If you have watched a Norwich game this season, you have seen Norwich senior Eric Conant take a hand off from his quarterback Thomas Parrella, hit the hole that his offensive line has opened up for him and take off on the first or second play of the Purple Tornado’s first drive for 40, 50, 60, sometimes even 70 yards.

On the very first play from the line of scrimmage for the 2018 season, Conant ran for 69 yards and the first Purple Tornado touchdown of the year. A game later, against powerhouse Chenango Forks, he broke through the line of scrimmage, bounced the outside and score from 48 yards out.

Against Oneonta, Conant racked up 218 yards on 13 carries and one touchdown. That one touchdown he scored was for 76 yards.

What is the point being proved by these examples of the senior running back? Speed is deadly on the field.

Last week, Conant rushed for 294 yards and three touchdowns while being the second leading tackler with 7.5 tackles. That is why Conant is this week’s Evening Sun Athlete of the Week.

“With the injuries we had to Drew [Walsh] and Zach [Mills] last week, Eric really stepped up,” said Norwich head coach Mike Chrystie. “Even though he became the focal point for CV, he was still able to make big plays for us. The offensive line did a great job opening up holes and Eric found a lot of daylight.