Prep football: Sheldon turns to smash-mouth game plan, rolls past Christian Brothers
Devin Green loaded up over the summer months in anticipation of a big football campaign.
He ate and ate some more. He lifted weights and then some more. He thought about football and talked about football. He might have even kept his helmet by his bed, just in case.
On Friday night in Oak Park, it was deliciously fitting for the junior running back from Sheldon High School to be fed the ball so often in leading the charge for the surging No. 4 Huskies.
Green rushed for 185 yards on 20 carries and scored on bursts of 19, 15 and 40 yards in devouring a Christian Brothers defense that knew he was headed their way. Sheldon won 42-14 to move to 3-0, and the night was capped by more feeding: Otter Pop popsicles for everyone in Huskies colors.
Green’s first carry on his team’s first play from scrimmage was a 76-yard touchdown romp, but it was negated by a penalty. He never broke stride after that.
“I ate six peanut butter and jelly sandwiches a day, and ate everything I could, and worked out with the guys, and lifted and gained 15 pounds,” a giddy Green said. “But it all starts in the trenches. Those are the guys.”
Those guys up front are Gabe Buck, Davonte Hanks, Gage Tucker, Cano Marshall and 6-foot-6 freshman Tommy Tofi, with Scott Nixon at tight end. Nixon also looks the part of receiver, diving for one long catch and then catching a 17-yard scoring pass from Jesiah Machado for a 21-7 lead in the second quarter.
“We wanted to establish an identity, needed a smash-mouth approach,” Sheldon coach Chris Nixon said of Friday’s game plan. “You’ve got to be able to run the ball in high school football. It can deflate a defense.”
On the 5-foot-10, 195-pound Green, Nixon said, “He has great vision when he runs. He waits for a play to develop and goes. Great game for him.”
And a great game for the defense in stalling the No. 8 Falcons, who scored 39 and 33 points in racing to a 2-0 start. Sophomore national recruit receiver Phillip Bell didn’t torch Sheldon, held in check until late when he took a screen and raced 50 yards for a score. Jeremiah Williams, a sophomore, drew the assignment of dealing with Bell, rising from third string to starter in a matter of days.
“He did a great job,” coach Nixon said. “Next man up!”
Christian Brothers was led by Erik Jensen, who rushed for 132 yards and opened the scoring with a 48-yard touchdown.
Fareni Fa’anati and Enocch Duplechan scored on runs of 7 yards each for Sheldon, which is enjoying the highest ranking in school history. But coach Nixon was quick to remind the troops that 3-0 doesn’t equate to a league championship. It’s window dressing. Much work is needed, he said, to keep this train rolling.
“I’m excited about the progress we’ve made, but we can get better and clean things up; penalties, things like that,” Nixon said. “But I like how good we can be.”
Sheldon will host Acalanes of Lafayette on Friday and open Delta League play at defending champion Jesuit on Sept. 17. Christian Brothers gets Jesuit first, in the annual Holy Bowl on Saturday at Hughes Stadium.
This story was originally published September 3, 2022 at 5:28 AM.