Alex Shaw helps power LC team
Some football players are born to greatness.
Others work for it.
In the case of Lewis and Clark High School’s Alex Shaw, it seems to be a little of both.
The Tigers’ running back/linebacker grew up in the shadows of older brothers Carl and Josh, both of whom enjoyed all-league careers at LC.
Carl, the Tigers all-time leading receiver, spent a year as a walk-on wide receiver at Washington State, while Josh currently plays defensive line as a junior at Idaho.
“They were major league players and made big plays a lot,” said Alex, who didn’t play with Carl but was a freshman when Josh was a senior. “They were kind of like the go-to guys at LC, and I really admired that in them.
“I kept saying to myself, I want to go out there and be like them, or even better than them.”
“My feeling is, by seventh or eighth grade, he had a pretty clear idea what he wanted to accomplish by watching them,” said Tiger coach Tom Yearout. “I know he learned work ethic.
“He used to come to the weight room with Josh. Alex started lifting with him in eighth grade. “I know he wanted to make sure that he made those two proud. He did want to emulate how they worked.”
The work ethic has paid off, as Shaw is the leading rusher in the Greater Spokane League and keys an LC offense that has led the Tigers into the 4A state rankings. Not bad for someone who moved from fullback to running back toward the end of his junior year. “He’s improved weekly through the season as a running back because he’s beginning to understand what he does well and how to avoid the things he doesn’t do well,” Yearout said. “He’s very, very strong.
“He plays with a great passion and with the idea that one person will not bring him down. What some people miss sometimes is that he doesn’t do all this on natural ability. He works extremely hard in the weight room and competes during every set in the weight room.
“He competes in everything that he does and that improves his overall speed. He’s not super quick, but he gains speed as a play lengthens. He’s probably as fast as anyone in the league after 30 yards, which means he’s hard to catch from behind.”
“Offensively I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better at how to run and how the offense works,” Shaw said. “We had a lot of offensive linemen come back, and we have a strong unit that has led to our offensive success.”
With his ability running the ball, Shaw’s contributions on the defensive side can be overlooked, but the senior leads a stubborn LC defense from his inside linebacker spot. Shaw began his career on the defensive line but switched to linebacker his junior year.
“Our defense always plays with our motors on and we run to the ball,” Shaw said. “We make great plays.
“Our defensive line is amazing. It’s incredible what they can do. The way we’ve changed the structure of our defense, so that our tackles are playing more up and we’re utilizing more of their strength and speed at the same time – that’s really helped us a lot. We’ve become stronger as a team and as a unit. We’ve come together as a family.”
His leadership of LC off the field may overshadow Shaw’s athleticism on both sides of the ball.
“He’s improved as a leader,” Yearout said. “He’s really passionate about football. As one of our captains, he’s learned to balance that passion with realism. He understands you can motivate with a variety of methods.”
“Everyone always says he wants to be a great football player, and they want to accomplish their dreams, but if they want to be great, they have to make the sacrifice and have to get in the weight room and have a great work ethic,” Shaw said.
The Tigers will go into the state playoffs as the second seed out of the GSL, and LC knows Shaw will have to be a major part of a deep postseason run.
“He’s going to have to play an awful lot of snaps,” Yearout said. “He has to be able to move the chains for us.
“Combined with our offensive line, for us to be a team that plays well, in the playoffs we have to be able to run the football. That starts with our ‘O’ line and Alex.”
“He’s a great role model athletically and academically,” Yearout added. “One of the things I’m most proud of is that he’s chosen to take difficult classes at LC to increase his knowledge rather than just concerned getting a high school degree.
“Sometimes I think he may be stretching himself a little thin, but he always competes and ends up proving me wrong in the classroom. It’s going to be really hard for me to see him go.
“My day’s better every time I see him because of who he is as a person.”