Oakland's Xavier Myers is DNJ all-area football player of the year for 2018

Oakland's football team lost a statistical monster when it graduated running back Jeron Rooks from its 2017 squad.

A big question was how would the Patriots replace a player who was one of the region's top rushers and led the league in receiving yards.

Enter Xavier Myers, a senior who transferred from Division II-A school Nashville Christian. He had made a name for himself with more than 2,000 yards rushing and a Mr. Football finalist award in 2017.

After garnering another Mr. Football finalist award and leading Oakland to a BlueCross Bowl championship (where he was named MVP), it's safe to say Myers fit in well.

"Xavier showed that he is capable of coming in and not only becoming the best running back in the county but also being a great teammate," said Oakland coach Kevin Creasy. "He's an unselfish player, when asked to do things like block and carry out other assignments. That speaks to his character.

"He's a good teammate and willing to do whatever it takes to help the team succeed."

Consistency would be the best word to describe Myers' 2018 season. He finished with 1,982 yards and 32 touchdowns, tops in the area in both categories, but perhaps most impressive was he rushed for more than 100 yards in each of Oakland's 15 games.

His 107 yards and a touchdown in Oakland's 37-0 win over Whitehaven in the Class 6A state championship game earned him BlueCross Bowl MVP honors.

"I think I had a great year playing in 6A," said Myers. "I was impressed with myself being able to adjust and compete with some of the best players in the state. My teammates this year were the reason I did so well and I'm so grateful for them."

Reach Cecil Joyce at cjoyce@dnj.com or 615-278-5168 and on Twitter @Cecil_Joyce.