Video: Hess Express
See footage from Geno Hess' big game from Friday.Geno Hess of
Peoria (Ill.) ran the ball an incredible 64 times in Friday's opener against Normal West and the Lions needed every one of those carries to gain the 70-63 win.
Hess finished tied for the second-most carries in national history with Daniel Quinn of Sand Creek (Colorado Springs, Colo.), which he set in 2014. Russell Gunter of Straughn (Andalusia, Ala.) set the national mark with 72 carries in 1986.
Hess, a 5-foot-10, 180-pound junior who had transferred from Peoria Heights, finished with 574 yards rushing and eight touchdowns. The rushing yardage is the second-most in Illinois state history behind DeAndre Hooper's 593 yards in 1996 while at Chicago Austin.
Peoria finished with 845 yards of total offense.