JEFFERSON TWP — It wasn't a complete surprise to Mike King.

The Knoch High School football coach had seen the flashes of brilliance from Tim McNerney in the instances when the running back carried the ball last year.

He really saw the flashes of promise during the Knights' two scrimmages.

"I told him, 'You look like Walter Payton out there,'" King said.

McNerney, a junior, forced King's hand. With senior Alex Whisler returning at running back in his traditional I-formation set, King devised a way to get them both on the field: the wishbone.

It lasted a little more than one game.

Whisler went down with a season-ending knee injury and Knoch was back to the I — with McNerney as the tailback.

Two games, two rousing wins, 463 yards and six touchdowns later, McNerney has emerged as the scariest runner in the county not named Billy Bair.

"I don't know how to explain it," McNerney said. "I don't think about those kinds of things, though. I don't think about numbers. I just think about wins and losses."

Knoch has two wins, largely thanks to McNerney's running. He came in for the injured Whisler against Ringgold and rushed for 232 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Knights to a 39-29 win.

On Friday against Greensburg Salem, McNerney added 231 yards and two scored in a 35-7 win.

The true test will come this week at home against conference rival Pine-Richland.

But McNerney seems to be unphased by the pressure.

"It's not like I was just thrown in there," he said. "I've worked with the first-team offense when coach put in the wishbone."

The biggest change in McNerney has been mental.

Once just as eager to shy away from contact, McNerney is running harder and stronger — and isn't afraid of dealing a blow himself.

It grabbed the attention of King.

"He's lowering his shoulder," King said. "I think he understands it better. It's a maturing process. He's playing more physical."

McNerney hit the weight room during the offseason and added 35 pounds of muscle onto his 5-foot-8 frame.

The added bulk has augmented his already sneaky speed and quickness.

"Last year I didn't play as physical," McNerney said. "Now, it depends on the situation whether I try to run over someone or around them. I just go with what works."

Whatever McNerney is doing, it is certainly working.

Like any running back worth his weight in shoulder pads, he gives a heaping helping of credit to his offensive line.

"They've been opening big holes for me to run through," McNerney said.

He is also cognizant of how fleeting football can be.

McNerney watched as a freshman two seasons ago as Whisler was lost for the season with a spleen injury.

He also witnessed Whisler struggle through a variety of leg issues last season and then the knee injury in the second game of 2007.

That has given McNerney a sense of urgency every time he carries the football. He realizes his next carry could be his last.

And he's running that way.

"I've learned not to take anything for granted," McNerney said. "It can be all gone tomorrow."