Sports Spotlight on Dylan Ruff | Video

Scott Westerberg | 10/18/2012

The Central McLean football team just capped off a 7-&-2 regular season and earned the number-2 seed in Region-4. The top offensive weapon for the Cougars this fall is Dylan Ruff, his numbers didn`t jump off the page as a sophomore, but like any good athlete, Ruff found ways to keep getting better.

"He played some as a sophomore. He started last year. He had over a thousand yards and a lot of TDs, but this year he`s taken it to another level," said Central McLean Head Coach Kevin Dockter.

Ruff has also noticed a difference.

"I feel like you can kind of pick and chose your holes better and what you should do to avoid a defender and all that."

Avoiding defenders, that`s another big step Ruff has taken, especially as a senior.

"I used to tell him last year he`d get to the second level and he`d get tripped up by that one guy. It was always that one guy, but this year that one guy hasn`t been getting him, so he`s had just a phenomenal year," Dockter said.

"It feels awesome. I love it now cause when I was younger I had problems with that, especially last year and this year, just breaking away, getting through those last few guys, it feels amazing," Ruff said.

The sight of Ruff disappearing into the distance is something his offensive line just can`t get enough of.

"That`s an awesome feeling. It`s awesome running down the field behind him and then meeting him in the end zone after he scores a touchdown," said Central McLean Sr. OL/DL Mitchell LeRoy.

Busting off a long touchdown run isn`t Ruff`s favorite part of football.

"Just being with everybody and having a good time. When we get big plays or bad plays and everybody lifts each other up no matter what it`s just a fun time out there," he said.

It`s a good lesson that has nothing to do with winning and losing.

Ruff and the Cougars host Surrey at 1:30 on Saturday at Turtle Lake in the first round of the 9-Man playoffs.

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