DEVIL ON THE GO | Herschel Turner Jr. Sparks Mt. Diablo Football

Rushing For Video-Game Like Numbers, Herschel Turner Jr. Has Energized Concord’s Mt. Diablo High Football Program — And Put It Squarely In The League Title Race

Herschel Turner Jr. looks restless.

Midway through the first quarter of Mt. Diablo-Concord’s homecoming game against Ygnacio Valley-Concord, Turner hasn’t played a snap yet. On paper, the Red Devils stand a good shot to win even without their star running back, and the slight limp he’s walking with gives away the fact that if he’s not needed, this is going to be a light night for the 5-foot-10, 190-pound senior.

In the midst of a season in which he’s run around and over every defense he’s encountered, standing still seems unnatural. 

So, he stays attached at the hip to the Red Devils’ coaching staff, pacing the sideline and pointing out adjustments he sees on both offense and defense. Ygnacio Valley is hanging tough, and with Mt. Diablo leading 21-16 with just over three minutes left in the half, the Red Devils finally decide the time is right to call Turner’s number.

His first carry comes on third-and-forever, but even on a nondescript run for six yards, Turner drags multiple defenders along with him. A few minutes later, Mt. Diablo gets the ball back and Turner doesn’t wait, exploding through the line for a jaw-dropping 45-yard touchdown run. 

Even at less than 100 percent, the explosiveness is obvious.

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Turner carries only once in the second half, but this time the full arsenal is on display. A good push from his offensive line gets him to the second level of Ygnacio Valley’s defense, and at that point all the Wolves can do is try to keep up as a burst of next-level speed results in a 73-yard bolt to the end zone. 

The run puts Mt. Diablo (5-1, 1-0 Diablo Athletic League – Valley Division) up 41-16 and ends Turner’s evening with a stat line of three carries, 124 yards and two touchdowns. As he goes back to shadowing his coaches throughout an interminable final two quarters, the Red Devils finally put the finishing touches on a 49-22 victory over their cross-town rivals.

Mt. Diablo High (Concord) running back Herschel Turner Jr. turns the ball upfield during a run against visiting Ygnacio Valley-Concord. (Ben Enos photos)

Excitement for football on the downtown Concord campus is building these days, something first-year head coach and Mt. Diablo grad Fetuao Mua sees daily from his post as a campus supervisor. The home stands were nearly full on homecoming night, and a handful of college coaches stalked the sideline pregame hoping to get a look at Turner.

“We’ve been blessed,” Mua said. “We’re very fortunate to be in the position we’re in, especially with a talent like Herschel and a bunch of guys that were here on last year’s roster who probably didn’t get to celebrate as many wins as they wanted to.”

When Mua and his staff took the job, they didn’t know they’d be inheriting a game-breaking talent.

After starring at Freedom-Oakley for the last two years, Turner moved to nearby Bay Point when his mom took a new job. Bay Point sits within Mt. Diablo’s attendance area, and in a decision becoming seemingly more uncommon in the age of transfers, Turner settled in to play for his neighborhood school.

The results so far have been nothing short of epic.

Through six games, Turner has rushed 85 times for 1,708 yards and 27 touchdowns. He’s averaging over 20 yards per carry, and Mua can even recount six other touchdowns that were called back due to penalties.

At one point in September, Turner led the entire nation in rushing yardage according to MaxPreps, and after his output against Ygnacio Valley, he still ranks in the top 10. What makes those video game-esque numbers even more incredible is that among that top 10, he is the only player with less than 100 carries. In fact, the next lowest carry total is 145, a whopping 60 more than Turner.

It’s a season already bound for the record books.

“To be honest, I feel like I had a whole offseason to prepare,” Turner said. “Last year, I was hurt from like December to June. So even though I played the full season, I still wasn’t at my best. I would say it’s me improving but also it’s being in a great program with good coaches and good teammates.”

From left to right, Mt. Diablo captains Herschel Turner, Jakorey Robinson, Aidan VanHoose and Tatum Laxa.

Those new teammates have welcomed Turner into the fold with open arms. Senior lineman Aidan Vanhoose has played his own role in the Red Devils’ turnaround as one of the team’s leaders in the trenches, and he helps pave the way for Turner’s highlight-reel runs.

“(We were) blessed to have him want to come to our program and help build something new to help the kids coming up through the program,” Vanhoose said. “This is my senior year, but it’s still an amazing feeling to play with a guy like this and help build for the next years.”

This isn’t a case of a star talent coming to a new school and just worrying about his own future. 

Instead, Mua credits the impact that Turner is having away from the field as a major contributor in Mt. Diablo’s turnaround.

“I think it’s his character. He’s a really good athlete and a really good football player, obviously, but the thing that separates him is he’s an even better human being,” Mua said. “On campus, he’s been a big part of the culture change around here. Students are starting to see that you can be a really good athlete and also be a really good student, go to class and get good grades.” 

Turner wasn’t exactly an unknown commodity at Freedom, but it would have been a bit outlandish to predict the level of production that has come at Mt. Diablo.

So, what changed?

Turner credits improved vision and experience as major factors, and says that speed training over the summer with running backs coach Tommy Hampton has helped as well. 

Turner gets a congrats from coach Fetuao Mua.

The coaching staff has played an important role too, because for a program enjoying success for the first time in a while, the tendency might be to rely heavily on Turner’s game-breaking talent. Instead, offensive coordinator Josh Bulla and the Red Devils have shown restraint, and Turner’s high point for carries came in a 25-carry evening against Castlemont. 

That approach means there should be plenty of tread left on Turner’s tires as the Red Devils try to make a run at a DAL title.

“It’s all on us. I feel like the only people that can beat us are us,” Turner said. “I know that sounds cliché but it’s really true.”

For a team looking to continue its turnaround and a running back chasing history, standing still just isn’t an option.