12 Massachusetts high school running backs to watch in 2024

Syracuse commit Bo MacCormack and Boston College commit Mekhi Dodd top the list

CHARLTON - Bay Path s Kaiden Brochu breaks through the Greater New Bedford defense and scores in the second quarter Friday, November 17, 2023. / Rick Cinclair/Telegram & Gazette /

Massachusetts high school football is set to start on the weekend of Sep. 5-7 and the Old Colony State has produced some of the top talent coming out of the New England region of the United States.

Another offensive position that the state has started to produce talent at regularly is at running back, with many top end tailbacks now heading to the smaller collegiate level schools from Massachusetts. With the rushing game still a focal point of many high school offenses around the country, it's no different when it comes to the Old Colony State.

The following is a list of top returning Massachusetts running backs heading into the 2024 season.

Know of another? Send a note to villamarzo@scorebooklive.com with some details. 

Mekhi Dodd, Catholic Memorial: Dodd's first offer came from Boston College and second from Massachusetts. The 6-foot, 205-pound tailback committed to the former back in May and heads into the season as one of the best backs in all of New England.

Bo MacCormack, Buckingham Browne & Nichols: The Syracuse commitment had one of the best rushing performances all of last season when he rushed for 431 yards on 40 carries and scored eight touchdowns in a 63-43 win over Tabor. Tallied over 2,000 all-purpose yards in 2023.

Kaiden Brochu, Bay Path RVT: Leading all the running backs in the junior class was Brochu this past season. The workhorse carried the rock 202 times for 2,499 yards and scored 33 touchdowns. 

Bradyn Downes, Bay Path RVT: It was a two-headed monster in the backfield last season between Brochu ad Downes. As a junior, the running back carried the ball 102 times for 1,266 yards and found the endzone 18 times.

James Curry, Braintree: The 6-foot-1, 220-pound bulldozer of a running back had a strong junior campaign in 2023. Curry ran the ball 255 times for 1,725 yards and found the endzone 23 times. 

Hugo Junior Djeumeni, Tabor Academy: One of the leading rushers in all of Massachusetts last season was Junior Djeumeni. As a junior, the running back carried the rock 105 times for 1,307 yards and scored 16 times.

Finn Gilmore, Grafton: Among one of the top junior running backs when it came to yards rushing, Gilmore is back for his senior season and aiming for a huge fall. Last season, Gilmore rushed for 1,045 yards on 154 carries and scored 13 touchdowns.

Dante Berger, Andover: The running back had been a nice contributor out of the backfield for the Golden Warriors. Berger has rushed for 830 yards on 143 carries and scored seven touchdowns. 

Camden LaChapelle, Uxbridge: LaChapelle was undoubtedly one of the state’s running backs, regardless of classification. The running back helped lead Uxbridge to a state championship, rushing for 1,322 yards and 25 touchdowns. 

Maxwell Parent, St. Mary’s: Parent saw extensive time at running back and linebacker this past season. Parent rushed for 473 yards, six touchdowns on offense and on defense made 62 tackles, two for loss and an interception. 

Josiah Little, Franklin County Tech: Little made big things happen last fall and is on track to do so again in 2024. The running back was a workhorse, carrying the ball 226 times for 1,193 yards and found the endzone eight times in 2023.

Zach Milner, Littleton: Another junior running back that made plenty of noise last season was Milner out of Littleton. The running back broke the 1,000-yard plateau, rushing for 1,101 and scoring nine touchdowns.

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