Hancock rides Zach Gullung’s tough running to first district win in 2 years
If you’re an opposing linebacker, you might not see him coming.
Hancock running back Zach Gullung is only listed at 5-foot-7, but if you miss him behind his offensive line, you’ll feel him when he finds the running lane and sprints through your chest.
That was the night St. Martin’s defense had on Friday as it weathered pounding run after pounding run from the junior tailback. Gullung bruised and battered the Yellow Jacket front seven while leading the Hawks to a 35-21 district win.
“Zach is a beast. There’s a reason he’s probably one of the strongest kids in our program,” Hancock coach Neil Lollar said. “So proud of him. He’s done a great job of working his way from last year, getting a few reps as a sophomore, to this year being able to hand it to him when we need to. He knows how to finish a run. He does a great job of balance and effort.”
Gullung scored twice in Hancock’s first district win since Nov. 6, 2020.
His first touchdown came early in the game, a five-yarder that put Hancock (4-2, 1-1) up 14-0. His second came in the fourth and served as the final touch on the Hawks’ win over the Jackets (3-3, 0-2).
“He ran through, we had a lot of missed tackles,” St. Martin coach Ty Smith said of Gullung. “Hats off to them, very good football team. Kind of ran downhill. They knew we had a lot of sophomores in the box. They basically lined up and made us like it.”
Gullung is up to 877 rushing yards in just six games this year and is averaging 7.8 yards per carry after his 197-yard performance Friday. The secret to his hard-nosed running is a simple desire to find the end zone every down.
“Score. Every play, just score,” Gullung said. “I just put my head down and run. Just try to run people over.”
Hancock quarterback Dylan Moran was also responsible for a pair of scores, the first a touchdown strike to Neil Acker and the second a toss to Destin Coleman just before the half.
Moran would finish with 126 yards on six completions.
Both played a lot in 2021, but this season is Moran’s and Gullung’s first as starters in the backfield. The two have meshed quickly, evident by the Hawks’ reaching four wins before October for the first time since 2017.
“He’s a great protector on pass protection,” Moran said. “On RPOs, I know when we need easy yards I can give it to him and he’ll get it every time. That gives me a lot of confidence back there.”
As far as protecting Gullung goes, he gives all the credit to the five linemen carving paths for him up front.
“I’m so proud of (the offensive line), if I had enough money I’d go buy all of them pancakes,” Gullung said.
The Hawks are undefeated on the road, though still searching for their first home win. The team holds a winning record heading into the second full month of the season for the first time in five years, which was the last time Hancock played postseason football.
With the reigning Region 8-6A champions in Ocean Springs already in Hancock’s rear-view mirror, the remaining schedule is filled with opportunities to make a playoffs return.
“Tonight we played how we needed to play,” Moran said. “But each week we got to get 10 percent better, 20 percent better.”
“I think we got some more in the tank,” Gullung said.
Hancock will host Gulfport next week while St. Martin looks to rebound at Harrison Central.
This story was originally published October 1, 2022 at 12:15 AM.
