As he backpedaled to his team’s 35-yard line, eyes locked on the sky-high punt, Nick Shanks had no idea what he would be confronted with in the coming seconds.
He took his eyes off the ball to glance back to the field, and he saw racing toward him a brigade of white jerseys, five of which had a clear path to the St. Margaret’s return man.
A fair catch was a realistic option, but where’s the fun in that?
Upon fielding the punt in the middle of the field, the junior’s instincts took him toward St. Margaret’s sideline. His quick burst altered the path of the would-be tacklers. The stutter-step froze them.
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CIF STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Division IV
St. Margaret’s (15-0) vs.
Cathedral Catholic of Modesto (11-3)
At StubHub Center, Friday, 4 p.m.
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The human joystick that is Nick Shanks raced 65 yards on the punt return for a first-half touchdown that propelled that Tartans to a 34-21 win over Grace Brethren of Simi Valley in the CIF-SS East Valley Division final two weeks ago.
“All that dude does is make people miss,” a teammate remarked amid the sideline high-fiving and chest bumping.
Lately, all Shanks has done is make game-changing plays for St. Margaret’s – Orange County’s lone representative in this weekend’s batch of CIF State Championship bowl games.
“It’s awesome just because there’s nowhere else I’d rather be than on the field,” the jack-of-all-trades junior said of the Tartans’ chance to play in their 16th game of the season. “It kind of gives us bragging rights with other schools. It’s cool knowing there’s no one else playing.”
St. Margaret’s (15-0) heads into this afternoon’s Division IV final at StubHub Center looking for its first state title since 2008 when Harry Welch guided the school to a perfect 15-0 campaign.
Just getting to the championship finale has been a huge undertaking for the Tartans. They’ve had to reel off wins against three previous unbeatens in Saddleback Valley Christian, Grace Brethren, and Christian of El Cajon in last week’s regional final.
Today, they’ll play a Central Catholic team from Modesto that’s not undefeated at 11-3, but boasts the past two Division IV state crowns.
“They’re a lot like the last couple of teams we’ve played,” Shanks said of today’s opponent. “They’re physical and have a running back that’s pretty big.”
While the opponent might look similar on tape, Shanks is hoping to put forth a highlight-filled performance similar to what he has done the past several outings.
The shifty junior has carried the ball 14 times for 137 yards the past two weeks. He has also caught nine passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns, returned a punt 65 yards for a score, and intercepted two passes, returning one 54 yards for a score.
In total, Shanks has 10 touchdowns of at least 50 yards this season.
“He’s always been like that the whole season,” St. Margaret’s coach Stephen Barbee said. “He’s truly a special player, a selfless player. It’s never, ‘Give me the ball, coach.’ It’s always, ‘Whatever you need me to do, coach.’”
Over the course of a game, it’s common to see Shanks line up at wide receiver, running back and even quarterback in the wildcat formation. Defensively, he’ll play some cornerback, and he returns punts and kickoffs on special teams. He has tallied eight special teams TDs this season, not including the ones that have been called back for holding.
Much like Cypress’ Quinten Pounds, Shanks is asked to do a little bit of everything, and he succeeds wherever he lines up.
“That’s hard to answer,” he said when asked what his natural position is. “I’d say it’s just returning kicks. It gives me a lot of freedom and lets me be creative with the ball in my hand.”
The Tartans coaching staff first saw Shanks’ potential as a sophomore in 2013. When running back Oscar Gomez was out with an injury, it was Shanks who got the first chance at starting in the backfield.
The 5-foot-9 speedster averaged 7 yards per carry, totaling 416 yards on 53 carries a season ago. A broken leg in early October ended an otherwise promising year for Shanks, forcing him to watch from the sidelines as the Tartans eventually lost in the CIF-SS final to Jurupa Hills of Fontana.
“We always joke with him and call him the most spirited player on the team,” Barbee said. “He was always waving a towel, hopping along the sidelines with his crutches. He just loves the game.”
After months of rehab and recovery, Shanks has been back to his old ways this season. When he trots onto the field today, he’ll already have accumulated 1,359 yards of total offense on 86 touches – an average of 15.8 yards per play.
“I wish I could pinpoint it,” Shanks said of his elusiveness. “I’ve been playing football for a long time. It’s more me running away from people. No one likes to get hit.”
Contact the writer: kconnolly@ocregister.com