Lisbon’s Tiernan Boots is made for running

CEDAR RAPIDS — If he had another season of prep football eligibility, you wonder which positions Tiernan Boots might end up playing.

Perhaps some quarterback on offense. You could see it.

Maybe a safety on defense. That’s highly plausible.

The Lisbon senior has been a running back and hybrid defensive end-outside linebacker this season for a team that finished the regular season 8-0 and hosts a Class A first-round playoff game Friday night against Starmont (5-3).

He was a wide receiver and cornerback for the Lions last season. That is some serious two-way versatility.

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“I mean, it’s pretty intuitive,” Boots said. “All the guys, our whole lineup can pretty much play anywhere. Our whole team is (full of) smart football players. (Teammate) Gage Holub, for example, went from defensive end one week to defensive back another week. Our guys are flexible, especially on defense. They can play all around.”

Flexibility and athleticism are two of the attributes of this Lisbon team. In regards to that latter thing, the school has won consecutive Class 1A state track and field team championships for a reason.

Boots ends up epitomizing both. He’s one of the top small-school sprinters in the state (as well as a high-end wrestler), and he is agreeable to play wherever on the football field his coaches believe is the best for the team.

“That is that kid to a T,” Lisbon head coach Dylan Hastings said. “You talk about a utility type guy. And he’s the most selfless young guy I’ve ever met. He’s a ‘Yes, Coach. Yes, sir.’ type of kid. It’s ‘Play me where you need me so the team is better.’ That’s where it was last year. He was a wide receiver last year for us because we had experience and speed in the backfield and (WR) was where he was best for us.

“Then defensively we needed him at that D-back spot. We do something special with our defense. Really our outside linebackers are more like DBs, but we can play them up on the line of scrimmage, too. Where did we need him this year? We needed him at the hybrid spot. We can play him as a linebacker or a standup D-end or a DB. That’s just the kind of kid he is. He’s a true, true utility guy.”

Boots said he added weight over the summer in order to better handle the physical rigors of being a running back. He has 1,360 yards rushing, 24 touchdowns and a per-carry average of 10.5.

Defensively, he’s fifth on the team in tackles.

“The thing with him is the kid has extraordinary vision,” Hastings said. “He cuts off our offensive linemen, and we’ve had to tell our offensive linemen like ‘Listen, don’t ever look back. Because Tiernan is going to make cuts, he’s going to make cuts off your butts. So just keep your eyes downfield and keep working.’

“But, honestly, with all that, I just think the kid is so strong. He’s not super tall, so he’s got that low center of gravity. He can just carry guys, and he’s relentless. His strength is definitely a bonus. He’s so quick, but to be able to so strong, too ...”

Boots’ father Nick is an assistant coach for the program, so this is a cool father-son deal. As it is with wrestling, too.

Line play was a question mark coming into this football season because of heavy losses to graduation. But it’s not a question mark anymore.

“I’m grateful to have gotten a lot of carries,” said Boots, who added he prefers being a running back over a receiver. “So I’ve been able to get some good stats. Our O-line has really toughened up with their game and opened up holes for me, let me get out in space and have some pretty good runs. Those guys have really stepped up and learned a lot. From last year’s group, especially.”

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