Sunny Hills Backs Confuse Defenses : Division VI: Overby and Sullivan are the Lancers’ interchangeable running backs. Tustin will try to figure them out in title game tonight.

Ken Overby and Mike Sullivan, Sunny Hills High School’s mix-and-match running backs, might be the most considerate guys on any football field.

How else do you explain conversations like these:

“Mike you take the ball this time. It’s your turn.”

“No, Ken, I wouldn’t dream of it. I scored the last touchdown, you score this one.”

Strange but true.

Overby and Sullivan have been part of an experiment this season. Because of their equal abilities, Lancer Coach Tim Devaney allows them to decide who will carry the ball.

It’s a revolutionary system, and a successful one, for the Lancers (10-3), who play Tustin in the Southern Section Division VI championship game at 7:30 tonight at Orange Coast College.

Overby and Sullivan are a big reason Sunny Hills reached the title game. Sullivan, a six-foot, 185-pound senior, has rushed for 1,251 yards, and Overby, a six-foot, 195-pound senior, has gained 1,200.

“We have two guys who can basically do the same things,” Devaney said. “Neither one can be defined as the tailback or the fullback.”

That led Devaney to his experiment. Last summer, he told his backs that he would allow them to determine who carried the ball.

Devaney still calls the plays, but on runs, Overby and Sullivan caucus most of the time to see who will get the yards.

“Sometimes Mike and I will talk before the play, and sometimes we just take turns,” Overby said. “We also have set plays that are geared to our particular skills.”

Sullivan is a little faster and more of a threat to get outside. Overby is a little stronger and runs tackle-to-tackle better.

Separately, they are good backs. Together, they form one of the best tandems around. Tustin, with Visko Ancich and Ron Goods, and Whittier Christian, with Rex Pritchard and Ron Rector, are the only other teams in Orange County that have two 1,000-yard rushers.

“The system only works because we have two unselfish players,” Devaney said. “The first couple games, Ken and Mike were a little competitive. Stuff like, ‘You gained 10 yards, so I’m going to gain 12.’ But they’ve been working hard for each other since.”

The two get almost as much enjoyment from blocking as they do from gaining yards and scoring.

Against Newport Harbor in a second-round playoff game, Overby made the key block that sprung Sullivan for a 74-yard run. A week later in the semifinals against Valencia, Sullivan returned the favor, making a big block on Overby’s 66-yard touchdown run.

“We still prefer running the ball, but I like seeing Ken get his yards too,” Sullivan said. “We know that we need each other. Otherwise, teams can concentrate on one guy.”

Of course, this unselfish stuff can go a little far.

Overby said that during one game, it was his turn to carry, but he deferred. Sullivan scored on a long run.

“I went up to him in the end zone and said, ‘Hey, that was my play,’ ” Overby said. “I still kid him about it.”

During the playoffs, they’ve tried to mix up their rushing attempts; Sullivan has run more of Overby’s plays and vice versa.

“We’ve been trying to keep people off balance,” Sullivan said. “One of the things that makes Ken and I so good is that we have similar abilities.”

During the playoffs, their production has gone up, and both are averaging more than 100 yards per game. Overby has gained 351 yards and scored four touchdowns. Sullivan has gained 335 and scored three.

Overby attributes his numbers to his recent work at the Fullerton Physical Therapy Group. He goes through physical training six days a week to improve his endurance.

“I do things like ride a stationary bike, but do it in short bursts just like when I carry the ball,” said Overby, who also plays linebacker. “They figure an average 100-yard run is between 10-12 seconds, so they’ll have me go hard for 20 seconds to build me up.”

Against Newport Harbor, Overby went 95 yards for a touchdown on a kickoff return. A week later, he gained 156 yards against Valencia.

Sullivan said his production went up because he has finally recovered from some nagging injuries. He missed two nonleague games with a fractured thumb and torn ligaments in his thumb.

“That set me back a bit, but I’m in the best shape now that I’ve been all season,” said Sullivan, who also plays safety.

He showed that with a 156-yard performance against Newport Harbor.

“Every week the coaches have been telling us to play our hardest because it could be our last game,” Sullivan said. “This week, they’re right. We got to do our best.”

No matter who carries the ball.