Even now, as a senior at North Attleboro, Ryan Bannon can rattle off the names of former Red Rocketeers greats whom he looked up to as a kid.

Chad Peterson. Zach DeMattio. Ryan Clemente.

Those players led North to postseason success, and Bannon, a running back and linebacker, now does the same.

It’s that carrying of the torch, a youth player watching the older ones, then doing the same, that is the bedrock of North tradition.

Bannon, whose older brother, Tyler, also played at North, is humbled to take his place in it.

“It’s unreal. I can’t believe it,” Bannon said. “I just hope I can make the town proud and bring home a state championship.”

If North carries any hardware in D3, it will have done so largely on the back of Bannon’s play.

On defense, he has made 48 tackles, 35 solo, 13 assists, a sack, and 13 tackles for loss.

Then, at running back, a position he did not play much earlier in his career, Bannon has 99 carries for 703 yards, an average of 7.1 yards per carry, with eight touchdowns.

Over his career, Bannon has done everything coach Mike Strachan has asked of him.

“He’s improved his speed from a year ago.,” Strachan said. “He’s very difficult to take down, especially with the first contact. He’s been very impressive this year with yards after contact for us. Really, he has become our feature back.”

Bannon is a physical player who sets a tone for the Red Rocketeers. At 6-foot-3, 235 pounds, Bannon is a back that defenses don’t want to have to tackle.

His exploits at running back aside, Bannon really excels at linebacker.

That position really is Bannon’s first love.

“At linebacker, I just played it my whole life,” Bannon said. “I’m very comfortable at linebacker. I like having the control of the defense, calling out different stunts, and making different calls for our checks. I love playing running back, but my first choice was always linebacker.”

It seems like North, through the years, always has a top player at linebacker.

From Jared Perkoski, to Anthony Sherman, to Tyler DeMattio, and many more, the Red Rocketeers are usually set there.

Playing for North has lived up to his expectations, and Bannon knows it means a lot to the town.

“The community, the presence is very. very good in North Attleboro,” Bannon said. “To this day, I still go to the youth games in Community. I’ll see some people at the games that know me who don’t even have kids on the varsity football team.”

Strachan is well-versed in North football history, and he said Bannon fits in very well in its lineage.

If you’re molding that perfect North football player, from ability as both a player and a leader, Bannon fits perfectly.

“A hundred percent.,” Strachan said. “He’s absolutely what a North football player is all about. From the time he works out in the weight room, to making his teammates accountable, to the way he leads on the field. He’s a terrific captain. He’s a great senior leader for us. He’s really grown as a running back this year for us.”

Bannon welcomes that position.

“It’s definitely lived up to the dreams I had,” said Bannon, who will continue his career at Georgetown. “Now that you’re here, now that I’m in the position . . . When I was a kid, the kids that I looked up to seemed so much bigger than I feel right now. Just seeing the kids after the game come up to me and stuff, it’s crazy. I never thought that would happen.”

And as a leader for North, Bannon has the same goals as his predecessors did.

“It’s just an everyday thing,” Bannon said of his leadership role. “You’ve got to instill in everyone that this could be the last ride together. Our final goal’s a championship. If we don’t go out with one, the season’s kind of a failure.”