The three-year starter for the Bulldogs has amassed over 1,500 rushing yards this season
Watch Andrew Zuckerman’s highlights from his 276-yard performance against Einstein earlier this season. (Video via Hudl)
November 5, 2015, 12:20 p.m. — With one game left in his prep career, Andrew Zuckerman has little left to prove. Many other backs get more recognition, but few can match his production. The three-year starter has exploded to the top of the rushing charts in the Washington, D.C. region.
The Churchill star has carried the ball 248 times for 1,517 yards, putting him second in the area in attempts and fourth in yardage.
“I love it, I’ve never had this many carries in my life,” Zuckerman said.
The 5-foot-8, 185-pound prospect has taken on the underdog role throughout his tenure with the Bulldogs, and rightfully so, as the undersized back plays for a squad that currently sits at 1-8 on the season.
In his first year as a starter three seasons ago, the Bulldogs finished the year at just 1-9, perhaps establishing the team and its top rusher as undervalued entities. In the face of that perception, Zuckerman is demonstrating his worth.
“I have shown that I am a durable back that can take hits, contrary to what people say about my size,” he said.
Although the Bulldogs were able to turn things around last season, going 6-4 and winning their division, this year the squad has been decimated by injuries on an already thin roster, explaining the single victory.
However, first year head coach Albert Song has put his faith in Zuckerman, opting to give him the ball 31 times per contest, allowing his workhorse to average 190 yards per game.
Josh Apple is a featured columnist and blogger at DMVSTREAM.COM.
You can reach josh by emailing him at [email protected].
“It shows that my team trusts me and they have given me a chance to prove myself,” Zuckerman said.
With the frequency of his work during games, Zuckerman’s vision, discipline, and ability to predict what is going to happen in advance have all taken a major step forward, allowing him to put up such eye-popping numbers in his final season.
He also credits his background in track with increasing his stamina and breakaway speed on the field.
Coming off a game in which he carried the ball 28 times for 193 yards against Wootton, and just three weeks removed from his astonishing 348-yard outburst against Bethesda-Chevy Chase, clearly he is taking major steps forward at the end of his high school journey.
“With the amount of carries that I’m getting I’m able to hit the hole,” Zuckerman said, “and see their adjustments, and then know they are going to over-pursue one way and I’ll go the other way. I feel I am two steps ahead of the game at this point.”
According to Zuckerman, he does not set specific goals in terms of stats, but noticed the predictions for his season on MoCoFootball.com. Believing he was underestimated preseason, he used the modest forecast to motivate him in his senior year, as he blew by those marks with games to spare.
“It was nice to see that I could exceed expectations,” he said.
His ability to defy expectations has landed him one collegiate offer so far, that being from Division III Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, Penn.
Valuing both football and education, the other schools high on his list include Yale, Columbia and Johns Hopkins, with Yale being the top program in his heart. Although he is yet to receive an offer from the Bulldogs, he visited the university this past Saturday, attending their game against Columbia.
“I hope to play running back at the next level, but I’m open to play wherever I can excel,” Zuckerman said.
With the playoffs out of the question, Zuckerman and Churchill will be searching for their second win as they close out their schedule Friday, hosting Walter Johnson (2-7).
DMVSTREAM.com is a web site dedicated to broadcasting live sports in D.C., Maryland and Virginia. DMVSTREAM.com broadcasts pro, amateur, college, high school, AAU and youth games and tournaments to televisions, computers and mobile devices like iPads, iPhones and more. DMVSTREAM.com is a product of Synthesis Multimedia Productions/Koubaroulis LLC. — founded, owned and operated by longtime D.C. area sports personality B.J. Koubaroulis.