MACON — Jakerrius Oliver would love to be a workhorse.

But you’re bound to get more than one player willing to shoulder a bigger load when you have an offensive line with the size and experience of the Noxubee County High School football team. With four of its five offensive linemen listed at 6-foot-3 or taller and weighing at least 250 pounds, Noxubee County has the girth and athleticism to make the most of the talents of Oliver and a deep and versatile backfield.

Oliver showed Friday he is ready if needed to be Noxubee County’s featured back, rushing for 98 yards and two touchdowns in a 41-12 victory against Forest in the team’s home opener at Tiger Stadium.

“I feel like I was the horse because every time my offensive line gave me a push I tried to give it my all,” Oliver said. “I give props to my offensive line.”

Oliver, a 5-foot-8, 180-pound senior, scored on runs of 10 and 2 yards to help the 2014 and 2015 Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 4A State champions outlast the Class 3A Bearcats (1-2). Noxubee County outscored Forest 21-3 in the second half thanks in part to a ground game that piled up 250 yards on 37 carries. Oliver’s 17 carries were the most of nine players who had at least one carry. That group didn’t include sophomore Kyziah Pruitt, who figures to be one of six Tigers who could shoulder a bulk of the running load. Pruitt saw limited action in the first half and didn’t play in the second half due to an injury.

An offensive line of senior Tyler Dooley (6-3, 300 pounds), Anterrious Gray (6-3, 250), Johnny Slaughter (5-10, 200), Antonio Roby (6-5, 295), and Justin Davis (6-3, 295) helped the Tigers (2-1) have their best rushing attack of the season. Noxubee County had 29 carries for 73 yards (2.5 yards per carry) in a 24-21 loss to Class 6A Starkville and 36 carries for 109 yards (3.0) in a 24-23 victory against Class 6A Columbus. But it averaged 6.8 yards per carry against Forest and had 11 carries of 10 yards or more.

Oliver had four of those carries and had more than double the number of carries of all of the Tigers’ other running backs. Last season, Oliver had 54 carries for 297 yards and two touchdowns. While Oliver might not be ready to take on as big a role as former Noxubee County High standout Darrell Robinson, who had 330 carries and 2,686 yards en route to setting a state record for touchdowns in a season (47 rushing, 50 overall) in 2012, he likely will be a key piece of the puzzle as the Tigers continue their march toward a third-consecutive state championship.

“This year’s running backs are healthier,” Oliver said. “The underclassmen have speed. (Ty’Quintin) Ramsey and I have power and speed. Last year, we had two running backs (Shunessy Sherrod and Anzarius Taylor) who were hurt and out for a couple of games. Right now, we have all of our running backs.”

The backfield also includes senior Javarcus Walker, who rushed for 60 yards, and sophomore Jaqualyn Smith, who had 52 yards and two touchdowns (12 and 17 yards). Senior wide receiver Rashad Eades only had one carry Friday night, but he could be an option, as could several other receivers. Sophomore quarterback Maliek Stallings also is a threat to run in the right packages, especially considering the Tigers should have a size edge up front against the majority of their opponents, regardless of classification.

Center likely will be the only place Noxubee County won’t have a size edge on paper. That’s where senior Slaughter has taken the place of graduated senior Bobby May. Slaughter feels Noxubee County’s 2016 offensive line is different than the 2015 group in that it is faster and can do more stuff. It also is bigger than last season’s unit, except at center.

When asked if the offensive line’s improved speed and his quickness mean he thinks he could beat May in a race, he smiled and said, “Yes sir.” It remains to be seen if Slaughter could beat May in a sprint, but he played a key role in an effort that helped the Tigers realize their goal of 250 yards rushing.

“I think we did pretty good, but we can get better, though,” Slaughter said.

Slaughter said he makes up for his comparable lack of size by working hard in the weight room. Oliver said Slaughter’s investment has paid off because he has a strong lower body and can hold his own against bigger competition.

Shorter agrees and said Slaughter’s work ethic sets him apart.

“He has been scrapping for three years,” Shorter said. “Now he is a senior and it is his time. He deserves to start. A lot of people look at our line and say, ‘You have got all of those big boys and then you have this small guy.’ But you turn on the film he is the first one you notice. He is driving. It doesn’t matter about his size. It is about his heart. He is a hard-working young man. I love him to death because he works so hard and he plays more than 200 pounds. He might be 200 pounds, but he is a strong kid to be as small as he is.”

Both players said they would welcome a decision by Shorter to keep the ball on the ground and rely on a stout offensive line and what figures to be another stingy defense.

Shorter wasn’t ready to make a decision about the path his offense is going to take, but he likes the number of weapons the Tigers have on offense.

“Our game plan was to come in and establish the run early and try to get out of here with no injuries,” Shorter said. “We are so banged up from the last two weeks playing two physical ballclubs. I thought our offensive coaches, coach (James) Patterson, they did a great job and had a great game plan tonight. Our backs got going tonight, and our offensive linemen kept grinding all night.”

Shorter was especially pleased with a front five he feels features four players who will play at the next level. He admits the offensive line is the strength of an offense that will take time to find its footing with Stallings in his first season taking over for Timorrius Conner, who led the team to its back-to-back titles. Shorter believes the offense will continue to evolve as Stallings gets more comfortable. He displayed some of that comfort level in the fourth quarter when he unloaded a perfect spiral to Eades for a 57-yard touchdown pass.

“We have a lot of versatile guys in this offense,” Shorter said. “Even though, Jaqualyn Smith is young, he has so much upside to him and so much speed. I told the coaches we have to get him more involved because he is a home-run guy. A couple of the runs Oliver got tonight (Smith) would have broken for touchdowns. We have to get Walker more involved, too. We have so many more guys that it is kind of hard to share the ball because we have so many guys. It is a blessing that we have those type of athletes and guys we can depend on. I have confidence in all of the running backs because I trust them. They run the ball hard and they work hard, so we’re going to try to keep them fresh and give these guys some touches every ballgame.”

That sounds like a plan to Oliver, who said he will continue to try to set the tone by running outside and inside. While he might not be the team’s fastest back, Oliver has the speed and shiftiness to get to the edge. He also has a knack for running inside, as he did on his 10-yard touchdown run that featured an effective trap block.

Oliver feels the Tigers’ backfield has so much potential because the backs complement each other. He said Walker is like him and can do a little bit of both, so he is excited about how the offense is going to mature.

“We can’t be stingy. We have to share the ball,” Oliver said. “We have to give it to our receivers and to our backs. When we see a hole, we tell Stallings to call that play and we will run it up in there.”

If Stallings doesn’t hear Oliver, Slaughter will make sure he speaks up. He said he learned how to be a good leader and how to control the front from May, so he is more than willing to show his line mates how it is done. On Friday night, the Tigers hit their goal and showed bigger numbers might be ahead if the offensive line and running backs can be as dominant as they were against Forest.

“I feel we can run the ball all night and switch everybody out and get everybody a chance because they all run hard,” Slaughter said.

Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor

Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.