Some running backs are fast while others are tough. Melrose senior Adam Hairgrove is both. Difficult to bring down, Hairgrove can also tear off long runs if he gets a gap. Hairgrove has broken off touchdown runs of 30 or more yards six times in the last two games. He rushed for 328 yards against Menaul two weeks ago, including an 80-yard TD run, and last week, Hairgrove’s 79-yard run was part of a 211-yard effort against Valley Christian. On the varsity since his eighth-grade year and a starter since a sophomore, Adam is following older brother Seth Hairgrove through the Melrose school system. Q: Had you ever run for over 300 yards before? Hairgrove: No, I think that was my first time. I didn’t think it’d be that many yards when I started thinking about it, in the fourth quarter. I didn’t think it would be that many, but I knew I had done pretty well. Q: How do you like eight-man football, compared to six-man? Hairgrove: With our numbers down a little, like this, I kind of wish we had a few more replacements. But eight-man is actually more like 11-man as far as three-yards-and-a-pile-of-dust. Playing six-man, you had a lot more open-field tackles. I think, overall, eight-man is better because it is more physical. Q: You guys have had a pretty tough schedule, losing to the top two ranked teams — Mountainair and Gateway Christian — as well as to Animas. How close do you think you are to the teams at the top right now? Hairgrove: We had a bad game against Animas. I ain’t gonna say we should’ve won, but we should’ve stuck with them a lot better than we did. I think if we can keep everybody healthy, and get people back like we are, we could be up there. Q: You play offense and defense. Which do you prefer? Hairgrove: I prefer defense. I can’t really explain it, it’s just one of those things. I guess I just like to hit. Q: What’s the best part of being a senior? Hairgrove: It seems a lot more relaxed. The teachers are cooler and you’ve got your seniority going on.