Posted: Sun Oct 15, 2006 1:01 pm
averaging 299 yards per game and 10.5 yards per carry in the last 4 games if my calculations are correct-now that's the kind of domination you expect to see from a Top 1A prospect at the 2A level.
NE Texas Spotlight: Bears made turning point without all-state player
Thursday, October 26, 2006 9:22 AM CDT
By JOHNNY GREEN
Sports Director
DEKALB, Texas—Think DeKalb football, and the first player likely to come to mind is all-state running back Terrance Ganaway. The two are synonymous.
Yet in head coach Buddy Ray’s eyes, the turning point of the current season came with Ganaway standing beside him on the sidelines.
"Against Hughes Springs we were down 28-26 with a little more than four minutes left and playing defense when the officials ejected Terrance from the game for something we couldn’t find on film," Ray said. "We got the ball back with 3:26 to go, and Cody Powell stepped in there at quarterback in the shotgun and drove it right down the field. He hit Brandon Holloway on a big third-down play and we kicked the winning field goal on the last play of the game.
"We had to go down and score with the guy most people in the stands believed we had to have in there to win on the sidelines. But the other kids realized that they can play, too, and those on the field handled the situation like a champ. I think that really did a lot for our confidence, and we came together as a team."
That’s not to say DeKalb is a better team without Ganaway. Last year’s Texarkana Gazette Northeast Texas Offensive Player of the Year and the area’s leading rusher with 2,414 yards has already gained 1,688 during DeKalb’s 6-1 start. And, like most Bears’ starters, he rarely leaves the field.
"I think Terrance is a better runner this year than last," Ray said. "Last year he kind of burst on the scene gradually, but this year he’s gained a lot of tough yards with everybody keying on him. That’s where his improvement has been."
While Ganaway gets the majority of the carries whether he’s playing tailback, fullback, wingback or quarterback in the shotgun formation, he is hardly the Bears’ only offensive weapon. Senior running back Blake Hill had almost 900 yards rushing last year, and complements Ganaway’s runs between the tackles with his outside speed.
"Blake is definitely an above-average Class 2A back, and he gives us another option when opposing defenses sell out to stop Terrance," Ray said. "Paris Chisum had it in their minds to stop Ganaway, so we used him as a decoy and Blake had 178 yards on 13 carries. We’re a much better offense when both of them are in there and (junior) Cody Powell at quarterback."
That hasn’t been the case lately. Hill left the Chisum game with a hyper-extended knee and missed the showdown with Honey Grove two weeks ago after spending three days in the hospital with a viral infection.
Since the Bears were able to pull out a last-minute win at Honey Grove, Hill’s absence may have been a blessing in disguise because the team showed more depth than perhaps anticipated.
Ganaway moved from fullback to tailback to replace Hill, sophomore tight end Zach Jones went to fullback and junior Josh Cooper to tight end. Sophomore John Hodges and junior Derrick Ganaway have also stepped up in emergency roles on the defense.
But while the players in the skilled positions may get the headlines, Ray is quick to single out those who do the grunt work.
"The offensive line has been our biggest surprise," Ray said. "They’re in there every day doing what it takes to get better, and they get after it on Friday nights. They’ve done a great job. Without those kids we couldn’t have had the success we’ve had."
Senior center Michael Davis is the catalyst.
"Michael makes all the blocking calls and he’s been smooth as silk on his snaps, whether we’re under center or in the shotgun," Ray said. "He’s just a solid player."
Davis is flanked by guards Rodney Payne and T.J. Ceynar, while tackles Blake Stone and Devon Beaird complete the interior lines. Jones and senior Tyler Anderson are the regular starters at tight end.
"We’ve been rotating (sophomores) Deundrea Harmon and Matthew Meadows in the offensive line, and Josh Cooper did a solid job replacing Jones against Honey Grove," Ray said.
Depth has also paid off on the defense, where nose guard Demontrea Coleman and safety Victor Rodriguez, both seniors, were among injured starters who missed all or most of the Honey Grove game.
"Demontrea is one of the five leading tacklers on our team and one of our seniors who has helped carry us this season," Ray said. "And Victor has led the team in tackles in two games."
Senior Jeren Brewer (72) and Jones (56) are the team’s leading tacklers, and Powell at cornerback and Terrance Ganaway at free safety have four and three interceptions, respectively.
Most of the same faces on offense also play defense. Payne and Stone start at the tackles and Anderson and Davis at ends. Cornerback Derrick Ganaway and Rodriguez are the only two defensive starters who see only limited offensive duty.
"Our defense is improving every week," Ray said. "The big thing is we’re undersized every week. We’re pretty quick, but the thing that gives us trouble is when people come downhill at us and use their size. That’s the toughest thing for us."
The Bears have had problems with special teams, but that doesn’t include sophomore kicker Nick LaToof, who won the Hughes Springs game with a field goal and kicked another big one against Honey Grove.
"I’m comfortable with Nick kicking from 35 to 37 yards out," Ray said. "The only ones he’s missed have been blocked, and we think we got that problem corrected with some personnel changes."
DeKalb faces last-place Rivercrest at home Friday before traveling to Clarksville for what could be a showdown for the District 17-2A title next week. But Ray isn’t looking that far ahead.
"I don’t think our district has a team with as much overall physical talent as a New Boston or a Daingerfield, but we’re more evenly matched in this district than people thought when we were assigned over here. We can’t afford to overlook anybody."
Neither can the rest of the league ignore the Bears, especially since they’ve discovered they can count on each other and win with or without star players.
Stallion wrote:Terrance Ganaway ran for 224 yards on an undetermined number of rushes and 4 TDs in a 42-21 victory by Dekalb over Rivercrest. TD runs were for 10, 5, 1 and 15 yards.
DeKalb Records
Rushing, Season:
2,403-Terrance Ganaway, 2005
Rushing, Career:
3772-Terrance Ganaway, 2004-2005
Rushing Attempts, Season:
316-Terrance Ganaway, 2005
Rushing Touchdowns, Season:
22-Terrance Ganaway, 2005
16-Terrance Ganaway, 2004
Rushing Touchdowns, Career:
38-Terrance Ganaway, 2004-2005
Total Touchdowns, Season:
*26-Terrance Ganaway, 2005
Rushing TD's-22
Receiving TD's-1
Passing TD's-1
Interception TD's-2
Total Touchdowns, Career:
42-Terrance Ganaway, 2004-2005