CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- South Charleston Coach John Messinger had what he was looking for and he didn't even realize his fortune.
"I got called to the principal's office last year and they asked 'How'd we get that kid up here, Ahmari,'" Messinger said about his introduction to senior running back Ahmari Smith, who transferred from Hurricane last spring.
"I had no idea he was in the building. But believe me, it's a pleasant surprise to have him here."
Messinger has to be feeling good as the Black Eagles (1-0) enter Friday night's home opener against rival George Washington (1-0). South Charleston has as many wins after one game as it did after four games in a disappointing 2007 season.
Smith (5-foot-11, 180 pounds) scored the go-ahead touchdown in the first half of South Charleston's 28-8 win at Riverside last Friday.
"He's just a quality kid. He's a good kid in the classroom, he's a good kid in the school building," Messinger said. "He's set some senior leadership goals and he's accomplishing those goals."
All rhetoric aside, Messinger also likes Smith's style on the field.
"The thing I like most about him is that kid runs downhill," Messinger said. "You give him the football and you know you're going to be going north-south. He's not going to try to skirt from sideline to sideline."
After a 2007 season that saw quarterback Deion Spurlock post impressive individual statistics while the team finished 5-5, Messinger said Smith helps complete a backfield that will help his team win games.
"He just gives us another extra dimension," Messinger said.
Fullback Aaron Slusher agreed, adding that the team's deep backfield has jelled quickly through preseason practice and their season-opening win.
"We've got a lot of running backs rotating in, with me, Ahmari, (senior) Dylan (Turner) and (junior Wayne) Wurster," Slusher said. "None of us are selfish, so we just want to play smart and put points on the board."
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- South Charleston Coach John Messinger had what he was looking for and he didn't even realize his fortune.
"I got called to the principal's office last year and they asked 'How'd we get that kid up here, Ahmari,'" Messinger said about his introduction to senior running back Ahmari Smith, who transferred from Hurricane last spring.
"I had no idea he was in the building. But believe me, it's a pleasant surprise to have him here."
Messinger has to be feeling good as the Black Eagles (1-0) enter Friday night's home opener against rival George Washington (1-0). South Charleston has as many wins after one game as it did after four games in a disappointing 2007 season.
Smith (5-foot-11, 180 pounds) scored the go-ahead touchdown in the first half of South Charleston's 28-8 win at Riverside last Friday.
"He's just a quality kid. He's a good kid in the classroom, he's a good kid in the school building," Messinger said. "He's set some senior leadership goals and he's accomplishing those goals."
All rhetoric aside, Messinger also likes Smith's style on the field.
"The thing I like most about him is that kid runs downhill," Messinger said. "You give him the football and you know you're going to be going north-south. He's not going to try to skirt from sideline to sideline."
After a 2007 season that saw quarterback Deion Spurlock post impressive individual statistics while the team finished 5-5, Messinger said Smith helps complete a backfield that will help his team win games.
"He just gives us another extra dimension," Messinger said.
Fullback Aaron Slusher agreed, adding that the team's deep backfield has jelled quickly through preseason practice and their season-opening win.
"We've got a lot of running backs rotating in, with me, Ahmari, (senior) Dylan (Turner) and (junior Wayne) Wurster," Slusher said. "None of us are selfish, so we just want to play smart and put points on the board."
Smith, Slusher and the South Charleston ground game sputtered at times in the second half of last week's game, finishing with 127 rushing yards. Slusher led the team with 62 yards and a touchdown.
Still, the chemistry of the backfield combined with a 206-yard passing night from senior quarterback Marcel Brown was enough to leave Messinger with a positive assessment of the opener.
"We took one lesson we learned last year and we played four quarters of football," Messinger said.
Much of that credit went to Slusher, Messinger said.
"People last year, all they wanted to talk about was Deion and what he brought to our football team. Yeah, he was probably 90 percent of our offense. But if you look at when we started winning football games it came from ball control, and that control came from Aaron Slusher.
"You always hear about Slusher being a great linebacker. In my book he's probably a better fullback than he is a linebacker."
Smith, meanwhile, is still getting comfortable in his new uniform. He said the leadership supplied by his teammates has helped ease the transition.
"I got a lot to learn. I'm basically playing the same positions I was, and I'm running behind a great fullback, so I'm learning a lot from him," Smith said. "I've got a lot of good coaching since coming here."
Messinger credited his backfield for the team's strong start. Each of the team's three running backs credited his teammates. Slusher went one further, pointing out the importance of the Black Eagle offensive line, especially in facing the third-ranked Patriots at Oakes Field on Friday.
"The line's the most important thing, because that's where the running game starts," Slusher said. "Then the running game opens up our passing game. The defense is going to be there, so we're all depending on the O-line."
Turner, the third back in the SC progression, capped the trio's outlook for Friday and beyond.
"If the line blocks -- and they will for us -- then we'll have a great year," he said.
