Dashon Polk

At first glance, a bluegill looks an awful lot like a piranha. The shape is similar, ditto the size. Then there are the teeth. A piranha, of course, has the kind of chompers that make instant weight loss a medical reality. A bluegill wouldn't scare an earthworm. Depending on the time of day, Taft High linebacker DaShon Polk appears to be either fillet of fish or man-eater. Polk's baby face doesn't quite jibe with the feeding frenzy he conducts on Friday nights.

Whip linebacker. What an appropriate position for Arizona senior DaShon Polk. He whips past offensive linemen, bursting into the backfield and making tackles for losses. He cracks whip in the huddle, motivating his teammates with intense passion. By game's end, Wildcat opponents are usually whipped. And from sheer exhaustion, so is Polk. "I leave it all on the field and I expect my teammates to do the same," Polk said. "That's the only way to play this game, know what I'm saying?"

Whip linebacker. What an appropriate position for Arizona senior DaShon Polk. He whips past offensive linemen, bursting into the backfield and making tackles for losses. He cracks whip in the huddle, motivating his teammates with intense passion. By game's end, Wildcat opponents are usually whipped. And from sheer exhaustion, so is Polk. "I leave it all on the field and I expect my teammates to do the same," Polk said. "That's the only way to play this game, know what I'm saying?"

Growing up in Pacoima, DaShon Polk discovered he could use football as his ticket to a free college education. The former Taft High defensive standout is taking full advantage. As a starting outside linebacker for ninth-ranked Arizona, Polk recorded four tackles, including two for losses, as the Wildcats downed Washington State, 41-7, last Saturday. Arizona is 9-1 overall, 5-1 in the Pacific 10 Conference, and Polk has 44 tackles this season, including 10 for losses.

DaShon Polk didn't exactly relish his night in the trenches. Polk, an All-City Section linebacker from Taft High who also plays fullback, was inserted at center during last week's 49-14 victory over Monroe because of an injury to teammate Joey Rothman. The verdict? "He snapped the ball," Taft Coach Troy Starr said with a laugh. "He went after some people, but they weren't always the right people. He said he likes being a running back." Rothman is expected to play Friday night at Kennedy.

Taft High School defensive star Dashon Polk said Wednesday he has made a verbal commitment to play football for the University of Arizona. Polk, the Northwest Valley Conference Player of the Year, said that Arizona "felt right" for him. He said that Arizona plans to use him at strong safety. "Arizona is the best choice for me," Polk said. "I like the style of their defense and feel that I can fit in there." Polk canceled his recruiting trip to Hawaii.

Growing up in Pacoima, DaShon Polk discovered he could use football as his ticket to a free college education. The former Taft High defensive standout is taking full advantage. As a starting outside linebacker for ninth-ranked Arizona, Polk recorded four tackles, including two for losses, as the Wildcats downed Washington State, 41-7, last Saturday. Arizona is 9-1 overall, 5-1 in the Pacific 10 Conference, and Polk has 44 tackles this season, including 10 for losses.

Sedric Hurns loves to talk, but one look at his helmet shows all that needs to be said about his contributions to the Taft High football team. Covered with nicks and scratches, Hurns' helmet is a testament of playing four years on the varsity for the Toreadors. Hurns' statistics were not explosive, but his value to the Toreadors could not be underestimated.

Dons defensive back Antwain Wilson intercepted a pass and raced untouched down the sideline for a 65-yard touchdown as time expired to defeat Taft, 26-20, in a 4-A Division quarterfinal on Wednesday. Dorsey (10-2) advances to the semifinals next week against Crenshaw. Trailing 20-7 with only five minutes to play, Dorsey scored twice to tie the score.

Anybody got a Thomas Bros. Guide? It takes one to track the roadways traveled by quarterback Brian Shubin, who has attended four high schools in three years and three schools in less than a year. Shubin spent his freshman year at Camarillo High, transferred to Thousand Oaks as a sophomore, then transferred to Canyon as a junior. Four weeks ago, Shubin and his family moved to Woodland Hills, where he enrolled at Taft.

Sedric Hurns loves to talk, but one look at his helmet shows all that needs to be said about his contributions to the Taft High football team. Covered with nicks and scratches, Hurns' helmet is a testament of playing four years on the varsity for the Toreadors. Hurns' statistics were not explosive, but his value to the Toreadors could not be underestimated.

Taft High School defensive star Dashon Polk said Wednesday he has made a verbal commitment to play football for the University of Arizona. Polk, the Northwest Valley Conference Player of the Year, said that Arizona "felt right" for him. He said that Arizona plans to use him at strong safety. "Arizona is the best choice for me," Polk said. "I like the style of their defense and feel that I can fit in there." Polk canceled his recruiting trip to Hawaii.

Dons defensive back Antwain Wilson intercepted a pass and raced untouched down the sideline for a 65-yard touchdown as time expired to defeat Taft, 26-20, in a 4-A Division quarterfinal on Wednesday. Dorsey (10-2) advances to the semifinals next week against Crenshaw. Trailing 20-7 with only five minutes to play, Dorsey scored twice to tie the score.

Anybody got a Thomas Bros. Guide? It takes one to track the roadways traveled by quarterback Brian Shubin, who has attended four high schools in three years and three schools in less than a year. Shubin spent his freshman year at Camarillo High, transferred to Thousand Oaks as a sophomore, then transferred to Canyon as a junior. Four weeks ago, Shubin and his family moved to Woodland Hills, where he enrolled at Taft.

At first glance, a bluegill looks an awful lot like a piranha. The shape is similar, ditto the size. Then there are the teeth. A piranha, of course, has the kind of chompers that make instant weight loss a medical reality. A bluegill wouldn't scare an earthworm. Depending on the time of day, Taft High linebacker DaShon Polk appears to be either fillet of fish or man-eater. Polk's baby face doesn't quite jibe with the feeding frenzy he conducts on Friday nights.

DaShon Polk didn't exactly relish his night in the trenches. Polk, an All-City Section linebacker from Taft High who also plays fullback, was inserted at center during last week's 49-14 victory over Monroe because of an injury to teammate Joey Rothman. The verdict? "He snapped the ball," Taft Coach Troy Starr said with a laugh. "He went after some people, but they weren't always the right people. He said he likes being a running back." Rothman is expected to play Friday night at Kennedy.

Taft High's DaShon Polk, a senior safety/wide receiver, was named the most valuable player in the Northwest Valley Conference. Polk, 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, caught 28 passes for 442 yards and eight touchdowns. He also intercepted two passes and earned a reputation as a ferocious hitter. Polk also scored on an 88-yard run, a 92-yard kickoff return and completed five passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns.

Running back Jerry Brown led a balanced offense for Taft High, which overwhelmed Cleveland, 32-14, Friday night in a Northwest Valley Conference game at Taft. Brown, a senior, rushed 28 times for 186 yards and scored touchdowns on runs of 25 and 10 yards. Taft (7-1, 5-0 ) rushed for 235 yards and passed for 211. The Toreadors built a 25-0 lead at halftime but Cleveland (4-4, 3-2) scored two touchdowns to pull to within 25-14 early in the fourth quarter.