Crespi’s Shanks steps up to the challenge
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Well, I have to say I was a little surprised by the way Crespi completely controlled St. Bonaventure Friday night in its 25-9 nonleague victory over the Seraphs at Pierce College, but I guess when you challenge a guy like Austin Shanks, you’d better expect to see some results.
After Crespi’s loss two weeks ago to Corona Centennial, Coach Jeremiah Ross challenged his running backs and offensive linemen.
‘I knew they were a lot better than how they played against Centennial,’ he said. ‘And I expected a lot more out of them.’
Well, the pep talk worked because Shanks did something I thought he could never do -- outplay St. Bonny RB Darrell Scott. Sure, Shanks had a talented offensive line helping him, but he proved a true Seraph-killer, rushing for 229 yards and three TDs.
After the game, Shanks told his take on Ross’ challenge.
‘He challenged me and said I need to be a leader for this team,’ he said. ‘I was nervous, a little, but after that first hit, I calmed down and got to business.’
After busting off a couple big runs against a hardened St. Bonny defense, Shanks scored the team’s second TD of the game halfway through the first quarter on a 29-yard run. He later had a 68-yard TD run to give his team a 19-0 lead. From there, he provided a steady offensive presence that kept the Celts on the field and the ball out of Scott’s hands.
‘He did a great job for us tonight,’ Ross said.
He certainly did. I thought I’d be writing about how well Scott did again in this first post-game blog.
- Austin Knoblauch
