Post by BGH on Nov 23, 2017 13:03:09 GMT -6
Since the beginning of the year I have thought Evangel has the potential to have another great quarterback similar to many of the great ones from the past. The only thing I see holding him back is the offensive philosphy of the current staff.
The following story was in the Shreveport Times today. You can see it yourself with pictures and interviews at:
www.shreveporttimes.com/story/sports/high-school/football/2017/11/22/evangels-blake-shapen-puts-lsu-hold/890972001/
Evangel’s Blake Shapen Puts LSU on Hold
Jimmy Watson, jwatson@shreveporttimes.comPublished
9:28 p.m. CT Nov. 22, 2017
At some point in the not too distant future Blake Shapen will have to make a life-altering decision – football or baseball – baseball or football. That is the question.
Already offered in baseball by LSU, the sopre Evangel quarterback and shortstop put the Tigers, and baseball, on hold for now.
“They offered me in January of my freshman year, but I told them I play football and I love both sports,” Shapen said. “I’m young and it’s too early to make that decision. I still haven’t figured out which sport I will choose.”
With that decision delayed, Shapen and the Eagles have plenty of other things on their minds right now -- like trying to get past stingy Catholic-Baton Rouge Friday night in the LHSAA Division I semifinals. Advancing to at least the state quarterfinals and practicing during Thanksgiving is something the Eagles have accomplished for 26 consecutive seasons – a streak that started long before Shapen advanced into the world.
“We just heard about that,” he said. “That’s pretty incredible.”
The emphasis at this Christian academy in west Shreveport has changed a bit over the past few years from an offensive juggernaut to a defense minded club currently led by five Power Five athletes. But with Shapen at the controls, the offense has also been holding its own.
While he hasn’t yet put up the prolific passing numbers of predecessors like Brock Berlin, Josh and John David Booty, Shapen hasn’t needed to. Great athletes in Tamauge Sloan and Ar’darius Washington in the backfield mean the passing game isn’t always a must-have. But Shapen, who threw for more than 1,100 yards in just eight regular-season games (Evangel had two open dates), has shown he has the arm strength and accuracy to throw with the best in the school’s prominent history.
“I’ve seen all the Durons and I like the way they play. I try to model the way I play after Brock Berlin,” said Shapen, whose favorite food is macaroni and cheese, which he planned to eat a lot of Thanksgiving Day.
The Eagles struggled in defense of their 2016 state title last week when Rummel gave coach Byron Dawson’s club all it wanted before falling 14-7. “We missed some shots downfield and we weren’t connecting like we should have, which would probably have allowed us to score some more,” Shapen said.
When he isn’t on the football field or the baseball diamond, Shapen enjoys playing pickup basketball. He has also been known to ride horses on his grandfather’s farm in Hope, Arkansas. “Most people wouldn’t think that about me,” he said.
The following story was in the Shreveport Times today. You can see it yourself with pictures and interviews at:
www.shreveporttimes.com/story/sports/high-school/football/2017/11/22/evangels-blake-shapen-puts-lsu-hold/890972001/
Evangel’s Blake Shapen Puts LSU on Hold
Jimmy Watson, jwatson@shreveporttimes.comPublished
9:28 p.m. CT Nov. 22, 2017
At some point in the not too distant future Blake Shapen will have to make a life-altering decision – football or baseball – baseball or football. That is the question.
Already offered in baseball by LSU, the sopre Evangel quarterback and shortstop put the Tigers, and baseball, on hold for now.
“They offered me in January of my freshman year, but I told them I play football and I love both sports,” Shapen said. “I’m young and it’s too early to make that decision. I still haven’t figured out which sport I will choose.”
With that decision delayed, Shapen and the Eagles have plenty of other things on their minds right now -- like trying to get past stingy Catholic-Baton Rouge Friday night in the LHSAA Division I semifinals. Advancing to at least the state quarterfinals and practicing during Thanksgiving is something the Eagles have accomplished for 26 consecutive seasons – a streak that started long before Shapen advanced into the world.
“We just heard about that,” he said. “That’s pretty incredible.”
The emphasis at this Christian academy in west Shreveport has changed a bit over the past few years from an offensive juggernaut to a defense minded club currently led by five Power Five athletes. But with Shapen at the controls, the offense has also been holding its own.
While he hasn’t yet put up the prolific passing numbers of predecessors like Brock Berlin, Josh and John David Booty, Shapen hasn’t needed to. Great athletes in Tamauge Sloan and Ar’darius Washington in the backfield mean the passing game isn’t always a must-have. But Shapen, who threw for more than 1,100 yards in just eight regular-season games (Evangel had two open dates), has shown he has the arm strength and accuracy to throw with the best in the school’s prominent history.
“I’ve seen all the Durons and I like the way they play. I try to model the way I play after Brock Berlin,” said Shapen, whose favorite food is macaroni and cheese, which he planned to eat a lot of Thanksgiving Day.
The Eagles struggled in defense of their 2016 state title last week when Rummel gave coach Byron Dawson’s club all it wanted before falling 14-7. “We missed some shots downfield and we weren’t connecting like we should have, which would probably have allowed us to score some more,” Shapen said.
When he isn’t on the football field or the baseball diamond, Shapen enjoys playing pickup basketball. He has also been known to ride horses on his grandfather’s farm in Hope, Arkansas. “Most people wouldn’t think that about me,” he said.