Top 100 single season rushing yardage totals in high school football history

Or maybe not.


In 1950, he was a high school sophomore at now-closed Netcong High School and became a national phenomenon with his high-scoring ways. In eight games, Giannantonio scored 246 points to lead the nation. Season rushing totals for Giannantonio were not listed by any of the major newspapers in New Jersey at the time and no season rushing totals were listed for at least 20 years. He faded from the national public consciousness for most of the rest of the century.

Enter Kenneth Hall. Known as the "Sugar Land Express" because he was a prolific rusher and scorer for now-closed Sugar Land High School, Hall earned All-American status in 1953 by scoring a national-record 395 points. Ironically, Hall’s rushing records were never mentioned. In fact, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, in documenting Hall’s presence on the all-state team, noted that "there haven’t been any yardage records kept on his performances."

Then there were no national mentions of Hall, or Giannantonio, for the next 20 years. One reason, there was no national record book. Hall’s name came back in the news in 1973 when Houston Chronicle sports writer Bill McMurray took over the project of sportswriter Orland Sims (who had passed away) to produce a Texas high school sports state record book. That was the first place that Hall’s single-season (and career) totals were published.

Doug Huff put together the first semblance of a national record book in 1974 while writing for Letterman, a national high school sports magazine, and he had Hall as the single-season record holder. Giannantonio was nowhere to be found.

In 1976, however, New Providence (N.J.) running back Ted Blackwell was threatening Giannantonio’s scoring records. A column by Dan Castellano about Blackwell in the Morristown Daily Record listed Giannantonio's 1950 yardage total as 4,756 "yards gained." This is the first mention of Giannantonio's yardage total. The "yards gained" is important because it doesn’t necessarily say "rushing yards."

When the NFHS Record Book began publication in 1978, using much of Huff’s research, Hall was the single season leader and Giannantonio wasn't included. Hall remained No. 1 on the list until 1996 when Travis Henry of Frostproof (Fla.) passed him with 4,087 yards. Then, Tyler Ebell of Ventura (Calif.) passed Henry in 2000 with 4,495 yards.

In 2001, Huff published his own national football record book and Giannantonio makes an appearance with 750 rushing yards in one game. However, Ebell was listed as the single-season rushing yardage record holder.

It was after 2001 that Giannantonio entered the NFHS record book with his 4,756 "rushing" yards. To quote Hamlet, "ay, there’s the rub." Several years prior, in 1999, Bob Shwalb of the Morristown Daily Record delved into the microfilm at the Morristown County Library and sought to compile Giannantonio's single-season rushing total. Since the Daily Record staffed every one of Giannantonio's games in 1950, Shwalb was able to get a good idea of Giannantonio’s rushing total — and it wasn’t 4,756 yards.

Shwalb's news brief in 1999, and lengthy feature story in 2000, listed Giannantonio with 4,756 "all-purpose" yards, not rushing yards. It also listed Giannantonio's best all-time single game rushing total as 514 yards, not 750 (which was recognized by Schwalb as an all-purpose total). There is also a story in the Star-Ledger on Oct. 13, 2000 that clearly states Giannantonio's 4,756 yards are "all-purpose" yards.

There are many mentions in Lloyde Glicken's columns in the Newark Star-Ledger during the 1970s and 80s of Giannantonio's scoring exploits, but no mention of 4,756 yards. In fact, Glicken mentions in 1980 that Giannantonio "rushed for over 3,000 yards" as a sophomore and that he had three games "over 500 yards." According to the NFHS, Giannantonio "averaged" 594 yards rushing per game. This clearly doesn't jibe.

Yet Giannantonio’s 4,756-yard total continues to be recognized as the national record. It’s possible that the record has fallen victim to "The Mandela Effect," which is a theory, coined by Fiona Broome, about false memories that derives its name from the false belief that Nelson Mandela died in a South African prison in the 1980s when actually he died a free man in 2013. Perhaps the first mention of Giannantonio's total of 4,756 "yards gained" in 1976 turned into "rushing yards" over the years. The mistake is repeated enough times to become a false memory in the collective consciousness of high school football fans and sports reporters.

There’s even some doubt about Hall’s totals, since the Sugar Land newspaper that covered Hall burned down, according to a story in Sports Illustrated in 1982, and all of the accounts of Hall’s exploits were lost. There's some doubt as to whether Hall's totals might be for total offense, rather than just rushing. However, McMurray's record book does list Hall’s totals as "rushing" totals and has separate passing yardage totals listed as well.

Which leaves the question, who holds the national single season rushing record? It could be Dominick Bragalone of South Williamsport (Pa.), who rushed for 4,704 yards in 16 games in 2014. For now, however, Giannantonio remains No. 1, and we turn to "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" for the reason why.

The film stars Jimmy Stewart in which his character, Ranse Stoddard, has legendarily, yet erroneously, been credited for killing the dastardly title character. Upon hearing the true story from Stoddard, reporter Maxwell Scott is asked what story he’s going to print. His reply: "When legend becomes fact, print the legend."

In this case, Giannantonio is still the legend.

Following are the top 100 single season high school rushing totals. Some of the totals might not necessarily match totals reported to MaxPreps. Records for Texas come from Joe Lee Smith of Texas High School Football History while other totals come from MaxPreps leaderboards, state association websites and the NFHS record book.

Top 100 Single Season Rushing Leaders
1.   4,756 — John Giannantonio, Netcong (N.J.), 1950 (40 TDs)
2.   4,704 — Dominick Bragalone, South Williamsport (Pa.), 2014 (316 carries, 64 TDs)
3.   4,495 — Tyler Ebell, Ventura (Calif.), 2000 (401 carries, 64 TDs)
4.   4,459 — Eric Melesio, Norte Vista (Riverside, Calif.), 2016 (478 carries, 56 TDs)
5.   4,261 — Derrick Henry, Yulee (Fla.), 2012 (462 carries, 55 TDs)
6.   4,259 — Kellen Overstreet, Penney (Hamilton, Mo.), 2014 (401 carries, 65 TDs)
7.   4,187 — Zach Barket, Schuylkill Haven (Pa.), 2008 (406 carries, 65 TDs)
8.   4,128 — Daniel Bangura, Harvest Prep (Ohio), 2016 (372 carries, 54 TDs)
9.   4,087 — Travis Henry, Frostproof (Fla.), 1996 (363 carries, 34 TDs)
10. 4,045 — Ken Hall, Sugar Land (Texas), 1953 (57 TDs)

11. 4,036 — Jacob Taylor, Rim of the World (Calif.), 2012 (416 carries, 57 TDs)
12. 3,910 — Johnathan Gray, Aledo (Texas), 2011 (357 carries, 70 TDs)
13. 3,890 — Trey Williams, Dekaney (Houston, Texas), 2011 (427 carries, 50 TDs)
14. 3,887 — Joseph Sadler, Devine (Texas), 2011 (385 carries, 61 TDs)
15. 3,867 — Arkeel Newsome, Ansonia (Conn.), 2013 (333 carries, 64 TDs)
16. 3,846 — Austin Scott, Parkland (Allentown, Pa.), 2002 (53 TDs)
17. 3,839 — Christian Hunter, Kaiser (Fontana, Calif.), 2018 (379 carries, 55 TDs)
18. 3,826 — Jordan Roberts, Scott (Madison, W.Va.), 2007 (336 carries, 48 TDs)
19. 3,794 — Kevin Parks, West Rowan (Mt. Ulla, N.C.), 2009 (407 carries, 59 TDs)
20. 3,776 — Gerald Jones, Pawnee (Okla.), 2004

21. 3,763 — Arkeel Newsome, Ansonia (Conn.), 2011 (313 carries, 58 TDs)
22. 3,734 — Tre Watson, Centennial (Corona, Calif.), 2013 (417 carries, 50 TDs)
23. 3,715 — DeShawn Smith, Nature Coast Tech (Fla.), 2015 (241 carries, 60 TDs)
24. 3,701 — Rodney Thomas, Groveton (Texas), 1990 (49 TDs)
25. 3,690 — W.C. Roberts, McMinnville (Tenn.), 1928 (41 TDs)
26. 3,683 — Gunnar Martin, Polo (Mo.), 2015 (302 carries, 52 TDs)
27. 3,673 — Tyler Evans, McLeod West (Minn.), 2001 (47 TDs)
28. 3,640 — Elijah Hood, Charlotte Catholic (Charlotte, N.C.), 2013 (351 carries, 53 TDs)
29. 3,609 — Anthony Johnson, Scio (Ore.), 2015 (236 carries, 48 TDs)
30. 3,603 — Elijah Davis, Heritage (Lynchburg, Va.), 2017 (287 carries, 59 TDs)

31. 3,588 — Zach Davis, Sheehan (Wallingford, Conn.), 2016 (284 carries, 50 TDs)
32. 3,587 — Alex Thomas, Ansonia (Conn.), 2007 (340 carries, 47 TDs)
33. 3,587 — Josh Culbertson, Nitro (W. Va.), 2004 (352 carries, 48 TDs)
34. 3,586 — Jermaine Marshall, Kilpatrick (Malibu, Calif.), 1999 (57 TDs)
35. 3,573 — David Mora, Mason (Texas), 2010 (498 carries, 37 TDs)
36. 3,572 — Marcus Thomas, Tolleson (Ariz.), 2002 (47 TDs)
37. 3,569 — Wes Danaher, Calallen (Corpus Christi, Texas), 1995 (343 carries, 46 TDs)
38. 3,550 — Cameron Skattebo, Rio Linda (Calif.), 2018 (305 carries, 42 TDs)
39. 3,540 — Traylon Shead, Cayuga (Texas), 2008 (366 carries, 52 TDs)
40. 3,536 — Markell Jones, Columbus East (Columbus, Ind.), 2014 (312 carries, 60 TDs)

41. 3,526 — Cedric Benson, Midland Lee (Midland, Texas), 1999 (354 carries, 51 TDs)
42. 3,523 — David Dotson, Valley View (Calif.), 1991 (354 carries, 46 TDs)
43. 3,522 — Kennedy Brooks, Mansfield (Texas), 2015 (431 carries, 42 TDs)
44. 3,519 — Jalen White, Daleville (Ala.), 2019 (217 carries, 48 TDs)
45. 3,517 — Cameron Thomas, Picayune (Miss.), 2019 (291 carries, 48 TDs)
46. 3,515 — Robert Strait, Cuero (Texas), 1987 (230 carries, 54 TDs)
47. 3,501 — Colton Marshall, Hawley (Texas), 2019 (325 carries, 46 TDs)
48. 3,489 — Michael Hart, Onondaga (Nedrow, N.Y.), 2003 (239 carries, 67 TDs)
49. 3,488 — Olito Thompson, Concord (Calif.), 2011 (408 carries, 35 TDs)
50. 3,483 — Jamarius Henderson, Dale County (Ala.), 2014 (299 carries, 44 TDs)

51. 3,478 — Andre Brown, J.H. Rose (Greenville, N.C.), 2003 (47 TDs)
52. 3,472 — Ross Franklin, Johnstown-Monroe (Ohio), 2011 (339 carries, 49 TDs)
53. 3,460 — Edgar Segura, Mendota (Calif.), 2013 (339 carries, 51 TDs)
54. 3,458 — Ken Hall, Sugar Land (Texas), 1952 (37 TDs)
55. 3,456 — Montrell Coley, Goldsboro (N.C.), 1996 (314 carries, 35 TDs)
56. 3,445 — Chad Kackert, Grace Brethren (Calif.), 2004 (294 carries, 55 TDs)
57. 3,445 — Montrell Dobbs, Ansonia (Conn.), 2010 (406 carries, 40 TDs)
58. 3,439 — Tony Franklin, St. Peter Chanel (Bedford, Ohio), 2001 (43 TDs)
59. 3,438 — John Bordenkircher, Dixon (Calif.), 1997 (44 TDs)
60. 3,437 — Cedric Skinner, Oberlin (La.), 2010 (47 TDs)

61. 3,425 — Courtney Tennial, Glenpool (Okla.), 2002 (36 TDs)
62. 3,422 — Adrian Davis, St. Joseph (Kenosha, Wis.), 2001 (430 carries, 43 TDs)
63. 3,415 — Thomas Tyner, Aloha (Beaverton, Ore.), 2012 (47 TDs)
64. 3,411 — Noah Ingram, Ruleville Central (Ruleville, Miss.), 1999 (44 TDs)
65. 3,411 — Toney Baker, Ragsdale (Jamestown, N.C.), 2003 (41 TDs)
66. 3,401 — Daniel Bangura, Harvest Prep (Ohio), 2017 (278 carries, 45 TDs)
67. 3,398 — DeShaun Foster, Tustin (Calif.), 1997 (339 carries, 59 TDs)
68. 3,396 — Ryan Mathews, West (Bakersfield, Calif.), 2006 (347 carries, 44 TDs)
69. 3,388 — Jed Bines, Parkland (Winston-Salem, N.C.), 2001 (36 TDs)
70. 3,387 — Jason Stout, Centaurus (Lafayette, Colo.), 1996 (49 TDs)

71. 3,386 — Jason Bainum, Williamsburg (Ohio), 2001 (44 TDs)
72. 3,383 — Steve Tate, Luther (Okla.), 1975
73. 3,382 — Max Mickey, Holden (Mo.), 2013 (331 carries, 45 TDs)
74. 3,380 — Vincent Neclos, Hendersonville (N.C.), 1998
75. 3,376 — Sty Hairston, Banning (Calif.), 2012 (234 carries, 49 TDs)
76. 3,374 — Marcus Wright, Reagan (San Antonio, Texas), 2007 (359 carries, 45 TDs)
77. 3,366 — Cory Jacquay, New Haven (Ind.), 2001
78. 3,361 — Frank Jones, Bath County (Owingsville, Ky.), 1969
79. 3,357 — Jalen Hurd, Beech (Hendersonville, Tenn.), 2012 (317 carries, 43 TDs)
80. 3,356 — Charlie Spegal, New Palestine (Ind.), 2018 (318 carries, 68 TDs)

81. 3,355 — Rocky Reid, Concord (N.C.), 2013 (39 TDs)
82. 3,353 — Jeff Backes, Upper Arlington (Columbus, Ohio), 2000 (44 TDs)
83. 3,344 — Jeremiah Young, Steelton-Highspire (Steelton, Pa.), 2007 (41 TDs)
84. 3,343 — Derek Jackson, Pueblo West (Colo.), 2012 (339 carries, 29 TDs)
85. 3,341 — Michael Hart, Onondaga (Nedrow, N.Y.), 2001 (51 TDs)
86. 3,336 — Kazmeir Allen, Tulare Union (Tulare, Calif.), 2017 (255 TDs, 62 TDs)
87. 3,335 — Sheldon Wilson, Anadarko (Okla.), 2011 (261 carries, 64 TDs)
88. 3,335 — Corey McCaffrey, Sisters (Ore.), 2006 (38 TDs)
89. 3,329 — Jacoby Jones, Bangs (Texas), 2003 (239 carries, 45 TDs)
90. 3,327 — Kellen Overstreet, Penney (Hamilton, Mo.), 2013 (361 carries, 53 TDs)

91. 3,325 — T.J. Stinde, Lexington (Ill.), 2009 (368 carries, 46 TDs)
92. 3,323 — Thomas Tarver, Royal (Brookshire, Texas), 1998 (43 TDs)
93. 3,319 — Thomas Jones, Powell Valley (Big Stone Gap, Va.), 1995
94. 3,318 — Reggie Gallaspy, Southern Guilford (N.C.), 2014 (349 carries, 52 TDs)
95. 3,317 — Tony Brown, East Central (Moss Point, Miss.), 2016 (364 carries, 41 TDs)
96. 3,316 — Lee Flood, Marionville (Mo.), 2006 (45 TDs)
97. 3,315 — Joseph Todd, Santee (Los Angeles, Calif.), 2018 (244 carries, 46 TDs)
98. 3,309 — Elijah Hood, Charlotte Catholic (Charlotte, N.C.), 2012 (278 carries, 48 TDs)
99. 3,305 — Mishak Rivas, Weslaco (Texas), 2007 (244 carries, 46 TDs)
100.3,304 — Quan Warley, Thomasville (N.C.), 2005