Mountain Pointe running back Rashie Hodge ran angry on Friday night. He ran angry into the end zone four times, matching his season total in one game. He ran angry all over the field as the Pride beat Desert Ridge 27-13.
He picks up chunks of yards when he is in space, running past and through defenders, a common theme among Mountain Pointe players. On the sideline, after Hodge’s second rushing touchdown of the game, a Mountain Pointe fan says “Someone has to take a flyer on him, right?”
As in a college program giving Hodge a chance to play at the next level.
Despite being perfect on the year, Mountain Pointe, and Hodge, have still had their struggles this season.
Running back Gary Bragg tore his ACL after a great start to the year. Quarterback Noah Grover broke his femur in a 48-0 win against Highland last week.
This is why Hodge runs angry.
The quiet running back tears up a bit when talking about his injured teammates and how he was “ready to play” for them. When asked about what it means to deliver for his team, he says, “It’s really important to me. It just…makes me know somebody is going to notice me. A college is going to notice me.”
Mountain Pointe safety Isaiah Pola-Mao has seen up close what Hodge can do and how the Pride thrive on their physical style of play.
“He’s physical, he’s downhill and he’s coming for you. He’s going to run through you,” Pola-Mao says through a grin.
Like Hodge, the entire Mountain Pointe team is playing with a new fire for their sidelined stars.
As the regular season wraps up and postseason is around the corner, opposing defenses will try to slow down the Pride and get their hits in, but they should know the Pride hits back.
Hard.
Gallery above via Andy Silvas.
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Jordan Hamm
Mixing his passions for sports and storytelling, Jordan comes to Sports360az as a multimedia reporter/producer looking to share the best stories Arizona has to offer. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram @JordyHamm