For 32 years, Drew Hall has entrenched himself as Owensboro football’s second all-time leading rusher, having accumulated 4,403 rushing yards from 1990-1993. He has witnessed numerous talented players come through the program and challenge him for his spot on the leaderboard, including Landon Board (3,734) and Yorel Shemwell (3,389).
Enter Evan Hampton. The senior star and Vanderbilt commit has recently surpassed his now defensive coordinator, racking up 4,885 rushing yards.
“I’ve been excited for him. I knew we had something special watching him in middle school,” Hall said. His freshman year he didn’t play much, as he was a backup. He waited for his turn, and he took full advantage of it when he got his opportunity. I’m proud of him.”
During his freshman year in 2022, Hampton was near the bottom of the depth chart and with limited touches, he only recorded 123 rushing yards. The following season, he burst onto the scene with 1,552 rushing yards and nearly duplicated those numbers as a junior with 1,549 rushing yards.
This year, he currently has 1,661 rushing yards, but that number will only go up after tonight’s semi-finals match against Woodford County. Despite sitting second all-time for over 30 years, Hall acknowledged that he never really thought about his place on the leaderboard being untouched until this season.
“We were talking about how close Evan was and I thought about it and said dang, it’s been a long time,” Hall said. “We have had some good backs come through here. I’m just surprised it has taken this long.”
Even though he is the Red Devils’ defensive coordinator, Hall has spent time giving Hampton tips over the years and the two work together on kick returns.
“He’s a great motivator, a great coach, and an even better person,” Hampton said. “Coming out here and working with him is awesome.”
Hall has made sure the senior thanks his offensive line for his success, and that lesson hasn’t been lost on Hampton, who has continuously acknowledged he wouldn’t be where he is without them and the coaching staff.
“My twin brother Eli is my left tackle, and the left guard is Keaton Land, whom I spend a lot of time with outside of football, Hampton said. “My center is Carter Vanover, one of my best friends. My right guard is J.W., who is also a friend of mine, and Drew Johnson, who is my right tackle. I have grown up with these guys and played with them since Middle School, so my trust in them is 100%.”
With up to two games remaining in his high school career, it is very unlikely Hampton will be able to surpass Mark Higgs for the school’s all-time rushing record. From 1980 to 1983, the former Red Devil accumulated 6,721 rushing yards, a then-state record. Higgs also has the school’s record for rushing yards in a season (2,844).
Last Friday, Hampton rushed for 326 yards against Fairdale, a new school record for rushing yards in a game, surpassing Higgs’ previous record of 325, which he had held since 1982.
“Trust and believe it took a lot of work to get where he is because you can’t just run for over 300 yards without putting in a lot of work,” Higgs said. “He put in his time and work, and now he is trying to win state. That is the best thing, if he can win state, he can claim something I didn’t do. That would be an honor in itself. It’s a team sport so that means you have good teammates, and somebody is blocking for you.”
