December 10, 2010

Dallas Jackson
Senior Analyst

Dallas Jackson is the Senior Analyst for RivalsHigh. Email him your question, comment or story ideas to DallasJ@Yahoo-Inc.com and follow him on Twitter.

NEW ORLEANS - Once is terrific. Twice just might be the beginning of a trend.

At least that's the way it looks here in the Crescent City, where the Shreveport (La.) Evangel Christian Eagles have come into the River Ridge (La.) John Curtis' "dome away from home" the last two seasons and left with a state title.

It's a feat Evangel coach Phillip Deas had trouble putting into words following his team's 28-14 victory in the Louisiana Class 2A final Friday night.

"John Curtis is one of the finest football programs in the country," he said. "For us to come in here and beat them is quite an accomplishment. Something we are very proud of."

The win all but assures Evangel a spot in the final RivalsHigh 100. It entered the game ranked No. 83 nationally and its only losses were to Oklahoma Class 6A champion Tulsa (Okla.) Union and Louisiana Class 5A semifinalist Lafayette (La.) St. Thomas More.

The bigger impact, however, may be on the status of small-school powers in Louisiana, long the domain of John Curtis. It would be fair to say Evangel now has John Curtis on the run - especially after Deas' second-half coaching adjustments.

Deas, in his first year as head coach at the school, was able to outcoach one of the all-time greats, J.T. Curtis, by switching to a predominately run-oriented attack just minutes before the second-half kickoff.

With the game tied 7-7 at halftime, Deas opted to go with his seldom-used WildEagle offense. The result was a nine-play, 64-yard touchdown drive and a 14-7 lead.

"We had practiced it a lot this year," Deas said. "But we didn't really use it that much so I knew they wouldn't be expecting it."

Curtis admitted it took him and his coaching staff by surprise.

"They put us on our heels with that," he said. "We had to make quick adjustments but they were able to go right down the field on us."

Then, after a Curtis punt, Deas again went to work. This time, he called on his quarterback, David Dee Druon, to make plays with his legs - a move that even caught Duron by surprise.

"I hadn't run the ball much at all this season," Duron said. "So when we called the plays and my line made the blocks, I was able to make some plays."

The result was a seven-play, 76-yard drive that ended with Duron going in from 1-yard out to give Evangel a 21-7 lead and control of the game.

This drive covered 76 yards in seven plays.

Evangel now had a 21-7 lead and all the momentum. Desite having a chance to recover an onside kick with a minute left, Curtis never seriously threatened after that.

"What they did in the second half surprised us," Curtis said. "Them being so physical and running the ball was not what we expected."

It was all part of the plan.

"We wanted to be balanced," Deas said. "I think we were able to keep them honest with our run game."

And it worked.

Evangel used the rush to control the time of possession, dominating play with 30:44 of the game's 48 minutes with the ball. There was not one quarter where Curtis had the ball for more than five minutes.

Evangel even outrushed John Curtis, a team that runs the split-back veer, 161-128.

Of its 74 offensive plays, Evangel ran the ball 40 times. Curtis only ran 40 plays total.

Duron was named game MVP after completing19-of-33 passes for 212 yards and a touchdown and rushing for two more scores.

But he wasn't the only hero. Deas was quick to credit his defense, too.

"There were two keys to this game on defense," he said. "One is defensive coordinator Byron Dawson. The second is those 11 guys playing their hearts out."

The Eagles were able to force two fumbles and a game-clinching interception for a touchdown.

"There were nine new starters on this defense," Dawson said. "We had wide receivers and fullbacks, and everyone playing out there. We really came together."

Even when things were looking like the momentum would turn, Evangel was able to stay a step ahead.

"We took a basketball timeout," Dawson said. "The offense was getting momentum and so we needed to slow them down."

The only thing slowing Dawson down was the mandatory press conference.

"I am so excited, I am trying to stay calm," he said. "But I am about to go running through the French Quarter butt naked."

Curtis will look forward to next year.

"I didn't get it done," J.T. Curtis said. "I would have called a better football game had I known how it was going to turn out."

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