Terrell standing tall for Lenape’s football team

Trevor Terrell knows the first thing opponents think when they look across the line at the Lenape running back.

"People underestimate me because of my size," Terrell said. "I like to show them what I can do."

Terrell is just 5-for-7 (maybe, in cleats) and 170 pounds (maybe, in pads), but he stands tall and makes a major impact for resurgent Lenape.

After a 0-4 start marked by close games that slipped out of their grip, the Indians have won two in a row entering Friday's clash with Cherry Hill East in a West Jersey Football League interdivision battle of improved Group 4 teams.

Terrell has led the Lenape revival with six touchdowns in the last two games.

"He's got a great burst, and he doesn't go down in the first hit," Lenape coach Tim McAneney said. "He's a strong, tough kid. He's not a strong, tough kid for his size. He's a strong, tough kid, period."

Terrell started for the Indians as a junior, but didn't get a lot of carries in the triple-option offense. He has been a workhorse as a senior, carrying 105 times for 795 yards, with 10 total touchdowns.

That's 18 carries a game, almost all between the tackles in the Indians' power running game, for a guy who looks like a scatback.

"Running inside is easier than running outside if the blocking is there," Terrell said. "In the last couple of games, the linemen have been doing a great job. They're opening the holes for me."

Terrell went 80 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter as Lenape took a halftime lead in the season opener against Cherokee. But Lenape lost that game by a 27-13 score, and the Indians fell under similar circumstances and by similar scores to Williamstown (24-6), Eastern (24-13), and Washington Township (20-14) over the next three weeks.

"It was tough because we felt like we could have won some of those games," Terrell said. "We needed to start playing a full game, all four quarters."

Terrell ran for a career-high 203 yards and two touchdowns as Lenape earned its first victory, 36-0, over Winslow Township on Oct. 15. He generated four touchdowns last Friday in a 42-23 victory over Seneca, rushing for three scores and taking a 31-yard pass from quarterback Cory Jett into the end zone.

"I wish we could go back and start the season over again," Terrell said.

Lenape should face a challenge in 3-3 Cherry Hill East, which could qualify for the South Jersey Group 4 tournament with victories in its next two games.

"This might be the most physical team we've played," Terrell said. "They play the same way as us. We know what this game is going to be like. We're looking forward to it."

Contact staff writer Phil Anastasia at 856-779-3223, panastasia@phillynews.com, or @PhilAnastasia on Twitter. Read his blog, "Jersey Side Sports," at www.philly.com/jerseysidesports