West Virginia '12 RB - Rushel Shell (Transfer to West Virginia)

OSUBasketballJunkie · Aug 12, 2009

Scout.com

Running Back
Hopewell SHS (Aliquippa, PA)

Ht: 5-11
Wt: 209
40: 4.45

Keep an eye on this prospect. As a freshman, Shell ran for 1,362 yards in ten games.

Pittsburgh

On the run
Freshman Rushel Shell has turned Hopewell football games into a personal playground; many see greatness in his future

Friday, November 07, 2008
By Mike White, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Like his father and grandfather, Rushel Shell doesn't have a middle name or initial. He is simply Rushel Shell III.

But this fall, the youngest Rushel Shell seems to have picked up an identifiable four-word moniker. It goes like this:

Rushel Shell -- The Next Great One.

Maybe it's unfair to bestow future greatness on a youngster not old enough to drive. But that's what can happen when you are only a freshman in high school and gain 1,362 yards in 10 games against tough WPIAL Class AAA competition. Fans call you a future great when you rush for more than 200 yards in three consecutive games.

People start throwing around the "g" word when they see a 5-foot-11, 209-pound 15-year-old who can run a 40-yard dash in 4.45 seconds and bench press 290 pounds. Opposing coaches' jaws drop when they see a youngster barrel through some defenders and speed past others.

Shell has been all that for Hopewell High School. And, by the way, his first name is pronounced just like "Russell." Get used to it because you'll probably be hearing it a lot in WPIAL football the next few years.

Continued............
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Don't be surprised if Shell gets scholarship offers by next summer.

"I'm not saying I'm going to school at these places, but I like Ohio State, Penn State and USC," Shell said.

He hears people say he could be the next great running back from Western Pennsylvania, which is not known for producing many big-time college running backs.

Every time Shell steps on the Hopewell field, he sees greatness. The Vikings' home is called Tony Dorsett Stadium. A sign of the former Hopewell great hangs underneath the scoreboard.
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OSUBasketballJunkie · Aug 12, 2009

Here is some video.............

Youtube

ChiefNiko · Aug 12, 2009

Exciting stuff in 2012, wonder if we'll be able to land both he and Brionte. Should be a pretty tough fight.

OSUBasketballJunkie · Sep 9, 2009

MaxPreps

Football recruiting roundup: The next Tony Dorsett?

Hopewell (Pa.) sophomore Rushel Shell picks up where he left off; injury bug hits top juniors.
Tuesday, September 08, 2009 By: Stephen Spiewak
MaxPreps.com

The reigning MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year has already proven that his ninth-grade campaign was no fluke.

Hopewell (Pa.) running back Rushel Shell exploded for 257 yards in a 47-6 victory over Saxonburg. He had only 13 carries but registered scoring runs of 4, 70, 66 and 56 yards in his first game as a sophomore.

Shell was simply amazing as a freshman, bursting onto the Western Pennsylvania scene by rushing for 1,515 yards and 14 touchdowns despite not earning a starting job until the sixth week of the season. The 6-foot, 210-pound back has elite speed (in the 4.4-second 40-yard dash range) and has incredible strength for a player so young. He can already bench press more than 300 pounds.

While fellow 2012 running back Barry Sanders Jr. is a more well-known commodity at this point, Shell isnâ€™t far behind. Colleges are aware of him, and are beginning to line up for his services. He has already taken the short trip to visit Pitt, and the Panthers have verbally offered him a scholarship.

Shell continues to draw comparisons to a former Hopewell (Pa.) star, Tony Dorsett, who went on to win a Heisman Trophy at Pitt. In fact, when Shell and the rest of the Vikings play host to Mars on Friday night, theyâ€™ll be taking the field at Tony Dorsett Stadium.

With an opportunity to play on defense this year, Shell will have a chance to display his versatility and overall athleticism. Heâ€™s already on pace to crack the MaxPreps Sophomore All-American team, and will continue to emerge as a major recruit.
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ChiefNiko · Sep 9, 2009

Can't wait to see how he develops towards his senior year!

OSUBasketballJunkie · Sep 15, 2009

Pittsburgh

Hopewell defeats Mars, 47-22
Saturday, September 12, 2009
By Colin Dunlap, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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The person who made the Planets pay most was sophomore running back Rushel Shell, who ran for 171 yards and four touchdowns on 24 carries. Shell gained all those yards despite just one fourth-quarter carry.

"He's a great back; we knew that coming in," Heinauer said. "But I just felt like when we got behind early like that, it made it a lot easier for them to give it to him and for him to make yards. When they build a lead like that, you can forget it."

In leaping out to the 20-0 first-quarter lead, Shell scored on an 8-yard run, Mark Ross pulled in a 17-yard touchdown pass and quarterback Matt Hundenski scored on a 4-yard keeper.

It wasn't until then Mars answered, making it 20-7 in the opening seconds of the second quarter on a Randy Seebacher 32-yard touchdown pass before Shell fired back again just before halftime, pushing the Hopewell lead to 26-7 on a 2-yard steamroll of a run.

Just out of halftime came the brightest of flashes, with Shell showing why he's considered by some to be one of the most dynamic sophomores in the country.

He took a pitch to the right from his own 33, darted to the right, was hung up against the sideline, made a quick move before heading briefly back into the middle and then back again to the sideline.

Shell looked to be trapped for a loss.

It was a mirage.

The back tiptoed the sideline, made two more Mars defenders miss around midfield and was gone for a 67-yard touchdown to make it 33-7.

"Just how we drew it up, just what we coached him to do," Hopewell coach Dave Vestal said with a laugh, tongue planted firmly in cheek.

"In all honestly, you can't teach that, you can't coach what he did there. He made a couple guys miss and everyone saw what he can do. That was a tremendous run and something he's been blessed with."
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OSUBasketballJunkie · Sep 27, 2009

Pittsburgh

Hopewell beats New Castle, 35-27
Saturday, September 26, 2009

By Michael Sanserino, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Matt Freed/Post-GazetteHopewell's Rushel Shell runs the opening kickoff for a touchdown as he's chased by New Castle's Raysean Glenn last night.

Hopewell running back Rushel Shell twice left the game last night against New Castle with leg cramps.

But by the end of the game, he had the Red Hurricanes feeling sick.

Shell scored three touchdowns and ran for 143 yards to lead No. 2 Hopewell to a 35-27 victory against the No. 4 Red Hurricanes.

"Big players make big plays in big games," Hopewell coach Dave Vestal said.

Shell made big play after big play in the win. His three scores came from outside the 35.

The sophomore opened the game with an 89-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that set the tone for the Vikings.

Shell took the opening kick and immediately ran into some traffic. He bounced out to the right side of the field, where he eyed the only New Castle player that could keep him from scoring.

Continued.....................
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OSUBasketballJunkie · Oct 2, 2009

This kid idolizes Terrelle Pryor..............

Pittsburgh

â€¢ Hopewell sophomore Rushel Shell has rushed for 100 yards or more in 10 consecutive games. The previous time he was held to less than 100 yards was when he gained only 17 on five carries in the fifth game last year against Blackhawk. Hopewell plays Blackhawk tonight.
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OSUBasketballJunkie · Oct 14, 2009

Pittsburgh

Hopewell 49 Riverside 7

The No. 2 Vikings (6-0) rolled to a road victory against the Class AA Panthers (2-4) in a non-conference game. Rushel Shell rushed for 264 yards on 19 carries and scored on runs of 31, 28, 63, 21 and 47 yards for Hopewell. Shell has 1,143 yards on 124 carries for the season.
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OSUBasketballJunkie · Oct 22, 2009

MaxPreps

Pennsylvania: Hopewellâ€™s Shell making people remember Dorsett

Sunday, October 18, 2009 By: Chris Rossetti
MaxPreps.com

ALIQUIPPA, Pa. â€“ Once upon a time, a great running back graced the football field at Hopewell High School. A running back that went on to not only win a Heisman Trophy at the University of Pittsburgh but also be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994.

That running back, Tony Dorsett, was so good the football field is now named after him, and 37 years since he graced the gridiron for the Vikings, another running back is evoking memories of one of the greatest of all time.

The new kid in town, sophomore Rushel Shell, gave fans something they will be talking about 37 years from now when he ran for a career-high 349 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-26 win over West Allegheny on Friday night at Tony Dorsett Stadium.

"I didnâ€™t know I had that many yards," Shell, who ran for 211 yards on just 10 first-half carries, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "But I knew if the line blocked, we knew we were capable of anything."

Shell scored on runs of 84, 77 and 10 yards and went over the 3,000-yard mark in only his 18th career game. He has 3,008 career yards, has run for over 100 yards in 13 straight contests and broke the 200-yard mark for the seventh time in his career.

"Is that what he had? 349?," West Allegheny head coach Bob Palko told the Post-Gazette. "Well, if he didnâ€™t have those Division I college scholarships before, he should get them now. Heâ€™s everything they say he is."

Hopewell (7-0), ranked 16th in Pennsylvania by MaxPreps, needed everything Shell could give because West Allegheny (5-2), ranked 56th, proved to be a worthy opponent nearly matching every Viking score with a score of its own thanks to a pretty good running back of its own in Mike Caputo. Caputo ran for 222 yards and three touchdowns, including a 62-yard run.
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OSUBasketballJunkie · Oct 27, 2009

Pittsburgh

Hopewell 30, Montour 23

Rushel Shell rushed for 262 yards on 26 carries and scored on touchdown runs of 58 and 66 yards to lead the No. 2 Vikings (8-0, 5-0) to a narrow victory against the Spartans (5-3, 3-2) in the Parkway Conference. Matt Hundenski ran for one score and threw for another for Hopewell.
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OSUBasketballJunkie · Oct 29, 2009

Pittsburgh

Varsity Notebook: Hopewell's Shell on pace for WPIAL's all-time mark
McKeesport kings of splash plays

Friday, October 23, 2009
By Mike White, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Much has been written and said about Hopewell sophomore running back Rushel Shell. But to fully appreciate what Shell has done so far, you need to look at him next to the WPIAL's all-time leading rusher.

Shell is pretty much running stride for stride with Mike Vernillo.

Vernillo, a 2000 graduate of Fort Cherry High School, is the WPIAL's top rusher with 7,646 yards. After 18 games of his career, when Vernillo was a sophomore, he had 3,022 yards.

Shell is a sophomore at Hopewell. After 18 games of his career, he has 3,008 yards.

Shell said he had no idea what the WPIAL all-time record is.

"I think it's around 9,000 yards," he said.

When told of Vernillo's mark and told of the similar statistics, Shell said: "I'm surprised. If I'm on the same pace as him and he has the record, then maybe someday I can eventually come close."

Notice he said close. The record is not something he thinks much about.

Continued..............
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OSUBasketballJunkie · Oct 29, 2009

Pennsylvania

Vikings run 'wild' in win
By: Mike Bires
Beaver County Times
Sunday October 25, 2009 12:15 AM

ROBINSON TWP. â€” Rushel Shell is dangerous enough when lining up in the â€œIâ€ formation. But now that heâ€™s also a â€œWildcatâ€, heâ€™s even more of an offensive threat.

Shell, Hopewellâ€™s sensational sophomore running back, proved that Friday night in a 30-23 win over Montour.

Down 14-10 after three quarters, Shell ran 58 yards for a touchdown out of the Wildcat formation on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Then after Montour went ahead 20-17, Hopewell used the Wildcat to strike again. This time, Shell took the long snap and then handed off to quarterback Matt Hundenski, who was lined up as a blocking back.

But instead of running with the ball, Hundenski threw a 53-yard TD pass to wide receiver Mark Ross.

Continued............
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OSUBasketballJunkie · Oct 30, 2009

Scout.com$

Sophomore Sensation: Rushel Shell.......................video.

ChiefNiko · Oct 30, 2009

I'd love to pull this kid in, but it seems like it'll be difficult to bring in multiple high caliber backs with the stable we'll have at that time.

OSUBasketballJunkie · Nov 6, 2009

Kids will be kids...........

Hopewell's star running back suspended
By: Mike Bires
Beaver County Times
Wednesday November 4, 2009 01:50 PM

HOPEWELL TWP. â€” Rushel Shell, Hopewell High School's star running back, will not play Friday night when the Vikings open the WPIAL playoffs.
School administrators have no comment on the matter. But The Times has learned that Shell has been suspended from class for three days â€” and thus is ineligible to play in a first-round game against Derry â€” because he was caught with a can of smokeless tobacco in his pocket during school hours.
Shell, a sophomore, leads the WPIAL with 2,044 rushing yards. He has scored 26 touchdowns for the 9-0 Vikings, the No. 2 seed in the Class AAA playoff bracket.
Even without Shell, Hopewell will be favored to advance against 3-6 Derry.
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OSUBasketballJunkie · Nov 27, 2009

Pittsburgh

WPIAL football: Hopewell blasts MarsTEXT SIZE
By: Mike Bires Beaver County Times
Sunday November 15, 2009 12:08 AM

AMBRIDGE â€” For the mighty Hopewell Vikings, the beat goes on.
The highest-scoring team among all WPIAL Class AAA schools put on another impressive performance in a 33-0 shellacking of Mars.
In a quarterfinal playoff game at Moe Rubenstein Stadium Friday night, Hopewell racked up 496 yards of offense.
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Shell, a sophomore, rushed for 265 yards and three touchdowns. One of his TDs was a 91-yard run early in the third quarter. In his last five starts, heâ€™s rushed for 1,402 yards, an average of 280.4 per game.

â€œRushel was outstanding tonight,â€ quarterback Matt Hundenski said.
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OSUBasketballJunkie · Nov 27, 2009

Pittsburgh

Hopewell Vikings' ship sails into final
Buzz up!By John Perrotto, FOR THE TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, November 21, 2009

Sophomore Rushel Shell came up short in his bid to reach 4,000 career rushing yards, but Hopewell wasn't complaining.
Shell rushed for 157 yards and three touchdowns on 28 carries to lead the Vikings to a 31-9 victory over Hampton on Friday night in a WPIAL Class AAA semifinal playoff game at Montour High School's Thomas J. Birko Memorial Stadium in Robinson Township.
Hopewell (12-0) moves into Friday's championship game at Heinz Field. It will be the Vikings' first title game appearance since winning the state championship in 2002.
Shell is now 19 yards short of 4,000. Hampton did a reasonable good job of stopping the explosive Shell as he had just three runs of at least 10 yards.

Continued...........
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OSUBasketballJunkie · Jul 15, 2010

espn.com

Shell following Dorsett's legacy
Pennsylvania star running back Rushel Shell is young and only getting better
Email Print Comments
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.
Hopewell High School
While playing on Dorsett Field, the comparison of Rushel Shell to the Heisman winner is inevitable.In the same classroom where he teaches astronomy, Hopewell coach Dave Vestal presses play on his laptop, showing 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.
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Fair warning for Hopewell opponents: Shell has been working on passing out of the Wildcat and said he can fling it 55 yards. 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 have exchanged 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."
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OSUBasketballJunkie · Jul 21, 2010

thebuckeyetimes (Free)

SHELL COULD BE A TOP TARGET FOR BUCKEYES IN THE CLASS OF 2012.......................

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