By DR. DAVID DAVIS
Reporter News Staff
It comes as no surprise that the Shadow Creek Sharks are favored to capture the 23-6A crown this season after finishing 11-1 in 2022 and 7-0 in the league standings.
The Sharks won their first 11 games in 2022 but couldn’t get past the Summer Creek Bulldogs who ended their brief playoff run with a 36-20 win at TDECU Stadium on the UH campus.
For the Sharks, they had too many miscues at the wrong times against the Bulldogs that would end up taking them out of the game.
However, 2023 presents another season that should be filled with great anticipation for another success year with the expectation of a deep run in the post-season for the Sharks.
Head coach Brad Butler expects his team to be one of the top teams in the Houston area as the winning tradition continues.
“We’ve got a bunch of new starters,” Butler said. “The players expect to win and we’ve got a strong winning culture, but we need to be mentally and physically tough.”
The Sharks experienced a successful showing at the 7-on-7 state tournament when they advanced to the finals of the Consolation Round.
Shadow Creek was in Pool Play with Eastwood, Lake Travis, and Wakeland. The Sharks beat Eastwood 20-12 but fell to Wakeland 32-13 and Lake Travis 27-20 to finish with a 1-2 record that sent them to the consolation bracket.
The Sharks stepped up their game as they beat Rowe (26-19), College Park (13-6), Pearce (39-21) and Westwood (32-7) to advance to the consolation finals where they fell to Nelson 25-0.
While the Sharks saw a good group of seniors move on — the cupboard is far from empty as they have five offensive starters and five defensive starters returning plus 24 lettermen who saw plenty of action last year.
Speed and aggressiveness will characterize the Sharks on both sides of the ball.
Defensively, the Sharks will be led by defensive end Zion Taylor who is a UH commit. Taylor (6-2, 240, 4.8) had 17 solo tackles, five assisted stops, six tackles for loss, six sacks, and 10 QB hurries last year while teaming up with LB Anthony Williams (6-3, 195, 4.6) who was the district defensive “Newcomer of the Year.” Williams had 19 solo tackles, three assisted stops, eight tackles for loss, and one caused fumble.
Joining Taylor at UH will be FS Maurice Williams (6-2, 190, 4.5) who had an All-District first-team season with 30 solo stops, 13 assisted tackles, one TFL, 2 INTs, 3 fumble recoveries, and one caused fumble. CB Aaden Benjamin (4 INTs) and DB Kyle Peterson will be roaming the defensive secondary for the Sharks.
Others who will contribute on defense include LB Efren Figueroa and CB Nigel Pringle.
While the Sharks will have a strong defense, they will also have a potent offensive attack that will be led by junior QB Jacorey Watson (6-0, 175, 4.5) who threw for 952 yards and 13 TDs while rushing for 323 yards on 12 carries and eight scores. Watson is a “gifted athlete” who becomes a multiple threat any time he has the ball in his hands.
Watson will be complimented by RB Tylik Burton (5-9, 170, 4.5) who can explode for a long gain or touchdown from anywhere on the field. The All-District first-team pick had 703-yards rushing on 94 carries for six touchdowns while also gaining 90-yards receiving on 14 catches.
Others who will contribute on the offensive side of the ball is WR Ashton Jones (6-3, 175, 4.5), athlete Christian Seriale (5-9, 170, 4.5), WR Chris Stewart (5-10, 165, 4.6), RB Justin Qualls, OL Calvin Peete, OL Andre McDaniel, and OL Chase Murray.
The Sharks also have a talented kicker in junior Aiden Bui (5-9, 160, 4.8) who was a unanimous first-team All-District pick after he hit 58-of-62 PATs and 5-of-8 FGs for 73 total points his sophomore year. Bui gives the Sharks that extra offensive punch in a tight game that can make the difference in a win or loss.
