Wichita Running Back Poll
Demarye Smith
Maize
After spending years building chemistry with his teammates, Maize senior running back Demarye Smith is determined to make his final high school football season one to remember.
Smith said the opportunity to compete for a championship while sharing the field with his teammates is what excites him most about the upcoming season.
“The thing I’m most excited about for this season is playing one last year of high school football with my teammates and competing for a state championship,” Smith said.
The senior enters the season coming off a productive junior campaign in which he rushed for 655 yards on 81 carries, averaging 7.2 yards per carry while scoring 10 touchdowns. Smith produced those numbers while splitting carries in the Eagles’ offense.
During the offseason, Smith has continued to develop his skills while preparing for a championship push. He has worked with trainer Rashad Daniels, attended college junior days and camps, and participated in team activities including padded camps and 7-on-7 competitions.
“My offseason has been a busy one,” Smith said. “I’ve been working out with my trainer Rashad Daniels. I’ve been going to a lot of colleges for junior days or camps. I’ve also had team camps like padded camps or 7-on-7s with my team to get our chemistry down for this season.”
One of Smith’s biggest focuses heading into his senior year is improving his speed and explosiveness. He has spent time training with Daniels while also putting in additional work on his own.
“An area I’m wanting to improve on is my speed and my explosiveness,” Smith said. “I’ve been working on that by working with my trainer and also just going to the field and doing drills by myself.”
Smith has set individual goals for his final season, including earning All-State recognition at running back, but he said leadership and team success remain his biggest priorities.
“My goals for this season individually, I want to be an All-State running back, but most importantly be a leader to my team and everyone around me,” Smith said.
For Smith and the Eagles, the ultimate goal has been established since offseason workouts began. After months of winter, spring and summer preparation, Maize believes it has the talent necessary to make a deep postseason run.
“Team wise is a state championship,” Smith said. “That’s what we’ve been working for all offseason with winter, spring and summer weights. We’ve had one goal and that’s to play in November. Anything short of that in my opinion is a fail. We have all the talent we need; now we just need to go out and execute.”
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