When Jay Wammen came back to Harding County after graduating from Dickinson State, head football coach Jeremy Duttenheffer basically handed the reins of the Rancher offense over to him.

That decision has proven to be a sound one.

Duttenheffer is a graduate of Dickinson State himself, but he and Wammen had never met before last year.

"I'd never met him until I got here," Duttenheffer said of Wammen, a 2002 Harding County graduate. "I asked him if he wanted to run the offense and he's done a good job. I kind of gave him the reins as far as what to run and it's worked out well to have him, a 9-man guy, drawing up the offense. He knows what will work after playing 9-man in high school."

Wammen's offense has been one of the area's best, racking up 390 yards and nearly 35 points per game. The trio of running backs Trent Turbiville and Hazer Burghduff and wide receiver Jace Jenson have combined for 26 touchdowns through seven games.

"We have a balanced attack," Wammen said. "We feel like we can beat teams on the ground or throught the air. In years past, we've always been a strong running team by tradition, but this year we've proven that we can put the ball in the air if we have to."

Duttenheffer says that having a strong stable of backs is important, but that play out of the offensive line is always the biggest factor.

"We have three or four running backs that all run hard, see the holes and cut well," Duttenheffer said. "But our line has been opening those holes for the backs and that has been the big key."

Burghduff (657 yards) and Turbiville (659) have combined for over 1,200 yards rushing as the Ranchers have built a 6-1 record, but they credit the offensive line as well.

"The line's been opening holes for the running backs," Turbiville said. "That's really been the biggest thing."

Burghduff sees it pretty much the same way.

"I'd have to say it's the line," Burghduff said. "They're hitting hard right down the middle and we're just following right behind them. They're not real big, but they're athletic and they've got a lot of try."

While the Ranchers are using some of the same old-fashioned, grind-it-out running that they're known for, Wammen, a member of the 2002 team that went to the Class 9B title game, has tried to diversify the offense a little bit.

"We pretty much ran everything out of the wishbone or I-formation when I was here," Wammen said. "We try to use about eight or nine different formations now to make it a little harder for teams to scout us."

One of three seniors on the team, lineman Sam Olson, says that a couple of sophomores, quarterback Austin Brown and Jenson at wide receiver, have made a big difference in diversifying the Rancher attack.

"We've got a real good quarterback who started for us last year and has come back this year with a lot more confidence," Olson said. "In my mind we've also got some of the best running backs in the state, and as an offensive lineman it's real easy to block for them. If you miss a block, the fullback is right there to help and they run right through arm tackles, so you don't have to do a real great job up front for them guys."

Olson says that everything in Harding County has been going well since a loss to Newell in the second game of the year, a game that served as a bit of a wake-up call.

"That definitely helped," Olson said. "We didn't play real well against Newell, but they're a better team than maybe their record shows. We've come back and have been playing well since then. We've got some good players and good coaches and everybody's having a good time right now."