Evans carries Tolsia on his back to finals
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
By RICK RYAN - The Charleston Gazette

There’s an outsider crashing the party at this year’s Super Six state football championships.

A certain amount of curiosity has to surround the appearance of Tolsia in Friday night’s Class AA finals. Not only are the Rebels the only team that hasn’t made a recent habit out of playing for titles at Wheeling Island Stadium, they are led by the state’s leading rusher, scorer and No. 1 enigma.

Meet B.J. Evans, Tolsia running back.Every step the Rebels take on their journey to Wheeling, they seem to lean on Evans a little more.

• He ran 23 times for 206 yards and four touchdowns in a comfortable 35-8 first-round win over Wyoming East.
• Evans then carried 29 times for 135 yards and one TD against playoff-tested Bluefield in the quarterfinals and booted the winning 32-yard field goal with 2:46 left to oust the Beavers 15-14.
• Last week against top-ranked and previously unbeaten James Monroe, he was called on for 45 carries, produced 235 yards and kicked the decisive extra point in a 7-6 win.

Even with all those efforts — and a truckload of impressive stats — people always ask the same things about Evans: Is he for real? Is he that good?

Count on it, say those who should know.

“I feel like he’s the best player in the state,’’ said Wayne coach Tom Harmon, whose team meets up with Tolsia in Friday’s finals.

“All kinds of people try and do all kinds of different things to stop him, and nobody has. In my opinion, if there’s a better [player] out there, I’d like to see him. Now I’m not talking about what he looks like. I’m talking about results.’’

Evans, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 217 pounds, is pretty much a physical specimen himself, but always seems to get shortchanged when talk comes around to leading candidates for the Kennedy Award, which goes to the state’s top player.

Other players run faster. Make niftier moves. Bang heads with Class AAA opposition.They may have Evans there, but the senior running back has his team in the finals. For the first time.

In Class AAA, Parkersburg’s making its fifth visit to the Island in 10 years and Martinsburg its fourth in six years. In Class A, Wheeling Central’s reached the finals five times in seven seasons and Williamstown thrice in the last four. Even Wayne knows its way to Wheeling, earning its third trip since 2000.

But this is new ground for Tolsia, which is probably best known for its success in — of all sports — cheerleading, with a dozen state championships since 1988.Evans has been the team’s undeniable leader, running for more yards than any other back in West Virginia (2,764) and scoring more points (234, including 31 TDs). He’s also an all-state caliber place-kicker with four field goals and 34 extra points.

“He’s just a super athlete and brings a lot of confidence to the team,’’ Waller said, “The kids have a lot of faith in him, that he’s going to do the job on offense, that kind of thing.

“And B.J.’s a very humble kid. He tells all the reporters that without his offensive line, he’s not much. He gives a lot of credit to them. He knows they’re deserving. He understands where he’s at and why he’s there.’’

Three times this season, Evans has run for more than 300 yards. In three other games, he’s gone over 200. He’s been kept out of the end zone just once all season, that in last week’s 7-6 win over James Monroe, but he booted the winning PAT.

His top game, interestingly, came against Wayne — the same team the Rebels run into Friday in Wheeling. That night, he accounted for a school-record 354 yards rushing and 378 yards of total offense in a 30-19 win. He also booted a field goal and three extra points, scoring all 30 of his team’s points.

To contact assistant sports editor Rick Ryan, use e-mail or call 348-5175.

Best in state, game-by-game

Game-by-game rushing totals for Tolsia’s B.J. Evans, listing attempts, yards, touchdowns:

Game—Opponent Att Yds

TD1. Rock Hill (Ohio) 33 181 1

2. Webster County 32 243 2

3. Sherman 24 131 1

4. Fairland (Ohio) 24 122 2

5. Chesapeake (O.) 29 313 3

6. Lincoln County 23 192 5

7. Eastridge (Ky.) 33 328 4

8. Wayne 41 354 4

9. Spencerville (O.) 27 186 2

10. Winfield 28 138 2

11. Wyoming East 23 206 4

12. Bluefield 29 135 1

13. James Monroe 45 235 0

Totals 391 2764 31