Game of the Week Spotlight: Brawn Brothers keep No. 4 DeMatha strong

Video: Penn State commit Shane Simmons
DeMatha standout is a monster defensive end.

Elijah Brooks sometimes can't help himself. He plants one foot back, then another, and takes it all in.

The fifth-year DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) football coach said he is blessed with upwards of 30 future Division I players on his current 63-man roster — and possibly 45 college-bound players overall.

So when a couple of them go head-to-head at practice, it's special.

Especially when it's the Brawn Brothers, 6-foot-4, 310-pound guard Terrance Davis and 6-4, 231-pound defensive end Shane Simmons, a pair of four-star senior recruits, going at it.

"Sometimes you have to take a second and marvel," Brooks said. "Talented players like Terrance and Shane don't come around too often. When they do, it's important to appreciate it."

On Saturday, South Floridians will get a chance to appreciate Davis and Simmons, along with the other Stags, when DeMatha, ranked fourth nationally by MaxPreps after a stirring 38-14 home win over then-No. 2 Miami Central, takes its first trip to the Sunshine State for a 6 p.m. showdown with No. 19 American Heritage. Quiet Mauler

Davis, a fourth-year player for Brooks, is the No. 1 guard in the country and No. 59 recruit overall according to 247Sports. He's a polished product with good hands and he's extremely physical. He's received 19 college offers but Michigan appears the front-runner, according to 247Sports, with Maryland, Alabama and UCLA strong suitors.

"He is physically blessed for an offensive lineman," Brooks said. "He has a great understanding of his position and the art of leverage. But he's also a mauler. He's very physical."

Watching him block Simmons at practice is truly a sight because the Penn State commit is one of the most explosive athletes Brooks has ever coached.

"He's got a great burst and tenacity. Some days he's almost unblockable," said Brooks.

The 32-year-old Brooks, a former DeMatha standout, first got a glimpse of Simmons as an eighth-grader in a youth game. Brooks was a first-year coach at the time and made no bones about pursuing the young teen.

"He had planned to go to another high school, but there was no way we could allow that," Brooks said. "We recruited him extremely hard."

Simmons' personality matches his dynamic play. "He's definitely not a kid of few words," Brooks said. "He loves to joke and play around, all in good fun. He's a fantastic kid. That's why the players elected him senior captain. He's a leader."

Davis also leads, but in a different way.

"Very quiet," Brooks said. "He talks with his close friends, but stays largely to himself. He's a very good teammate. Just quiet." Best Ever

Despite the personality differences, Davis and Simmons are very good friends and hang out off the field.

"They're really tight. They've worked hard to make each better," Brooks said.

They've helped build perhaps DeMatha's best squad ever, which they showed Saturday while dominating three-time defending Florida 6A champion Miami Central.

DeMatha led 38-0 early in the fourth quarter, allowed 45 total yards in the first half and controlled the game in every facet. This against a team with at least nine future college players on defense alone.

"We were extremely confident going in," Brooks said. "We knew Central's reputation and how competitive South Florida football is. But we weren't as surprised by the result as the entire country."

South Florida gets a shot at redemption in the form of American Heritage, a team not only loaded with Division I talent but coached by numerous former NFL players, including head coach Mike Rumph.

"Their roster is filled with explosive, strong, physical kids," Brooks said. "They are also extremely well coached by multiple NFL players. We definitely have our work cut out. It's definitely evenly matched. It's going to end up being a game of execution." Steamy Florida

The biggest adjustment for the Stags is adapting to a new setting. Brooks doesn't pretend that it will be simple. South Florida may be the steamiest of all prep football hotbeds.

DeMatha flies down on Friday and at least one player, starting guard Zach Lyons, has never been on a plane before.

"We have no idea what that experience will be like," he said. "We've never traveled that far south before. Playing away is always tough, but traveling that far, in that heat, could be a factor."

Win or lose, the experience will be worth it.

"Each year we're trying to get better, experience new things and put ourselves in position to win a national championship," Brooks said. "We got through step one. We have 11 more to go."