Entering the 2010 season, the most commonly asked question of head coach Doug Dixon regarding his Mt. Pisgah Patriots team was, “Who is going to replace Fedale Hall?”. Through two games, running back Max Aden has helped provide an emphatic answer.

The sophomore currently leads all north Fulton rushers with 417 yards on 42 carries. Aden’s contributions have not only helped lead Pisgah to a 2-0 start to the year, but also assuaged the concerns of Pats’ fans worried about replacing the production lost with Hall’s graduation during the spring.

“Max has done a great job for us. He’s running hard. He’s got great explosiveness. He’s got good speed and good power,” said Dixon, who was also quick to praise what he called “one of the better offensive lines I’ve had the opportunity to coach.

“When you go from not playing a whole lot of reps [as a freshman] to playing a lot, and then all of sudden you’ve got 417 yards [rushing], there’s gotta be a little surprise,” added Dixon, when asked if Aden seemed shocked. “Now for me,” said the coach, “I’m honestly not very surprised.”

Dixon labeled Aden’s effort on Friday in a 26-0 defeat of River Ridge, “a great exhibition of running the football.” The 5-foot-11, 175-pounder toted the rock 24 times for 228 yards in the Pisgah victory.