RICHLANDS, Va. – Dylan Brown will have the ball in his hands often this season for Richlands.
Just ask Jeff Tarter, the second-year head coach for the Blue Tornado.
“I put the responsibility in his hands to step up this year,” Tarter said. “I said you are going to see the ball a lot. I don’t make any bones about it, I have told every coach.”
Brown is ready to take his place in a long line of talented running backs at Richlands.
“I grew up watching Richlands football and idolizing some of the past running backs like Adam Davis, Caleb Jennings, Devon Johnson and Trey Brown,” said Brown, who is the younger brother of Trey, who graduated from Richlands in 2019.
Richlands head coach Jeff Tarter approached the 5-foot-11, 185-pound Brown in January about his importance to the Blue Tornado for the season ahead. Nothing more needed to be said.
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“That guy has worked big time, he has worked extremely hard,” Tarter said. “When you look at the nucleus of our football program this year it is sort of built around Dylan. I called Dylan in and I said, ‘Look son, this is your year.’”
Tarter, who has been with the Richlands football program for 39 years, has been impressed with how hard the All-Southwest District first team honoree has worked for his opportunity to shine.
“He did not miss a weight-lifting session in the morning, he ate breakfast with me every day, he is our spiritual leader, he will do the prayers,” Tarter said. “He is, in my eyes, one of those young men that this community can look at and say we are proud of Dylan Brown.
“I am very proud about the way that he has worked. He made all-district last year. This is one of those responsibility things, he helps organize things, he gets things going.”
Brown listened and prepared, not only in the weight room, but by attending summer camps, 7-on-7 tournaments with teammates and spring throwing sessions. He hasn’t been alone.
“Since the offseason we have tried to get prepared as much as possible, just coming into the season prepared,” said Brown, whose Tornado will visit Gate City on Aug. 26. “Coach Tarter has done a great job of doing that for us.”
Brown is a fan of Tarter, who spent 23 of his 39 years at Richlands as an assistant to Greg Mance before Mance left to take a coaching position in South Carolina. Former Richlands quarterback Thad Wells was the choice to replace Mance, but he left with a game left in the spring of 2021 and Tarter has been the head coach since then.
“The transition has been as smooth as possible,” said Brown, whose Blue Tornado finished 4-6 last season, falling to Ridgeview in the postseason. “He has been a great leader, he is very organized, very prepared, not to mention his years of experience that he brings.”
Brown has the same kind of presence in the Richlands locker room, providing motivation for teammates like first-year quarterback Kalib Simmons and junior interior lineman Tyler Cole.
“Dylan is a really good leader,” Cole said. “I am very proud of what he has become. He is not afraid to hit somebody and he brings the intensity.”
“Dylan brings a lot of leadership,” added Simmons. “He helps brings everybody together and he takes control if something goes wrong.”
And, not just as a hard-charging running back. He is also a valuable part of the secondary. Tarter thinks that could be his home at the college level, which is a definite goal for Brown.
“He is hard-nosed. I have told recruiters when they come in here, ‘Do you want a good, level-headed safety that is going to direct your secondary?’ He is your kid,” Tarter said. “He works extremely hard in the weight room. He is a 4.0 student, he is a role model of what you want.
“He is ready for the challenge and that is what I like. You can see it in his eyes, you can see it in his demeanor, it makes coaching fun.”
What would be fun for Brown is better results on the scoreboard. Richlands - which won at least nine games every year from 2004-2016, including a state championship and three state runner-up finishes - has suffered through an uncharacteristic two losing records over the last five seasons. They haven’t won a playoff game since Trey Brown’s final season in 2018.
“I have grown up wanting to fill the shoes of playing Richlands football,” Brown said. “Richlands is a football town. There were lots of great teams through the ‘90s and 2000s and we ultimately want to carry that tradition on and get back to that.”
One of 14 seniors listed on the Richlands roster, Brown is focused on enjoying one final season playing in front of some of the more loyal football fans in Southwest Virginia and beyond.
“Ernie Hicks Stadium is a great place to play,” Brown said. “We always have the fan support, it is always loud and it is a great home field and we love playing for the fans.”
He would like to make his last season one for the record books.
“Ultimately a state championship,” he said. “But I am ultimately looking forward to carrying on the Richlands legacy and getting back to it.”