Vote: Who will be the top West Virginia AAA-A running back of 2024?

The quality of running back play in West Virginia was on full display in the 2023 season in every classification. That’s because the state is filled with running backs who can change games with either their running abilities, catching the ball or both.

There’s no shortage of talented running backs in West Virginia, which makes it hard to pick just one as the best in the area.

So here at SBLive Sports West Virginia, we’re asking you, the fans, to decide.

Vote now on who is the top AAA-A running back in West Virginia for 2024. Voting closes March 28, 2024.

Editor’s note: Our corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. This poll is specifically for fans to vote on the players that have been nominated and in no way discredits any other players who may not be mentioned in our poll.

Here are the nominees: 

Damani Johnson, Fairmont: The 5-foot-8, 175 pound running back had a strong season in 2023, compiling 876 all-purpose yards and scored 12 touchdowns for the Polar Bears. 

Dominick Fantasia, Fairmont: Pairing up with Lowe to create one of the best duos in the backfield in AAA-A is Johnson-Fantasia. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound heads into his senior season as one of the best backs in the state. 

Marquel Lowe, Princeton: When it came to overall yardage and touchdowns, Lowe was one of the tops among them all in West Virginia. Lowe finished 2023 rushing for 1,267 yards and scoring 18 touchdowns. 

Blake Fisher, Herbert Hoover: Fisher had himself a solid campaign running the ball for Herbert Hoover. The 5-foot-8, 175-pound back totaled 1,307 all-purpose yards and scored 15 touchdowns. 

Clay Walker, Roane County: The Raiders’ bellcow running back had a good season in the backfield, rushing for 383 yards on 85 carries and scored five touchdowns. 

Lynken Joy, Williamstown: Helping the Yellow Jackets go 14-0 and winning a state championship was the goal for Joy and crew. The running back in the process rushed for 1,456 yards and scored 15 touchdowns. 

Connor Lambert, Wahama: Lambert was another running back that put up some big numbers for a playoff team. The running back rushed for 1,327 yards on 99 carries and scored 22 touchdowns. 

Kaiden Hayton, Wayne: Though the running back saw minimal time a year ago, expect Hayton’s numbers to explode in 2024. Hayton rushed for 162 yards and two touchdowns last fall. 

Isaac Martin, Wheeling Central: The running back rushed for 756 yards and scored 10 touchdowns for the Maroon Knights last season. 

-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivesports