Turner, Cy Falls steal thunder

Sam Khan — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 12:00:00 GMT

Senior RB keys Golden Eagles to wild 49-37 triumph over McGuffie, Cy-Fair

By SAM KHAN JR.
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

Sam McGuffie's extensive highlight reel has made the Cy-Fair running back an Internet star and with it came national recognition in the world of high school football. Before Thursday night, the same could not be said for Shane Turner.

In just under three hours, the Cypress Falls senior running back made sure viewers across the nation remembered his name as the he compiled 295 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns to lead the Golden Eagles to a 49-37 District 17-5A victory over Cy-Fair on Thursday before a national television audience on ESPN2.

Many fans in the near-capacity crowd at the Berry Center showed up expecting to see McGuffie shine for the cameras, but it was Turner who stole the show with 195 rushing yards on 26 carries and a 100-yard kickoff return.

"Everybody knows who Sam McGuffie is ,but nobody really knows who Shane Turner is," Turner said. "I just tried to make my mark."

While he didn't explode, McGuffie, a Michigan commitment, had a solid night in his own right, finishing with 163 yards on 31 carries and a touchdown. He only had one run over 20 yards, a 43-yarder that set up a third-quarter touchdown by Wesley Cobb (10 carries, 52 yards).

Meanwhile, Turner, an uncommitted senior who has currently has offers from four Division I schools, according to Rivals.com (Arizona, Fresno State, New Mexico State and Utah), had touchdown runs of 3, 35 and 69 yards.

"I tell you what, 'The Missile' is amazing," Cy Falls coach David Raffield said, referring to Turner's nickname. "I would think that he'll be hearing from a lot more schools and some ones closer to home pretty soon."

He wasn't the only one who shined on Thursday, though. Quarterback Kolby Gray (13-of-19 passing, 222 yards) threw three touchdown passes, all to Blake Shaw (five receptions, 76 yards), a track standout who verbally committed to Southern California for that sport on Wednesday.

When the Golden Eagles (5-2, 3-1) fell behind 16-7 late in the first quarter, they didn't have any doubt they would get back in the game, thanks to their powerful offensive unit, which has scored 47 or more points four times this season.

Turner's 35-yard score with 11:52 remaining in the second quarter cut the Cy-Fair lead to two points, then after a 23-yard touchdown pass from Cy-Fair quarterback Gavin West (207 passing yards, two touchdowns) to John Leonhardt, Turner responded with a 69-yard run to again pull the Golden Eagles within two at 23-21 with 5:32 remaining in the first half.

Gray hit Shaw for a 10-yard touchdown pass to give the Golden Eagles a 28-23 halftime lead, but the biggest blow Turner and the Golden Eagles threw at Cy-Fair (4-3, 2-2) came in the third quarter. He opened the second-half with the 100-yard kickoff return to extend the lead to 35-23.

"That was huge," Turner said. "I just saw the hole and I ran."

The Golden Eagles reeled off 28 unanswered points spanning the second and third quarters and the run ended with a 4-yard touchdown pass from Gray to Shaw with 5:57 remaining in the third quarter to put the game out of reach for Cy Falls.

The Golden Eagles now own sole possession of second place in the 17-5A standings, a half-game behind first-place Cypress Ridge.

read article on chron.com

19-Oct-07 7:00 AM

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Turner, Cy Falls steal thunder