• Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
  • Consider registering! Fewer and higher quality ads, no emails you don't want, access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Even if you just want to lurk, there are a lot of good reasons to register!

'12 PA RB Rushel Shell (Pitt Signee; Transfer to West Virginia)

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Sort by date Sort by votes
WPIAL Class AAA: Sluggish Vikings brush away Talbots

Shell fights through illness to reach final

Saturday, November 21, 2009
By Brad Everett, Tri State Sports & News Service

Rushel Shell's past week epitomized that of his Hopewell team last night.
The Vikings' ballyhooed sophomore tailback spent Monday and Tuesday in a hospital bed, fighting through the affects of an untimely bout of tonsillitis.

Three nights later, he and his team fought through an attack of sluggishness and mistakes.

But luckily for the parties involved, the final prognosis was positive on both counts.

Shell and the Vikings looked a little under the weather at times, but surged and did what needed to be done to defeat Hampton, 31-9, in a WPIAL Class AAA semifinal at Montour.

"We came out slow," said Shell, who said he lost 17 pounds because of the illness. "They're a good team. They have a good line up front and they like to hit. But we just came together and got the win."

. . .

Shell fell short of reaching 4,000 yards for his career -- he sits at 3,981 -- but still put forth a top-notch effort by running for 157 yards and three touchdowns on 28 carries. He led a ground game that chewed up 210 yards and seemed to keep Hampton's defense on the field continuously
. . .
Click to expand...

WPIAL Class AAA: Sluggish Vikings brush away Talbots
 
Upvote 0
WPIAL Championships: Run For Glory
Shell vs. Caputo -- top 2 rushers in the WPIAL will meet in a title game for first time in history.
Friday, November 27, 2009
By Mike White, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

rushel1_330.jpg

Lake Fong/Post-Gazette
Hopewell's Rushel Shell leads the WPIAL in rushing with 2,465 yards.Hopewell's Rushel Shell and West Allegheny's Mike Caputo are running backs who also play defensive back, so when their respective teams met earlier this season, they butted heads a few times ... and then some.

"One time he pinched me in a pile and I got a little mad," Shell said with a laugh. "But then he apologized and we just laughed about it."

Shell and Caputo will meet again this evening, and maybe this time everyone else should pinch themselves. Just to make sure this matchup is real.

Hopewell vs. West Allegheny. Shell vs. Caputo. This isn't one for the ages; it's a run for the ages.

It has been at least 30 years since a championship game has matched two running backs such as these. The Post-Gazette has been keeping statistics for the WPIAL since 1979. Since then, there has never been a championship game matching the No. 1 rusher in the WPIAL in the regular season against No. 2.

Until now.

West Allegheny meets Hopewell for the Class AAA title today at Heinz Field (5 p.m. kickoff). An FSN Pittsburgh television audience will be watching a highly unusual battle of the backs.

Shell, a 5-foot-10, 200-pound sophomore, led the WPIAL in rushing during the regular season with 2,043 yards. Caputo, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound junior, was second with 1,565. Including playoff games, both players have easily surpassed 2,000 yards -- Shell has 2,465 and Caputo 2,211.
Click to expand...


Shell has speed and can make excellent cuts. He didn't become a starter until midway through his freshman season. Since then, he has had 100 yards or more in 17 consecutive games and has 3,728 yards in those 17 games. That's 219 yards a game -- for a sophomore.

Overall, he has 3,981 career yards and needs only 19 to become the second player in WPIAL history to rush for 4,000 yards by the end of his sophomore season. The other was Vernillo.

"No one has been able to stop him," Palko said. "You're not going to be able to stop him.

"He is as good a runner as I've ever seen. He's exciting and things like that. Now Mike, is just a football player. He just makes plays. He's awesome. ... People talk about where does he project in college. I don't know. Who cares where they project? People say, 'Does he have speed?' I said 'Yes.' They said, 'How fast?' I don't know his 40 time. All I know is he's fast enough to make the play."
Click to expand...


Read more: WPIAL Championships: Run For Glory
RUSHEL SHELL
Pos: RB-DB
School: Hopewell
Height: 5-10
Weight: 200
Year: So.

The skinny: Has had one of the most prolific starts to a career in WPIAL history. Made Fab 22 as a freshman. Needs only 19 yards to reach 4,000 already in his career. This season, has rushed for 2,465 yards on 250 attempts for Class AAA finalist. Has 32 touchdowns.

College: Pitt offered a scholarship when he was a freshman. Expected to be heavily recruited by Division I colleges in the future.

Thanksgiving food you must have: Turkey and mashed potatoes.

Person you would like to spend a day with: Kim Kardashian.

Favorite old song: The Cha Cha.

Career if not an athlete: A construction worker.

Most memorable career moment: Whenever I took the opening kickoff back against New Castle.

People might be surprised to know that ... In five years, I'll marry Kim Kardashian and live in Florida.
Click to expand...

Read more: http://www.pittsburghpostgazette.com/pg/09330/1016512-365.stm#ixzz0Y4MVYUsV
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
Hopewell lost the WPIAL championship to West Allegheny 36-28, but it wasn't Shell's fault. He is the only reason the game was close, with over 40 carries 3 TDs and playing defense.
 
Upvote 0
CLASS AAA: West Allegheny beats Hopewell, 36-28

Saturday, November 28, 2009

By Michael Sanserino, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Rushel Shell won the battle of the running backs, but Mike Caputo won the only battle that mattered.
. . .

The game featured the WPIAL's two leading rushers in Shell and Caputo.
Both players scored four touchdowns each while Shell had 274 yards rushing and Caputo had 178.

"He's a great player," Caputo said of Shell. "He ran all over us. He ran all over everybody this season. It was nice playing against him in the final game. I'm sure it was very exciting for everybody."
. . .

Shell led the Vikings' response on Hopewell's next possession.

After his 49-yard kickoff return gave Hopewell the ball at West Allegheny's 48, Shell took the Vikings' next seven carries, capped by an 8-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 15-7.
. . .
Shell had four fumbles in the game, including one turnover in the second half.

"I don't know what happened," Shell said. "Mistakes I've got to work on."
Shell passed the 4,000-career-yard mark with a 9-yard run in the second quarter. Shell, with 4,255 career yards rushing, and Fort Cherry's Mike Vernillo are the only sophomores to eclipse the 4,000-yard mark.

Shell's 274 yards rushing yesterday are the most in a WPIAL championship game played at Heinz Field or Three Rivers Stadium.

The previous record was 262, set by Blackhawk's Nate Stewart in 1996.
Click to expand...

CLASS AAA: West Allegheny beats Hopewell, 36-28
 
Upvote 0
PittsburghLive.com

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Terrific 25
By The Tribune-Review Sunday, December 20, 2009

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review staff selects the best high school football players from the 2009 season:

...
Rushel Shell - RB/DB
Hopewell, Sophomore, 5-11, 210
The skinny: Only the second sophomore in WPIAL history to top 4,000 career rushing yards (4,301).

cont...
Click to expand...
 
Upvote 0
Holy be-jesus that's some sick stats for only playing 2 years of HS ball! I don't want to seem like I'm questioning his skills, but is he playing top-level talent or is he a kid that's hitting his peak faster than the rest?
 
Upvote 0
Joe6809;1695111; said:
Has anything been happening with Rushel lately? It seems Dunn and Ball have been in discussions a lot lately, but nothing about Shell.
Click to expand...

Probably because there haven't been any interviews with/stories about him since December, nor has there been any film on him released recently, a la Ball and Dunn. Kinda hard to talk about him when there isn't much about which to talk.
 
Upvote 0
I have seen Ball and Shell and if I had to choose today it would be Shell. I know there are some good RB's this year but with so much in state talent and superstar like Shell out there for 12 I can not see a back getting an offer.
 
Upvote 0
Updated: July 13, 2010
Shell following Dorsett's legacy
Star running back Rushel Shell is young and only getting better
By Walter Villa
Special to ESPN.com

HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- When a Pennsylvania running back draws comparisons to Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett, there's probably something special happening. That's the case at Hopewell High School.

recruit_shell1_in_200.jpg

Hopewell High School
While playing on Dorsett Field, the comparison of Rushel Shell to the Heisman winner are inevitable.

In the same classroom where he teaches astronomy, Hopewell Coach Dave Vestal presses play on his laptop, allowing a visitor to watch what many consider an out-of-this-world display -- highlights of a variety of runs from Rushel Shell.

"He can run well between the tackles, make a move, and, once he gets to the edge, he has real nice speed," Vestal said, providing commentary as images of Shell flash on screen.

Most striking is the play in which Shell employs a savage stiff arm to knock down a defender. Then again, maybe the most memorable clip is the one that shows a portion of a linebacker's busted helmet fly in the air upon impact with Shell.

"If I'm mad, I'll try to run someone over," says Shell, who has joined the film session a few minutes in. "But usually, I just do whatever it takes to score. "

He does just that on the next highlight, using a hesitation move to escape two would-be tacklers who seemingly had him fenced in along the sideline.

"Just like we coached it," Vestal jokes.

The 6-0, 217-pounder is regarded as one of the nation's top Class of 2012 prospects. As a freshman, he ran for 1,576 yards, 14 touchdowns and an 8.4 yards per carry average -- numbers made even more stunning by the fact he didn't become a starter until the sixth game.

His recently completed sophomore season featured 2,740 rushing yards, a 9.4 average and 35 touchdowns. And in the 18 games since he broke into the starting lineup, he has never failed to rush for fewer than 133 yards.
Click to expand...


recruit_shell2_200.jpg

Hopewell High School
Entering his junior season, Shell has Ohio State and Florida as his early favorites.

Fair warning for Hopewell opponents: Shell has been working on passing out of the Wildcat and said he is can fling it 55 yards. And with that in mind, perhaps it's no wonder his idol is Ohio State junior quarterback Terrelle Pryor, the last player from the Pittsburgh metropolitan area to earn this much attention.

Shell has yet to meet Pryor, but the two exchange text messages. Shell said Pryor has not pushed him toward Ohio State and has only advised him to take all his visits and find the college that feels like the best fit.

Shell, who has an interest in studying criminal justice, said he favors Ohio State and Florida because of their winning traditions. He likes Ohio State's I-formation offense and Florida's wide-open attack.

"Ohio State and Florida," Shell said, "are a mixture of old and new."

With Shell being so close to his mother, he could also decide to stay close to home and play at Pittsburgh.

Shell, who has her initials tattooed on his arms, is soft spoken and seems more than humble, but many of his supporters worry that hype might go to his head.

That's where his mother comes in.

"My mother," Shell said with a sheepish smile, "she tells me: 'You're not in the NFL yet.' ''

When asked if the concerns about a potentially over-inflated ego are legitimate, Shell paused for a few seconds.

"Uh, not really," he finally said. "I could be cocky. But I'm not that kind of guy. I just see myself as a normal kid."
Click to expand...

College football recruiting: Rushel Shell is something special - ESPN
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top