BROOKSVILLE — River Ridge and Nature Coast offered the equivalent of two cyclists pedaling furiously downhill, two rafts bouncing wildly downstream, two teams that glared into each other's eyes, took 10 paces, whirled — and ran the football at each other.
All night long.
The host Sharks were better equipped for the quick-hitting stuff. They had DeShawn Smith, a 3,000-yard back who already had set the national record for rushing touchdowns in a season. With spectacular bursts of speed and moves that are at times so unbelievable they belong in a video game, Smith left pursuers breathlessly behind.
For a while, his performance was matched by the Royal Knights' Chris Schwarz, a battering ram who splatters defenders.
Together, both backs combined for 713 yards and eight touchdowns in a Class 5A region semifinal game that saw a barrage of big plays and left both defenses wobbly.
In the end, it was Smith who shined brightest, rushing for 445 yards and six touchdowns to lead Nature Coast to a 42-33 victory.
"It was just war trying to stop either one of these backs," Sharks coach Justin Worden said.
Nature Coast (12-0) moved to the 5A region finals for the first time. Smith finished with his most carries of the season and broke the school's single-game rushing record he had set earlier this season.
"(DeShawn) is special," Worden said. "We just try to give him the most available running lanes. Sometimes you just have to step back and watch (him).
Early on, it was River Ridge (10-2) who had more success running the ball. Taking advantage of their tenacious offensive line, the Royal Knights gave the ball to Schwarz on the first two plays. On his second carry ripped off a 65-yard run and a 7-0 lead.
Then, Smith went to work.
On his first handoff, Smith shook a few defenders, beat them to the corner and sprinted down the sideline toward the end zone on an 80-yard touchdown run to tie the score at 7.
A minute into the game and both running backs had already gained 147 yards on the ground.
It continued that way the rest of the night with each back trying to out-do the other.
Schwarz was not finished. He finished with 37 carries for 267 yards, setting the Pasco County career rushing record with 5,365.
He also had two touchdowns, his second coming on 1-yard in the final 13 seconds of the first half that gave River Ridge a 21-20 lead.
But Smith stole the show on some open-field runs that had a familiar feel. There was the quick first step. The onrush of opponents. The cutback, the jukes and the finishing speed.
His three touchdowns in the second half came on runs of 31, 76 and 4 yards. His final score rounded out the scoring. Nature Coast's defense did the rest with a sack and recovered fumble on the Royal Knights' final two drives.
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Explore all your options"We come with the same mentality that we were going to go down the field and score every time, Smith said. "That what I tried to do."