Week 9 Winner: Mike Shields
Before taking the field against the No. 2-ranked Class 4A football team in Texas,
Red Oak coach Mike Shields talked to his players about the rare opportunity that awaited them.
"I
told our guys you don't get many chances to get to play a team like
Lancaster with that kind of rating,'' Shields said. "And how big a win
could be for us.''
Mike Shields, Red Oak
Courtesy photo
Apparently, his Hawks were paying attention.
Red Oak dominated the Lancaster Tigers in the battles up front and scored a
17-0 upset Friday night before an approving home crowd at Billy Goodloe Stadium.
For his role in orchestrating the upset, Shields was selected as the Dallas area Coach of the Week presented by Comerica Bank.
With
Friday's stunner, Red Oak (5-3, 4-1 in District 15-4A) moved into a tie
with Lancaster for second place in the district standings. Ennis (8-0,
5-0) is the district leader.
"It was a big win for us,'' Shields
said. "We played well on both sides of the ball. Offensively, we were
able to run the ball and chew up the clock. The defense got us two
turnovers that gave our offense a shot.''
Defensive lineman
Josh Fisher,
a 6-foot, 265-pound senior, knocked the ball free from a Lancaster
ball-carrier with a big hit for one turnover and also pounced on a
fumbled exchange by the Tigers.
"It's hard to single out any
player in a game like that because so many played well, but Josh made
some big plays,'' Shields said.
Offensively, senior running back
Cameron Bausley
(5-10, 180) had his number called 32 times and responded with 117
rushing yards, putting him the over the 1,000-yard mark for the season.
"I
would describe Cameron as a guy that keeps the chains moving,'' Shields
said. "He runs inside and he may not break a lot of long runs, but he
allows us to control the ball.''
Bausley and the Hawks did their job of playing keep-away so well that Lancaster had only two possessions in the second half.
"One
thing that helped us in the game is the fact that we've had a good
record against Lancaster over the years. That made a difference in
confidence for our kids,'' Shields said.
Shields and his wife of
22 years, Maria, have two daughters, Sierra, 18, and Parker, 6, along
with son Colton, 16, who is a junior deep snapper and reserve receiver
for the Hawks.
When Shields accepted the head coaching job at Red
Oak in 2007, the Hawks had gone 3-27 the previous three seasons. The
playoff drought stretched 22 seasons.
All of that changed in Shields' first season when Red Oak went 10-3, advancing three rounds in the playoffs.
"When
we came here, we had to instill confidence,'' Shields said. "I remember
one of our players asked me if we were going to have all new coaches
like they had been having every year. So our coaching staff needed to be
stable and confident because if anything went wrong, with a 3-27 record
in three seasons, they could put their heads down. We had a great group
of seniors that season.''
Shields' record in six seasons at Red Oak is 36-27. Since that 2007 breakout year, Red Oak has made the playoffs two more times.
"Now our kids expect to be in the playoffs,'' said Shields.
Red
Oak now needs one victory in either of its final two games to wrap up a
post-season berth. The Hawks play at Waxahachie on Friday and host
Seguin (Arlington) on Nov. 9.
"We preach to our guys not to worry
about anything except the game at hand, that all we have to do is win
one game,'' Shields said. "Because when you start a season in an
eight-team district, it makes it difficult if you think you've got to go
7-0.''
