Yough’s Shoaf enters senior season with chip on his shoulder

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, July 18, 2018 | 5:45 PM

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The Tribune-Review and the TribLive High School Sports Network are profiling each member of the 25-player Trib HSSN Preseason WPIAL Football All-Star team. The players will be recognized at 2 p.m. July 24 during HSSN Media Day at Kennywood Park.

Dustin Shoaf carried the football 280 times in 10 games last season for Yough on his way to the WPIAL regular-season rushing title.

He will carry one big chip on his shoulder heading into the 2018 season.

Despite his exploits — 1,808 yards and 16 touchdowns for a team battered by injuries to its front line — the all-state running back has only one scholarship offer, from Division II Cal (Pa.).

It puts coach Scott Wood in mind of past WPIAL backs who seemed to get ignored by larger programs despite production and constant highlights, Armstrong’s Zane Dudek and Derry’s Tyler Balega among them.

Shoaf put on a show the last two years, busting outside to the perimeter, and dashing inside to find holes off direct snaps.

“It’s pretty frustrating … schools are missing out on this kid,” Wood said. “He can play at a higher level. He just needs the chance. He has gone against 6A guys and buried them.”

Mercyhurst, Slippery Rock and Notre Dame College (Ohio) have also been in touch about Shoaf, but Division I schools have only window shopped.

The unheralded 6-foot-2, 195-pound Shoaf could add more interest and offers with another big season, but he is trying to direct his focus toward winning over individual accomplishments.

Those will come if everyone does their part, words of wisdom most teams offer in the summer months leading up to a season.

The rushing title, Shoaf said, was a nice bonus but would have come in a distant second to a winning season or, better yet, a playoff spot.

Yough went 2-8 last season and has not made the WPIAL playoffs since 2013.

The Cougars will be in the new Class 3A Big East Conference with Burrell, Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic, Deer Lakes, Derry, Elizabeth Forward, Freeport, Mt. Pleasant and Uniontown.

There are only two conferences in 3A. The top four teams in each qualify for the playoffs.

“This is it,” Shoaf said. “It’s make or break time for playoffs. We have to get there. It’s senior year. We have 15 seniors.

“If I only get 800 yards and we go undefeated, I’ll take that too. If I have to carry 40 times a game, OK. Whatever it takes to win.”

Shoaf, whose rushing total broke the school single-season mark, ran for a single-game program record 428 yards and five touchdowns on 43 carries in a 49-38 win over Southmoreland. He has 2,885 yards in his career and has gone over 100 yards 14 times.

Pizzazz and hype that tend to illuminate Division I football do not seem to phase Shoaf much. He doesn’t go to all of the big prospect camps, although he did attend Pitt’s, and doesn’t play travel seven-on-seven.

He doesn’t saturate social media with his highlights and goings-on; nor does he post videos of himself working on his family’s farm, or preparing the sizzling steaks that serve as an extra point to a long work day.

He tries to do what old-school recruits of the past did: let his game on Friday nights do the talking — and let that be his gateway to college. If that option still is a thing.

“I just want to find the school that’s the best fit for me,” he said. “I want to get into business and sports management. It’s not totally about football. If it’s not Division I, it’s not the end of the world.”

And speaking of extra beef, Shoaf added 15 to 20 pounds and looks physically stronger, a testament to offseason workouts with teammates and coaches.

“We’ve consistently had 20 to 30 kids in the weight room,” Shoaf said. “Everyone is working hard. People might look at (Yough) and only mention me, but it won’t take long for them to see all of the other players we have.”

Shoaf also plays safety and led the Cougars in tackles last season, with 64, in just eight-and-a-half games on the defensive side of the ball.

Dustin Shoaf

School: Yough

Class: Senior

Ht/Wt: 6-2, 195

Positions: RB/S

Committed to: Undecided

Division I offers: None.

2017 statistics: 1,808 yards rushing, 280 carries, 16 touchdowns.

Bill Beckner is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Bill at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.