Straughn junior running back Devin Scott knew that he and the rest of the Tigers had to play their brand of football in the second half against Daleville last week; however, what Scott didn’t realize was that his performance would earn him a break-out night for himself.

Scott rushed for 227 yards on 25 carries and scored three touchdowns to help lead the Tigers to a 35-7 Class 3A first-round playoff victory over the Warhawks. His performance on the ground earned him The Star-News’ Player of the Week honors.

Scott said halftime last week helped the Tigers realize what they needed to do be successful in the second half. SHS led 13-7 over DHS at the break.

“I knew that if we played down to their level, we would’ve probably lost that game,” he said. “We had to play our game. That kind of just motivated us there at half time.

“We came out and did what (SHS head coach Trent Taylor) told us to do,” he said.

While Scot had a great night, he also credited the offensive line for a “job well done.” On numerous plays, the OL drove Warhawk defenders down field a ways, while creating holes for him to run through, or as Scott calls them “running lanes.”

“You’ve just got to go in there protecting the ball, with your head down and hope you come out the other end,” he said.

Most of Scott’s runs were short gains. Scott broke for 42 yards for a score on one play and added TD runs of 8 and 4 yards in the win.

During the game, Scott would show his athletic ability on the run by dropping a few spin moves for extra yards.

A skill he said he learned from watching college football, notably Alabama running back Eddie Lacy.

The junior has played football his “whole life,” starting in Straughn’s tinymite league.

“I feel like it’s my sport,” Scott said. “I feel like I could do a lot with myself later on.”

However, “later on” can wait for Scott, as he and the Tigers prepare to host Trinity Presbyterian this week for the second round of the playoffs.

“They’ll play hard,” Scott said about Trinity. “The biggest thing we’ve got to overcome is that we’ve got to stay on our blocks longer because they play assignment football.”

When asked if he was excited about this week, Scott said he “hopes to step into the checkered end zone.”

Devin is the son of Brett and Cassandra Scott of Straughn Community.