Canyon Eagles passing game article [Archive]

football4life

12-06-2006, 08:25 PM

Eagles can spread defenses with six productive targets

By Les Giles
leslie.giles@amarillo.com

Canyon quarterback Anthony Ramos has passed for 3,131 yards and 26 touchdowns by distributing the ball to six receivers - from left, Josh Smith, Mitch McCarty, Weston Dean, Shawn Shepherd, Tyler Vaughn and Eid Al-Dosari.

Josh Smith, Sr.
No.: 50
Yards: 740
Avg.: 14.7
TD: 7

Mitch McCarty, Jr.
No.: 43
Yards: 695
Avg.: 16.2
TD: 4

Weston Dean,Jr.
No.: 43
Yards: 649
Avg.: 15.1
TD: 7

Shawn Shepherd, Jr.
No.: 40
Yards: 545
Avg.: 13.3
TD: 4

Tyler Vaughn, Sr.
No.: 28
Yards: 297
Avg.: 10.6
TD: 3

Eid Al-Dosari, Sr.
No.: 13
Yards: 146
Avg.: 11.2
TD: 0

Last season, three players accounted for a huge percentage of Canyon's receiving yardage.
Jared Peddy, Brady Bressler and Greg Franklin helped quarterback Anthony Ramos accumulate 3,357 yards passing and 33 touchdowns as the Eagles reached the area round of the Class 3A Division I playoffs.

Those receivers graduated, but the Eagles have reloaded with a corps that has enabled Ramos to again have an outstanding season.

Ramos has been the one constant in an offense that features a short passing game much like Texas Tech's and West Texas A&M's. As the Eagles prepare to meet Texarkana Liberty-Eylau in a state semifinal at 7 p.m. Saturday at Sweetwater, Ramos has thrown for 3,131 yards and 26 TDs.

He became the area's all-time passing leader in last week's victory against Andrews. Entering this week's game, his career totals have reached 6,488 yards and 59 TDs.

Ramos has put up excellent numbers in the passing game thanks largely to four receivers who have caught between 40 and 50 passes each and two others who have 28 and 13 catches, respectively.

It's difficult to compare players from different teams, and Canyon offensive coordinator Todd Winfrey isn't about to.

''Last season's group was special,'' he said. ''They were outstanding athletes.

''This year's group is pretty special, too. The thing they do best is work well together. As a group, they are unselfish. There have been games where one or two players will get more catches than the others, but the next game that could be reversed.

''They all want to get the ball, but if there is a game where it doesn't happen, it doesn't get them out of their mode. They are happy for each other, and when one makes a play, everybody is happy for him.

''They just work well as a unit rather than as individuals.''

Josh Smith, who caught nine passes for 103 yards and three TDs against Andrews, has 50 receptions for 740 yards and seven TDs to lead the way. He is part of a senior trio that includes Tyler Vaughn and Eid Al-Dosari.

Mitch McCarty and Weston Dean have caught 43 passes each, while Shawn Shepherd has 40 catches. They are juniors.

There is no genuine deep threat among them. McCarty is averaging 16.2 yards, and Dean 15.1. Smith's have gone for 14.7 yards per catch, while Shepherd is averaging 13.6 yards.

Winfrey said it took some time for Ramos to become familiar with this group.

''We weren't in sync at the beginning,'' Winfrey said. ''There was a trust issue. Last season, Anthony seemed to know what those three guys would do on every play.

''When you start over in a season, it takes time, and it did for us.

''I think the Snyder game, which we lost, was the turning point this season. In that game, Anthony and the six receivers seemed to come together.''

Another thing that stands out about this year's group: they have just 13 drops in 13 games.

''That in itself says a lot about this group,'' Eagles head coach Blake Bryant said. ''They work hard in practice, and they worked hard in the offseason. It shows.

''Coach Winfrey is pretty hard when it comes to counting dropped balls.

''Our offense is designed to catch a lot of short passes, but we try to stretch the field some. We expect to catch about 95 percent of the short throws.

''Still, when you don't drop a lot of balls, it helps keep your offense going. Normally when you drop a high number of passes you tend to struggle on offense. They just kill drives.''

On the receiving end

Canyon's receiving corps has spread the wealth around this season.

Senior Josh Smith and juniors Mitch McCarty, Weston Dean and Shawn Shepherd have accounted for 78 percent of Canyon's pass completions this season as the Eagles have advanced to the Class 3A Division I state semifinals against Texarkana Liberty-Eylau.

Those four, along with seniors Tyler Vaughn and Eid Al-Dosari, have taken the place of last year's talented trio of receivers that included Jared Peddy, Brady Bressler and Greg Franklin. This year's talented six have accounted for 217 catches totaling 3,071 yards and 25 touchdowns.

Quest for State Title

The Game: Canyon Eagles (11-2) vs. Liberty-Eylau Leopards (10-3) in a Class 3A Division I state semifinal, 7 p.m. Saturday, Mustang Bowl, Sweetwater.

Tuning In: KGNC 710-AM, 6:45 p.m.

Did You Know? The Eagles are making their first appearance in the state semifinals. Liberty-Eylau is making its second straight state semifinal appearance.