MOUNT ULLA — West Rowan High’s Ben Hampton says that back in middle school his buddies used to call him a slowpoke.

But my, how times have changed. Specifically, Hampton’s times in the 40-yard dash, that measuring stick universally adored by college recruiters, have changed.

Hampton, a strapping 6-foot-2, 215-pound senior, is larger than three of the team’s starting offensive linemen, but there’s a perfectly good reason why he lines up at tailback in the Falcons’ I-formation. Namely, the big guy can move. He can motor, as well as mash.

Maybe they used to read the paper while Hampton labored to cover 40 yards. But now, if recruiters blink, they’ll miss the show. It only takes him 4.6 seconds. On his good days, he’s in the 4.5s.

“When we decided to go with Ben as a pure tailback, we became a much better football team,” said West coach Scott Young, who used Hampton all over early this season. “Ben’s ability has let us get back in the I and that’s where this team is most comfortable.”

After an uncomfortable start, West has rebounded to 5-3 and is in the hunt for a state playoff berth with its 2-1 record in the 3A North Piedmont Conference. It was Hampton who ignited that surge when he rumbled past South Rowan defenders for 206 yards. Hampton logged 200 more let’s-get-physical yards in a crucial league win over Statesville last week. That effort made him only the ninth back in county history to produce a pair of 200-yard outings.

After eight games— one in which he played quarterback, one in which he was injured — Hampton’s become a 1,000-yard rusher. To be exact, he has 1,012, a tribute to hard-blocking fullback LaGrande Andrews and West’s miniature — but mighty — offensive line.

And to Hampton.

“Not everyone has the talent of a Ben Hampton,” said Young. “Ben gets a lot of yards after contact. Rarely will you see one man bring him down.”

Last week, Hampton became only the 20th player in county history to hit the 1,000-yard mark during the regular season, and his 1,719 career yards have him poised to surpass South’s Chris Torrence (1,748) tonight for a place in Rowan’s all-time top 20.

Not bad for a middle-school slowpoke.

“When I started doing good things in football, it surprised me as much as it did anybody,” said Hampton, whose youth success came on the baseball diamond. “I used to not be able to run a lick. Then all of a sudden, I was running a whole lot faster and lifting a whole lot more weight.”

To hear Hampton modestly tell it, it’s like he was struck by a serendipitous lightning bolt — like that Flash character in the comic books. The reality, though, is that Hampton put in the hours to make himself a better athlete.

It started the summer prior to his freshman year, when the Misenheimers (Hampton’s uncle Darrell and cousin Danny) started dragging him out of bed and to the weight room.

“Darrell got the most out of me,” said Hampton. “And Danny (a two-time county athlete of the year) was someone I always looked up to. He could move so much weight. And he would do it at 6 a.m. before we even ate breakfast. It used to amaze me to watch Danny warm up with 225 pounds. But he made me succeed. Now, I’m doing some of that same stuff.”

Colleges have noticed.

Hampton was groomed from the time he could walk to be a baseball star like his dad, Rick, but it’s looking more and more like football’s going to be his ticket. When Ben runs into those inevitable baseball-football conflicts in late summer, he now opts for football.

“I’m getting the looks in football,” said Hampton. “There’s more money there, more scholarships.”

Hampton’s being considered for one of those scholarships at a wide range of positions. Some schools see him as a safety or linebacker. Others as a running back or tight end.

“I’m not even sure what side of the ball I’ll be on,” said Hampton. “But I won’t be picky about positions. I’ll feel lucky to have a scholarship.”

Duke and N.C. State have checked him out. So have I-AA schools like Elon, Wofford and William & Mary. But Hampton’s not looking to go the biggest place that will make an offer. He’d like to make an impact and he’d also like to stay close to home. That explains why Catawba remains “very high” on his list.

“I’d really like for my parents to see me play,” said Hampton. “They haven’t missed one of my games, and I know they’d want to be there. And I know I’d want them to be there.

“You always know who they are, because they’re usually the loudest ones in the stadium. I’m not ashamed of that. It makes me proud they’re cheering for their son like that.”

And it should be mentioned that there is still the possibility that they’ll be cheering for Ben on the baseball diamond, too. A two-sport career is not out of the question, because Hampton is a lefty hitter with a good eye and scoreboard-clearing power when he gets his pitch.

“My childhood dream was always to play college baseball,” Hampton said. “Playing both sports while getting my education paid for — that would be the best-case scenario.

“If I can do that, I know it would make Dad’s day.”

n

Contact Mike London at 704-797-4259 or mlondon@salisburypost.com .