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Shaw Attack: DeSoto Runs Past Sebring

Brian Gjurgevich/Highlands Today

Sebring defenders Trini Sutton 23, Zac Morris 30 and Gus Williams 80 can't get a hand on DeSoto's Marcus Shaw on Friday night during the Bulldogs' 48-12 victory over the Streaks at Firemen's Field.

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By BRIAN GJURGEVICH

Highlands Today

Published: October 25, 2008

Updated:

SEBRING - Marcus Shaw scored six touchdowns last week against Bayshore, and as he walked onto Firemen's Field on Friday night, a young DeSoto fan asked the Bulldog junior if he expected a repeat performance.

"Little dude asked me if I was going to get six touchdowns," Shaw said. "I said, 'Don't count on it.'"

By the end of the key Class 3A-District 12 game, however, Shaw couldn't count his touchdowns on one hand, as the junior found the end zone six times on the night to lead the Bulldogs to a 48-12 rout of Sebring.

Shaw picked off Sebring's first pass of the game and took it 45 yards for a score. He then added runs of 16, 45, one and three yards in the first half to singlehandedly carry DeSoto to a 35-6 halftime advantage.

Shaw - who finished with 238 yards on 16 carries - gave three big reasons why he's been able to find pay dirt so successfully of late.

"The line, the line, the line," he said. "The great wall - that's their name."

No stranger to offensive explosions, Sebring - which put up 51 points in their last game at Hardee - couldn't get much of a passing game going during a rain-soaked first half. Sophomore Matt Grubb completed 10 of 21 passes for 103 yards and hooked up with Gus Williams to bring the score to 14-6 with 8:07 left in the first quarter, but Sebring wouldn't score again until the third quarter, when a running clock was implemented and Shaw was already resting comfortably on the sideline with a six-pack of TDs.

"Shaw's a heck of a back and we knew he was," said Sebring coach Jared Hamlin. "It wasn't a surprise.

"We did a good job in the first quarter defensively, but we didn't play well enough offensively to keep us in the game and make it a battle."

Sebring senior Daniel Burnett, who led the Streaks (1-6) with 58 yards rushing on 16 attempts, said DeSoto's defense stepped up and held the Sebring passing attack in check.

"We tried to get the passing game going, and it worked a little bit," he said. "But Shaw did a good job, and our defense just couldn't hold up."

DeSoto (5-2) opened the second half with a six-play, 67-yard drive that culminated in a 40-yard run by sophomore Derrick Hillard to give the Bulldogs a 42-6 lead. After a Sebring three-and-out, Shaw struck again, this time on a 22-yard, untouched sprint to give DeSoto a 48-6 lead.

"Last week, we came back when we were down all game," said SHS senior lineman Dewey Sebring. "But they were doing everything and anything they could, and we hurt ourselves a lot."

The Streaks had five turnovers in the game, including two lost fumbles. Penalties also hurt: A would-be 80-yard touchdown pass from sophomore Devin Clarke to senior JC Howard after a quick lateral was called back after it was ruled both throws were forward passes.

"We had a couple of bad snaps and we stopped ourselves a few times with turnovers," Hamlin said.

Sebring scored its second touchdown with 39 seconds left in the third, when Grubb found Clarke on a seven-yard curl pattern in the left side of the end zone. Clarke led the Streaks with 61 yards on five catches.

The Blue Streaks, losers of six straight, now ready for homecoming week, when they'll welcome district foe Braden River to town.

"We have to have pride these last three games and play hard for our seniors," Burnett said.

Sebring agreed.

"I feel confident, 100 percent, that we're going to come out and not take any prisioners," Sebring said. "It's all heart from here on out."

DeSoto 48, Sebring 12

Friday at Sebring

DeSoto 14 21 13 0 - 48

Sebring 6 0 6 0 - 12

SCORING SUMMARY

First quarter

DeS - Shaw 45-yard INT return (Barajas kick)

DeS - Shaw 16 run (Gonzalez kick)

Second quarter

Seb - Grubb 4 pass to Williams (Schroeder kick failed)

DeS - Shaw 45 run (Barajas kick)

DeS - Shaw 1 run (Barajas kick)

DeS - Shaw 3 run (Hillard run)

Third quarter

DeS - Hillard 40 run (Gonzalez kick)

DeS - Shaw 22 run (Gonzalez kick blocked)

Seb - Grubb 7 pass to Clarke (Grubb pass failed)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING DeSoto; Shaw 16-238, Hillard 4-65, McQuay 2-20, Washington 4-20, Ezell 2-3, Green 2-0, Campbell 1-6, Bryant 1-(-1). Sebring; Burnett 16-58, Daniels 1-1, Grubb 4-(-34), Howard 1-(-7), Clarke 1-6.

PASSING DeSoto; none. Sebring; Grubb 10-21-103-2

RECEIVING DeSoto; none. Sebring; Sanders 1-10, Welborn 1-17, Clarke 5-61, Williams 1-4, Burnett 2-11.

Brian Gjurgevich can be reached at 863-386-5841 or bgjurgevich@highlandstoday.com.

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