Evans leads YC offensive, defensive line fronts

The person who may be most responsible for the Shamrocks' successful rushing attack has rarely touched the ball.
 
Senior tight end Josh Evans has been an anchor on an offensive line that has guided running back Ed Harris to 1,852 yards rushing this season and 31 total touchdowns.
 
On defense, Evans has led a four-man front that has allowed only 13 points in the playoffs, the fewest allowed in the first two rounds in more than two seasons.
 
The Shamrocks' defense will get another chance to prove themselves as they head to Phoenix today to take on Willcox (10-2, 2A East Champions) in the semifinals of the 2A State Playoffs.
 
"I don’t even know how the defense has been this effective," Evans said. "We work hard, we work real hard in practice. Matt Osuna, Luke (Hodges) and Ronnie (Aguilera) are just doing awesome. Our defense has never played like this."
 
The Shamrocks (10-2, 2A West Champions) have only allowed 516 yards of total offense in playoff games against San Manuel and Tucson-Pusch Ridge. Through the regular season the defense was even more impressive, pitching five shutouts and only allowing opponents to score more than 14 points twice.
 
Offensively, Yuma Catholic has picked up 966 total yards and 10 touchdowns, all rushing, in the playoffs. Despite Harris' running, coach Rhett Stallworth attributed a majority of that success to the offensive line, specifically Evans and Robert Norton.
 
They are the only two players starting on the offensive and defensive line.
 
"(Evans) is Eddie’s best friend because he’s one of the best blockers out there," Stallworth said. "When he first got here two years ago he wanted to be a fullback and linebacker and we broke his heart and put him on the offensive line."
 
But Evans responded to the challenge and was invited up to varsity his sophomore year where he played guard and later tackle. Last season he was named 2A West first team offensive lineman.
 
But after two successful seasons, he was looking for a change. At the beginning of the year he approached Stallworth and asked if he could move from the offensive line to tight end.
 
Stallworth obliged.
 
"We determined at the beginning of the year that it was much more to our advantage to have a tight end that could block and get us the edge than it was to have a tight end that can run down the field and catch a lot of balls," Stallworth said. "He’s in heaven because he gets to maybe catch a ball here and there and he’ll block his butt off if you just throw him a bone once in a while."
 
Evans may not see a lot of those bones, but he tends to make the most of his few opportunities. He has picked up 110 yards this season, two touchdowns and averaged 15 yards per reception.
 
It's significant for a team that has only completed 21 passes in the postseason.
 
It's his play and the offensive line that have even caught the eye of Willcox coach Jim Hughes.
 
"Their line bothers me because they’re so much quicker," Hughes said. "They execute well and get off the ball. They may be smaller, but their traps and counters are good, they block well and hit hard. They’re the type of team that will give us a lot of fits."