Mead Back Bowls ‘Em Over Mcglocklin Joins Ranks Of Gsl’s Top Rushers

At various times, Mead running back Scott McGlocklin has been called a bowling ball, battering ram and steamroller.

The 6-foot, 217-pound senior fills those descriptions comfortably.

McGlocklin has joined the top 10 career rushing leaders in Spokane history and he could move as high as No. 3 before he is done. He has done it with power - McGlocklin is the strongest player Mead has ever had - rather than speed or finesse.

“Hard nosed,” McGlocklin said of his style. “I guess I don’t really have the best moves in the world but I’m a pretty hard runner.”

Still, he has rushed for 2,083 yards and has three league games remaining, starting with Gonzaga Prep tonight at 7:30 at Abli Stadium.

“He follows his blockers exceptionally well,” Mead coach Mike McLaughlin said. “In fact, he follows them so well that he looks like he’s not running hard some times. He looks likes he’s kind of tiptoeing when really he’s got his eyes open and he’s watching for cuts. He makes a lot of runs between the tackles that look like they are 4 or 5 yards and you look up and they’re 8 or 9. They just pile up.

“He doesn’t have the great breakaway speed of some of the backs on the list but he certainly has enough speed to go the distance.”

Despite his size, McGlocklin has always been a running back.

“In the eighth grade, they tried me at line. I hated it,” he said. “There was no way I was going to play it. I just was lucky I had a little say that I didn’t want to play that position. Luckily, we had other guys that could play that position so I didn’t have to.

“When I first came (to Mead), I just wanted to play. In my sophomore year I wasn’t really expecting to be on the team.”

McLaughlin said, “He filled the mold of our prototype fullback. He showed early that his quickness off the ball to the line of scrimmage was impressive. And then when we went to the one-back, he fit the mold that I was looking for. He’s a good solid inside runner, he’s a good pass blocker and if need be, he can catch the ball out of the backfield.”

McGlocklin rushed for 497 yards as a sophomore and added 909 last year to be the only junior named to the All-GSL first team offense. Suddenly, he had a chance to join some elite company - only eight previous backs had surpassed 2,000 yards in the city league.

“I’ve looked at (the top 10 list) but I never really saw myself on it. I just looked at the people that were on there,” he said. “(It takes) three good years. The lines I’ve run behind the past two years have probably been the best lines Mead’s ever had. The lines opened up holes for me to run. A lot of kids don’t have that opportunity.”

McGlocklin has been called on to play defense this year and has held his own at linebacker.

“This is the first year they really needed me to,” he said. “I’ve always been there, I just haven’t worked at it enough to get good enough to get a starting position. I kind of like the position.”

Offensively, he hasn’t missed a beat.

“He has developed more open field cuts,” McLaughlin said. “He’s not a real shake-and-baker, but the first two years, he didn’t make many cuts. If there was one guy left, pretty much he headed for him. Now, he’s setting that one guy up.”

Yeah, setting him up to run him down, McGlocklin style.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: ON THE RUN Career rushing leaders in Spokane history: Player, school Years Yards Robert Barlow, LC 92-94 3,232 Jason Ailor, Mead 89-90 2,567 Steve Ranniger, U-H 82-84 2,440 Archie Grant, Ferris 69-71 2,264 Justin Strand, Prep 90-92 2,197 Bob Minnix, LC 65-67 2,124 McGlocklin, Mead 94-96 2,083 Jay Floyd, LC 74-76 2,020 Greg Horn, CV 78-80 2,002 Tim Lappano, Prep 72-74 1,966