By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — It was almost a loss of 3 yards, but Salisbury back Hez Krider Jr. turned a potential negative into a 37-yard gain in Salisbury’s 27-14 win at North Rowan last Friday.

North defensive end Alex Rutherford was unblocked and arrived in the Salisbury backfield almost as soon as the snap did, ready to blow up a play that began near midfield. But Krider accepted a handoff from QB Hank Webb, jabbed one lightning step forward and a diving Rutherford missed.

North interior lineman Tavor Lark battled to fend off multiple blockers, but Krider came sprinting by him up in the middle of he field just as a spinning Lark worked himself free. Lark tried to grab Krider’s shoulders, but Krider was already gone.

Then Krider showed some moves and some speed, leading three North defenders on a merry chase down the North sideline. They finally cut him off and shoved him out of the bounds near the North 10-yard line, but Krider’s legs had put the Hornets in position to score their second touchdown.

When he’s been healthy, Krider has turned lemons into lemonade like that all season. Like a dozen or so of his teammates, he’s been a feel-good story in Salisbury’s surprising 9-1 “rebuilding” season that has brought another conference championship to Ludwig Stadium.

Out of his pads and helmet, Krider would not be recognized as a football star. He looks like that ordinary kid that sits behind you in U.S. History class. But he’s stronger and tougher than he appears at first glance — and he’s quick.

“I’m 5-foot-6, 155 pounds, said Krider, smiling and stretching to his full height. “But I’ve waited a long time for a chance. I want to make the most of it.”

Salisbury head coach Clayton Trivett and running back coach Benny Raindrop are not surprised Krider had 98 rushing yards against North on 16 carries and caught five passes for another 63 yards. They are not shocked that he’s accounted for 633 rushing yards this season while averaging 5.5 yards per carry.

“There are no better kids than Hez and there is no one who will out-work him,” Trivett said. “He’s become one of our true leaders. As a coaching staff, we never doubted Hez because we’ve seen his work ethic for years and we know how much he wants it. We remember when he broke his collar bone, had a metal plate put in and only missed three weeks. When he hurt his knee early this season (the Person game, in Week 3), we missed him, but we knew he’d be back for his teammates.”

Krider’s setback was an MCL injury. He was able to return to the field through a combination of rest and rehab — and a brace.

“Injuries are part of football,” Krider said. “I was taught that when I was young. You have to keep going.”

Krider has been excellent in Salisbury’s last four games, including a 27-carry, 134-yard effort as a 155-pound workhorse in a big game against Lexington.

“Hez actually wanted to get back earlier than we would let him come back,” Trivett added. “We told him he had to be patient. We needed him healthy for the playoffs.”

Krider is a junior, which means he was a freshman when JyMikaah Wells was running wild for the Hornets. He was a sophomore last season when Jamal Rule was breaking school records.

Rule announced he was transferring to Charlotte Christian over the summer. That’s when most people wrote off the Hornets for 2024. But not many people realized how deep Salisbury was. They had guys who could play who hadn’t been playing. That’s unusual. At most schools, the guys who aren’t playing, aren’t playing for a reason.

Backing up Rule during the 2023 season, Krider got 40 carries for 282 yards and three TDs. He was usually in there during running-clock fourth quarters after Mike Geter, Deuce Walker, Jaden Warren and Rule had destroyed an opponent. But he did acquire valuable experience and priceless confidence. He saw enough to believe he could be successful.

“I had some really good backs to watch and learn from in JyMikaah and Jamal,” Krider said. “I really didn’t know if I’d ever get a chance to get carries like that, but I was going to be ready in case I did. My family always told me to keep my head up and to keep working to get better every single day. You never know what might happen.”

Rule was a 195-pound sprinter, a gifted player who will play big-time college football, but Krider is giving the Hornets what they need. Salisbury was pass-heavy and reliant on Hank Webb’s arm for offense when Krider was out, but with Krider healthy, they are more balanced. They’re just about 50/50 now as they head into the playoffs. Krider is a threat, and a threat is what the Hornets needed.

“This is a kid who never complained when he wasn’t playing,” Raindrop said. “He never stopped working and he never will stop working. He shows up every day. He takes coaching. He does what his coaches ask. We’ve asked him to step in there for a player who had almost 3,000 rushing yards last season, and he’s getting the job done.”

The North Rowan game was special for Krider. He knows the Cavaliers well. He has more friends than enemies over there. He was their teammate for several years.

“Well, North is always such a big game,” Krider said. “But I knew our team was going to play well. I could tell that by the energy we had as soon as we started getting ready for North on Monday. Our offensive line gets better every game and they were ready to make some big holes.”

With every game, the Hornets trust Krider more,  lean on him more and expect more.

Despite his limited size, Krider will grow some in the next year and he’s a college prospect. On Oct. 31, he went down to  Georgia to Mercer University for a game-day visit.

“It was homecoming, a really great atmosphere,” Krider said. “I loved it.”