This Shurmurs offense rolls over Father Judge

Oct 27, 2014 BY BRENT BAUM For the Daily News WHEN YOU have a high-octane, fast-paced team with a pro-style spread offense and a strong-armed quarterback like La Salle College High features, it can translate to many points on the scoreboard. That was the case Saturday night, when Kyle Shurmur completed 14 of 19 passes for 229 yards and two scores in a 31-7 rout of Father Judge in the Catholic League AAAA contest at Northeast High. "We certainly wanted to finish this regular season strong and carry it into the [Catholic League] playoffs," said Shurmur, the son of Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur. "We got a solid win and feel like we can do a few things better. " The 6-4, 225-pound senior has garnered a lot of media attention and pressure since he arrived at La Salle after transferring a year ago from St. Edward High in Lakewood, Ohio. He has completed 171 of 263 passes (65 percent) for 2,218 yards and 26 touchdowns in his two seasons. "I think a year of experience in this offense has really helped me, I worked on my feet [footwork] and feel like I can get better," said Shurmur, who has verbally committed to Vanderbilt. "Last year I was a new kid, so I never met these guys and being around them for a year has really helped me a lot. " Shurmur was a state champion in team swimming with the Explorers last spring. His mother was a swimmer at Michigan State. "It keeps me in great shape in the offseason, where kids usually bulk up and lift," Shurmur said. "Swimming really helps cardiowise and with arm strength. " Judge capitalized on its first possession with strong runs from junior Yeedee Thaenrat (100 yards on 18 carries), and senior Zack Carroll's 26-yard strike to sophomore Rasheem Blackshear. Carroll's 1-yard keeper gave the Crusaders a 7-0 lead with 4:17 left in the first quarter. La Salle quickly countered as Shurmur zipped in a 25-yard laser through a tight window to junior Winston Eubanks for a score. Shurmur connected with senior tight end Charlie Hemcher (114 yards on four catches) who made a one-handed catch in traffic for a 29-yard touchdown to give the Explorers a 17-7 lead with 3:09 left in the second quarter. The Explorers nearly scored on the final play before halftime as Shurmur connected with Hemcher on a 61-yard pass; Hemcher was stopped at the 3. "We have six great playmakers around the perimeter, and five guys [offensive line] that play really hard up front," Shurmur said. "We can really spread the ball around. " A 4.2 GPA student, Shurmur learned about the importance of being a student-athlete from his parents and wants to major in either business or economics at Vanderbilt. "School is always first; my mom and dad make sure I have good grades before I play football," Shurmur said. "I am very fortunate for football to get me into a good academic school. " In the second half, Judge had two opportunities to score from the Explorers' 16 and 20. However, La Salle's defense stopped Judge with two sacks and two interceptions (by seniors AJ Greseszak and Mike Crone). La Salle finished the regular season 7-2, while Judge fell to 4-5. Shurmur is now focused on the playoffs as the Explorers have 2 weeks to prepare for Roman Catholic, a team they beat last week, 38-8. "This bye week will be huge for us to get rest, recover, and we'll be ready to get after it," Shurmur said. "We can't overlook Roman, they are very good. We have to think we're 0-0 going into the playoffs and we just have to play our game."