Overwhelming defense and speed play big parts in DeSoto's 49-0 shutout win over Bishop Dunne in clash of ranked teams

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DeSoto used its speed and depth to overwhelm one of the state's top private school teams Saturday night at Sprague Stadium.

The Eagles dominated the line of scrimmage and took control early on their way to a 49-0 victory over Bishop Dunne.

A week after defeating Skyline, Bishop Dunne couldn't take down a second consecutive 6A school. The defending TAPPS Division I state champions proved no match for one of the area's perennial powers. DeSoto outgained Bishop Dunne 583 yards to 139.

Bishop Dunne (2-1), No. 2 in SportsDay's large private schools area rankings, played the second half without senior linebacker Brennon Scott, one of the state's top recruits who has committed to Kansas over offers from LSU, Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, USC, Georgia and Oregon, among others.

Scott said he suffered a sternum injury with 2:10 left in the second quarter while pursuing a run play. He spent the second half on the sideline out of uniform with his chest wrapped. Scott said he at minimum has a bruised sternum but it could be displaced. He said he was going for an X-ray on Saturday night to determine the severity of the injury. He said if it's only a bruise, he'd miss at least two to three weeks.

DeSoto (3-0), No. 6 in SportsDay's 6A area rankings, turned the ball over three times in the first half and had nine penalties but still led by three touchdowns at halftime.

That's primarily because of the Eagles' swarming defense. DeSoto held Bishop Dunne to only 36 total yards on 27 plays in the first half. Bishop Dunne had minus-14 yards in the first quarter on 10 plays.

Bishop Dunne finished the first half with nine positive plays and seven negative plays, with the Eagles often winning up front and then swarming the ball carrier. The Falcons didn't gain positive yardage on a play until 9:15 left in the second quarter, and their initial first down of the game came at 6:58 of the second quarter.

Eagles junior quarterback Samari Collier finished 17 of 26 passing for 295 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions. He had a pair of 49-yard touchdown passes in the first half to senior receivers Lawrence Arnold and Jordan Brown.

"I didn't play at my best," Collier said. "I still have some work to do."

Seniors DeMarcus Jackson and Jaheem Muhammad led DeSoto's defensive charge with a sack apiece and each also had two tackles for loss. DeSoto finished with 13 tackles for loss.

"I challenged our kids all week long," DeSoto coach Claude Mathis said. "We wanted the shutout. We didn't want anything else. They were amazing."

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