Logan County’s Ryan Rayno (right) runs with the ball during a Class 4A state playoff game Nov. 11 in Russellville.

RUSSELLVILLE – Ryan Rayno stands tall with the ball.

With an upright running style – partially due to a 6-foot-3, 190-pound frame – Rayno is hard to miss when he totes the ball for the Cougars. Seeing is one thing, catching – let alone stopping – is quite another.

“I’ve always been told that I run with a straight back and bent legs, like Marcus Allen for the Raiders,” Rayno said of the Pro Football Hall of Fame running back. “I take pride in that, trying to give a different look on running the ball than you would usually see in high school.”

Opposing defenders usually have one of two views of Rayno on the football field – either the sight of him barreling toward them to take every inch of available ground, or a glimpse of his jersey back as he sprints past with a burst of his considerable speed.

After a breakout junior season when he rushed for a team-high 1,173 yards and 14 touchdowns, Rayno has taken it to another level in his senior season. His 2,030 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns have eclipsed the former single-season records held by Gary Hardy (1483 rushing yards and 18 TDs, both set in 2018) and he’s still got time to do more. The Cougars host Louisville Central in a Class 4A state quarterfinal game Friday night at 7 p.m.

“He works his tail off in the weight room, he watches what he eats – he watches his diet – and he continues to improve each and every week as far as the scheme and what he needs to do better,” Logan County coach Todd Adler said. “We’re still continuing to work on that – his blocking, his fakes, things like that – but as far as him running the football … man, he’s by far one of the best to ever do it here for sure, and we’re proud of him for that.”

Rayno has been unstoppable this season – no team has held him to less than 100 yards rushing in 12 games so far, with Greenwood coming the closest when Rayno gained 110 yards and scored a touchdown in the Cougars’ only loss this season.

In 243 rushing attempts, Rayno is averaging a whopping 8.4 yards per carry for Logan County (11-1). His season high of 254 rushing yards came in last week’s 21-7 playoff win over Hopkinsville.

“Our running backs coach always says fall forward – you know, plus-2 at the end of every run,” Rayno said. “We make our cuts and we look for the spin move and everything, but at the end of the day it’s falling forward and just getting them tough yards.”

That extra effort is appreciated by his teammates.

“It’s just fun – I mean, you get a block 10 yards downfield and you see him and he’s just gone to the races,” Logan County junior offensive lineman Kadin Switzer said. “It’s just so fun just to see him work and break tackles that some other running backs that run even lower wouldn’t break.

“When he sees a crease, he’s just busting out of there – he’s gone.”

It’s rare for Rayno to not gain any positive yards on any run this season, Adler said.

“He’s gotten a whole lot better this year at being elusive, missing tackles and finishing leaning forward,” Adler said. “Yeah, open field he runs high but when contact comes he embraces it and falls forward, which is something he didn’t do last year and is something we worked on a whole lot this offseason. I think it’s been a great benefit for him, for sure.”

Also benefiting Rayno this season has been the running and passing ability of Logan County quarterback Davin Yates, who’s thrown for 1,776 yards and 21 touchdowns and also ranks second on the team with 368 rushing yards and six TDs.

“Davin is a fantastic quarterback, being able to just pick up them yards if nothing’s open or throwing off his back foot – what ever it is, you can guarantee that’s he’s going to try and make a play,” Rayno said.

Throw in speedy sophomore wideout JunVontre Dillard (323 rushing yards, 6 TDs) and the Cougars are a handful to stop for opposing teams hoping to focus solely on Rayno.

“I absolutely love it,” Rayno said. “There’s a lot of chemistry going on. It’s not like it’s the Ryan Rayno and the line – it’s the Logan County offense. It’s a great thing to be a part of. It’s a family, more than statistics and everything. Statistics are great, but set everything aside and you’ve still got you and your boys out there.”

It will still likely take another big night from Rayno for the Cougars to come out on top against Yellow Jackets, who are 8-4 this season and coming off a 31-7 home win over North Oldham.

“We think that they’re really fast,” Rayno said. “They’re going to be giving us a big look on our sweeps and everything, but just getting the ball, getting behind them lineman and just pounding the rock every play is how I think we’re going to win the game.”{&end}