Walker boosts D. Pines when it counts

Adam Candee

Monday, Sept. 30, 2002 | 10:19 a.m.

The ink about Desert Pines usually dries around the names of RB Cornell Johnson and QB Marcel Johnson, and rightfully so. Wideout Kawon Walker, though, deserves a big hunk of credit for the Jaguars' 33-12 win at Cheyenne for his Play-of-the-Year candidate catch and run for a gamebreaking touchdown.

Leading 20-12 early in the fourth quarter, Marcel Johnson lofted a short pass to the right side for Walker. The senior wideout easily hauled it in and headed into the thicket of the middle of the field. Hit hard by a number of Cheyenne defenders, Walker spun low and appeared to be stopped with a 15-yard first down.

As Walker neared the ground, though, he ripped a page from the Barry Sanders handbook, instinctively shooting a hand toward the turf and maintaining his balance. He twisted around in a crab walk fashion and sprinted down the field for a 67-yard score that took any remaining gust out of Cheyenne's sail.

"I don't know if you'll see a better play this year," Desert Pines coach Leon Evans said Sunday. "I gave up on the play."

Area prepsters scored touchdowns in seven different ways last week, and just two came on offense. Included on the list of defensive and special teams scores were three kickoff returns, a punt return, a fumble return, an interception return and even the rare blocked field goal return.

The value of those scores? Of those seven touchdowns, six were tallied by winning teams.

The hot Bulldogs head to Cheyenne (3-1), where the Desert Shields get no respite after last week's loss to Desert Pines. Cheyenne coach Dave Snyder said before that defeat that his concerns about his team included turnovers and inexperience. Both came back to bite the Shields last week. Centennial needs RB Devin Patterson to be at full speed, although backup Melvin Matlock picked up the slack after Patterson left Friday's game, rushing for 160 yards in the Bulldogs' 33-7 win over Bishop Gorman.