit double zeros at Northwest Christian High School on Friday night, running back Tarrik Workman walked off the field having just ran for a season-high 177 yards and accounting for three of his team’s six touchdowns, but you would never know it.

After the game, Workman quietly stood off to the side with his teammates and family, chatting about the game. When asked about his night, having found the end zone three times and igniting the offense, Workman humbly shifted the credit saying, “The line played the best they have all year. They were getting off the ball, creating holes, so all credit goes to the line.”

Workman was inserted into the game early in the first quarter when starting running back Brigham Nilsen went out with an injury. With the game tied at 7-7, the senior stepped in and led his team down the field, carrying the ball seven times for 59 yards. The drive culminated when Workman sprinted 29 yards to the house.

From there, he and the Patriots never looked back, taking the lead for good and finishing off the Crusaders for a commanding 48-21 victory.

Workman came into the fall as the team’s starting running back but was moved to second string to allow him to focus more at the middle linebacker position. Still though, as Patriots head coach Rich Edwards admittedly said, it was a decision that was hard for Workman.

“He was disappointed to start the year not being our starting running back,” said Edwards. “We just felt with the importance that he is at middle linebacker, we wanted to give Trey (Miller) a chance to take some of that load.”

Despite this, Workman, who came into Friday’s contest having rushed for 152 yards on 39 carries, simply took the opportunity to work harder and when his time came. He was ready.

“Terrik never said a word, worked hard, kept it up, and tonight it paid off for him,” said Edwards.

Workman was a part of an offense that put up an impressive 513 yards of offense, including 238 on the ground, en route to 48 points and a crucial early-season victory over a talented Northwest Christian team that ALA could potentially see again come playoff time.

“This is a big win,” said Workman. “We knew they were coming in wanting to play hard because of the two losses last year, so we figured this was going to be a fight so it was a big win for us. It’s going to set a good tone for the rest of the season.”

Photo credit: Mike Christy/Arizona Daily Star