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Along the spectrum of filling shoes, Joel Vincent’s task falls somewhere between epic and ridiculous.

As head coach of the Jackson High football team, Vincent is faced with replacing 2003 phenomenon Johnie Kirton, one of the most accomplished prep running backs in state history. The massive but unusually swift tailback ripped through defenses for 2,675 yards last season, 1 short of the state single-season record.

Kirton has moved on to the University of Washington, leaving a canyon-like void in Jackson’s backfield. Senior Travis Snider, Jackson’s starting fullback last year and a standout linebacker, was primed to step in but fractured his leg in the spring. As he endures physical therapy and remains sidelined, it’s on to Plan B: Vincent will call upon a lesser-known group of backs that includes Matt McEachran, who played tight end a year ago, and Shaun Klaus. Both McEachran and Klaus are seniors.

“They view this as an opportunity for them. They’re talented in their own right,” said Vincent, whose 2003 team finished 10-2 and earned the program’s first postseason victory last year.

Jackson returns 17 starters from that history-making team, but do Western Conference opponents doubt the Timberwolves can win without Kirton?

“I hope they think that,” Vincent said. “As good as Johnie is, I think anyone that knows football knows that one player can’t do it by himself. This team has taken a lot of pride in what they were able to accomplish last year. They’re ready to keep the ball rolling.”

And as Jackson moves into the post-Kirton era – and with the graduation of stellar backs such as Edmonds-Woodway’s Glenn Gallagher and Archbishop Murphy’s Jevon Butler – the door is open this season for a new face to rush into the limelight.

Here’s a look at a few players who appear poised for big seasons:

* Snohomish head coach Mark Perry predicted Panthers senior running back Casey Fortin might not get the 220 carries he got last year – a surprise considering Fortin (5-10, 190 pounds) raced for a Western Conference, North Division-leading 1,323 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2003. Snohomish wants to spread the wealth in its Wing-T offense, but Perry said he thinks Fortin can do more with less.

“He may not get as many carries as he did last year, but he could run for more yards,” the coach said. “He’s a strong runner, not real flashy, but he’s powerful. He has a great center of gravity and good balance.”

* Stanwood running back Jon Rockstad does a bit of everything for the Spartans. Rockstad, a 5-10, 185-pound senior, scored every point in Stanwood’s 14-0 victory over Cascade last October at Everett Memorial Stadium. He rushed for 126 yards and a TD, scored on a two-point conversion plunge, and booted two field goals.

Oh yeah, he punts, too.

Beyond his kicking excellence (5-for-7 on field goals and a 37.7-yard punting average), Rockstad’s versatility as a back makes him invaluable. He mainly lines up at wingback and tailback in Stanwood’s Fly Sweep formation, a variation of the Wing-T. He made the most of his opportunities last year, rushing for 884 yards and 11 TDs.

“He can catch the ball out of the backfield, he has good speed and he runs real well,” Stanwood coach Dick Abrams said. “We don’t really focus our whole offense around Jon. Jon is just able to do a lot of things. Because he’s flexible, it allows us to give teams other looks.”

* Whether he’s 50 yards or 5 inches from the end zone, Meadowdale’s Travis Anderson is a scoring threat. Possessing a rare blend of size and speed, Anderson ran for 903 yards and 13 TDs last year as a junior fullback. He plows through linebackers like a train, but he also zips past stupefied cornerbacks.

“He’s a good short-yardage guy,” Meadowdale coach Mark Stewart said, “but at 6-1, 210 (pounds) he’s got real deceptive speed. He’s kind of a good balance back and he also plays linebacker.”

* The first time you watch Mariner High’s Aaron Cartwright run the football you notice several things. First, it’s the number on his jersey: 1. OK, this kid is confident. You also notice his height – at 6-feet-2, he looks down on most of his pursuers. And when he hits the corner on a sweep, you boggle at his breakaway speed and his exceptional agility.

“He’s very explosive, and a very fluid runner,” Mariner coach John Ondriezek said of Cartwright. “He just has great vision and outstanding balance.”

The Marauders will share the ball with their Wing-T offense but Cartwright, a senior, is the big-play guy, Ondriezek said. Also a notable hoops player, Cartwright’s height is an asset on the football field, where he rushed for 683 yards (7.3 yards per carry) and eight TDs last year. “I think it helps him with his stride length. He covers a lot of ground quickly,” Ondriezek said.

* Tony Virata (5-7, 160) starred last year in Kamiak’s single-back West Coast offense, rushing for 990 yards and an average of 6.6 yards per carry. Knights coach Dan Mack forecasted even more for Virata’s senior run. “I think he’s gonna have a real big year,” Mack said. “He’s a year older, obviously, and he put on 10 to 15 pounds.”

“His biggest attribute is his speed. He’s probably one of the fastest guys, one of the top 10 in the league.”

If your strategy is to wear Virata down, good luck.

“He’s a very gritty kid,” Mack said. “Because of his quickness, he’s hard to get a solid shot on.”

* Stan Smith of Archbishop Murphy High showed flashes of brilliance while playing in the shadow of Jevon Butler. Now a strong safety at the University of Idaho, Butler received most of the attention last year when he rushed for 1,977 yards and 22 TDs to lead the Wildcats to their second consecutive Class 1A state championship. But Smith, then a just sophomore, also put up sparkling numbers (9.7 yards per carry, 11 TDs). That bodes well for Murphy as it leaps into the new Class 2A Cascade Conference.

“Stan’s got some decent speed,” Archbishop Murphy coach Terry Ennis said. “He’s starting to develop some power to go with it. He has good vision and makes good cuts.”

With Butler gone, opposing defenses likely will key on the 5-foot-10, 185-pound Smith.

“Probably the fact that Jevon freed him up helped,” Ennis said. “He’s gonna have to take a bit of a different role, including more carries and runs up the middle.”

* Victor Quan of King’s excelled in a split-back offense last year, averaging 117 yards per game and 7.5 per carry for the Knights. The option play showcases the 5-foot-9, 165-pound senior’s strengths, according to King’s coach Jim Shapiro.

“Option plays allowed him to get outside. He’s a quick, aggressive runner. He has the tendency to bounce off tackles and get yards after contact.”