Back with vision

Alex Shaw didn’t hesitate when asked how he elevated his play as Lewis and Clark’s tailback during a scin- tillating run to the State 4A championship football game.

“That’s my O-line,” he said. “I’m not going to try and take credit for something I didn’t do.”

Shaw was being modest. What he’s accomplished in his first full season as a running back is in itself remarkable. He led the Greater Spokane League in rushing with 862 yards on 120 carries and 14 touchdowns. The bar was raised in four postseason games when he’s gained 617 yards on an average of 28.5 carries per game.

“I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how much better vision he’s developed in the last six weeks,” said Tigers coach Tom Yearout. “He really has become a better technical running back. He’s strong and can bounce off the first guy quite often, but he’s gotten good in terms of footwork and vision.”

Still, what Shaw said about his line rings true. Four of the starting front-five players are second-year starters. When Yearout shifted assistant Dave Hughes to offensive line coach to take advantage of his zone-blocking expertise, Shaw became the feature back and the running game turned tiger.

“This year we made a commitment to become a single-back zone team,” Yearout said. “Dave has done a great job with them. When he was coaching at Rogers, zone blocking was one thing they could do and they got better during the year.”

Center Jacob Bender, all-GSL quick tackle Isaac Fry, quick guard Tim Lister and strong tackle Henry Hagood are all second-year starters, joined by lone junior and strong guard Jordan Rothstrom.

They’ve created push and seams and Shaw has benefited.

Still, there’s no denying the third-year starter and two-way athlete made himself into the physical standout he has become. He said he learned from his brothers, ex-LC stars Carl and Josh, and is a blend of their introspective and gregarious personalities.

“He’s big and strong like Josh (now playing at Idaho) and works hard at being big and strong,” said Yearout of the 6-foot-2, 220-pound back. “And he loves the cerebral part of playing football like his oldest brother.”

Alex Shaw spent two years at defensive end where he was second-team All-GSL as a sophomore and first team last season. But he also got the chance to carry the ball some as a junior, sowing the seeds for this year’s breakthrough season.

“We were really cautious about playing him two ways as a junior, but I had an inkling that we’d eventually make the change,” said Yearout.

Shaw was comfortable with the move, saying he’d play anywhere the team needed him.

“It didn’t matter to me,” he said. “I’ve always felt that way. I’d have played on the line if they needed me. That’s the way it’s emphasized at LC.”

Shaw’s size made him a load to bring down by opposing league defenses. The only team to contain him this year was Ferris. But it was the final game of the season, a loss to Gonzaga Prep, that became the catalyst for the Tigers’ playoff run, Shaw and Yearout said.

They found themselves behind 14-0 at halftime. While not playing badly, they were lethargic.

“I challenged them to play hard and not read how good they are,” said Yearout, and the team rallied but fell short. “Since halftime of the Prep game, Alex has played awfully well. It’s been hard to find guys not playing hard on film since then.”

As statistics indicate, Shaw increased his ball-carrying load in playoff wins over Richland, Woodinville, Inglemoor and Edmonds-Woodway.

“My drive to succeed is what has helped me offensively,” said the player whom Yearout considers a Division I defensive prospect. “When I get the ball, zone or gut, I think in my mind I’m not going to get stopped.”

He also plays half the time at linebacker – “I love running around smacking people in the mouth” – and last weekend in Tacoma had a crushing hit for a defense that weathered offensive blunders to propel LC into its first title game against Bothell on Saturday.

“It’s not quite hit me fully quite yet to be one of the last two teams playing,” said Shaw. “It’s a great honor to represent the school this way and have the potential to be champions. This is a very motivated team and what we wanted the end of the season to look like.”