Being a fullback in a triple option offense is like being dropped down in the middle of a maze in a corn field. You can trust your body, put your head down, and run straight through wall after wall until you find daylight, or, at any time, you can trust your eyes and your instincts and look for the next opening.

As Jim Bower’s football career nears its end, the walls he has run through and the twists and turns he’s negotiated have brought him onto rarely-travelled ground.

Last week, the Maine Maritime Academy senior fullback and South Paris native became just the third player in school history to eclipse the 5,000-yard career rushing mark. This week, when the Mariners travel to Framingham State, he will likely become the school’s second-leading rusher of all-time and move up in the NCAA Division III record books, where he is currently 17th in career rushing yardage.

“I was greatly honored and very prideful of it,” Bower said of the 5,000-yard milestone. “If you look on the list and see some of the names that are on there, there are a lot of great names, two of them (Steve Tardif and Kirk Matthieu) being from our school.”

Bower’s name stands alongside Tardif and Matthieu throughout the Maine Maritime record books, and alone in a number of categories, including touchdowns in a season (25, which is also a New England Football Conference and ECAC record he set his sophomore year), and 100-yard games in a season (nine, established in both his sophomore and junior years).

It’s hard to believe that Bower had some questions about whether he could thrive in the triple option when MMA head coach Chris McKenney recruited him from Oxford Hills.

Bower was a shifty tailback at Oxford Hills, weighing in at just under 200 pounds when McKenney first saw him. Regardless, McKenney saw a future fullback who could take the pounding near the line of scrimmage, get through to the next level of the defense and out-run linebackers and defensive backs for big gains.

“He’s got all of the abilities that you’d want in that position,” McKenney said. “He’s got great feet and vision, and he’s just a bulldozer on top of it, very tough to bring down.”

Ironically, Bower credits an ankle injury he suffered his junior year at Oxford Hills with helping him to develop a fullback’s running style. The injury took away some of his shiftiness and made him more of a north-south runner.

But to make the move the fullback, he still had to get bigger. He’s gained 30 pounds at MMA, but it took some time for his 5-foot-9 frame to get used to the bulk.

“It was a big adjustment,” Bower said. “I got up to 228 last year and we’d run the 5-10-5 (an agility drill) and I was very top-heavy. It was very hard to carry that weight. Then as I got used to it, like this year, it seems like I run a lot faster in college. I guess it’s something I just kind of picked up on because you don’t really have time to dance around a lot. The kids are quicker, faster and bigger here.”

McKenney agreed Bower has gotten faster despite the additional weight. He has the ability to make cuts around would-be tacklers or run them over.

More important, though, is Bower’s vision, McKenney said. The Mariners’ triple option is similar to the one by Georgia Tech and Navy, and a fullback’s ability to see running lanes while running through a wall of huge linemen is vital.

“It’s pretty cloudy in there, and he comes through and can make a quick side-step to get around somebody and then he’s off to the races,” McKenney said.

Being aggressive and fearless are keys to the position, Bower said.

“Whether I’m getting the ball or not, I’m still going to be getting knocked. That’s one of the crappy parts about the position,” he said with a laugh. “You can’t really do the fancy feet when you don’t know if you’re getting the ball or not. It’s one of those things you’ve got to put your nose down and try to get to the second level, and then from there you need to make a decision on what you’re going to do.”

“It really comes down to blocking. If everyone does their job and there’s a nice little seam, I’ll run as fast as I can to the pylon or try to get to the end zone. Other than that, there’s not much more to it,” he added.

A two-time captain, Bower continues to excel in a backfield that includes former Jay star Nic Bourassa. He rushed for 239 yards and three touchdowns in a 61-32 win over Worcester State and has 781 yards and eight scores to lead the team for the year. The Mariners are 4-1 and have a chance at defending their Bogan Division and NEFC titles.

Last year, Bower was the focal point of an offense that led the nation in rushing. Among an avalanche of honors, he was named AFCA All-American, the Greater Boston Gridiron Division II/III Player of the Year, and the Gold Helmet New England Player of the Year.

Yet Bower points to the Mariners’ first NEFC title since 1994 and their first NCAA playoff appearance ever as being where his satisfaction lies.

“I have a lot of great memories, not just putting up the yards,” said Bower, who will graduate in December with a degree in power engineering. “As a team, going on to win the division, last year, then the conference and going to playoffs, winning the Admiral Cup against Mass Maritime. Those are the things that really stick with you.”