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Ryan Horton wasn’t expecting his name to be the one Allen Creasy called upon to help fill the void left by graduation in the Athens High running game this fall.

But as it turns out, the Golden Eagle head coach made a wise decision in doing so.

In the two games Athens has played so far this season, Horton has rolled up 100-plus yards in each, bringing his season total to 286 yards on 52 carries and a touchdown heading into tonight’s game against top-ranked Russellville. Last week, in their Class 5A, Region 8 opener, the senior running back rushed for 138 yards on 30 carries, which is the most Athens High has had a running back rush for in a long time according to the coach.

“I didn’t have any idea until later that I was the first in a while to rush for that many yards,” Horton said. “We set a team goal at the beginning of the week to have 200 yards of rushing. We knew that if everybody did their job, that we could get close to reaching that. The line did the hard job, I just ran.”

Up until this year, Horton has spent his time at the linebacker position. And while it may have been a big change for him, Creasy feels he’s done well so far.

“Ryan is still a big part of our defensive game, but he uses those things — his vision, intensity, quickness and ability to change direction — to make him a good football player,” Creasy said.

Horton added that while he and his team would like to reach the 200-yard rushing mark tonight against the Golden Tigers, their main focus is trying to get a win.

Kick off between Athens and Russellville is set for 7 p.m.