DeSoto Eagles – 297-251-17 overall / 17-17 in playoff games

2008 Record: 6-6 (4-1 in 6-5A) Class 5A Division I Area Finalists

• Bi-District Round: Beat Temple 40-14
• Area Round: Lost to Skyline 51-26

Head Coach: Claude Mathis (30-28 record overall as a head coach / 6-6 in Second season at DeSoto)

Interview with DeSoto Head Football Coach Claude Mathis:

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Lettermen Returning: 32 / Letterman Lost: 48
Starters Returning: 8 on Offense, 8 on Defense

Key Losses: Chris Atchison (SMU), Dominic Bennett (North Dakota), Jeff Clermond (Texas State)

Players to Watch: OT Marcus Hutchins (Jr., 6′4, 265), RB Marcus Murphy (Sr., 5′9, 175), LB Zachary Orr (Sr., 5′11, 225), QB Ryan Polite (Jr., 6′1, 195), WR Darius Terrell (Texas Verbal Commit, Sr., 6′2, 205), OT Evan Washington (LSU Verbal Commit, Sr., 6′6, 286), DB Adrian White (Texas Verbal Commit, Sr., 5′11, 170)

CSR Outlook from Ryan Mueller: The Eagles will be the team to beat in 11-5A this season, and their appearance in the semifinals during the 7-on-7 state tournament proves their desire to make a deeper run in the 2009 postseason. Offensively, Desoto Head Coach Claude Mathis has to be pleased with a three-pronged attack that has matured yet another year. Junior QB Ryan Polite has stared at quarterback for the Eagles since late in his Freshman year and is coming off a sophomore season in which he had a completion percentage better than 60 percent and passed for over 1800 yards. Senior RB Marcus Murphy presents a dual threat in the backfield as Eagle fans watched him rush for over 1200 yards and grab a team-leading 41 receptions for more than 500 yards. Another weapon for defenses to try and corral is Senior WR Darius Terrell who Coach Mathis believes is the most improved player on the varsity squad in the offseason. Terrell, who has verbally committed to the University of Texas, quietly hauled in 34 catches for 577 yards and six touchdowns and will certainly be a primary target for Ryan Polite in the fall. Even though the skill position players received much of the attention last year, a lot of credit should be given to a scrappy offensive line anchored by senior OT Evan Washington. Washington, the son of former NFL defensive end Marvin Washington, is verbally committed to LSU and will bring 285 pounds of raw strength and mobility to battle in the trenches. Similar to the offense, the Eagle defense returns eight starters including senior FS Adrian White and senior CB Vincent Eddie who combined for 108 tackles and 5 interceptions in 2008. The Eagles are looking to soar past the area round of the playoffs where their season ended early against the Skyline Raiders last year, and Coach Mathis believes leadership will play a gigantic role in preventing another premature exit in 2009.

CSR Outlook from Bart Castle: After a season marked by inconsistency, Head Coach Claude Mathis and the DeSoto Eagles faithful are excited about the 2009 season. The Eagles return eight starters on both sides of the ball and some sources suggest fourteen of sixteen players posses DI potential.  Senior CB Adrian White and returning senior WR Darius Terrell have already committed to the University of Texas, while returning OL Evan Washington has signed with LSU. Junior quarterback Ryan Polite picked up valuable experience in his sophomore season passing for 1853 yards, including 15 TDs. He will be joined in the backfield by Marcus Murphy who ran for 188 yards and 5 TDs in the Eagles’ Bi-District win over Temple. When Polite isn’t handing the ball to Murphy, he will have plenty of choices with returning receivers, David Porter, Austin Vincent and Sam Ajala each over 6-feet tall. Polite and Murphy will have lots of room to work behind an offensive line returning three starters in Washington, Marcus Hutchins and Adrian Adams. As with the offense, the DeSoto defense looks to benefit from a year of experience.  2008 All State linebackers Zachary Orr and Aaron Lusk return for their senior campaign along with sophomore ILB Alex Lyons who is considered “one of the players to watch in district 11-5A” by numerous sources. With Adrian White and Vincent Eddie back at cornerback – the linebacking corps may be overshadowed by the secondary, further exemplifying how scary the Eagles may be in 2009. Finally, the D-Line will be anchored by Brandon Forge who may help ease the loss of All-State, DI signee, Jeff Clermund. Look for the Eagles to use the 6-win 2008 as experience and motivation to fly much higher and much farther in 2009!