By: Danny Aiello Jr
Twitter: @DannyAielloJr
DeShawn Smith accomplished something only two other running backs before him have done, and more importantly, the Sharks kept their perfect season alive Friday, as they knocked off Lecanto 43-24.
Smith carried 20 times for 293 yards and four touchdowns, and also caught two passes for 75 yards and a touchdown.
The 293 rushing yards, put him over the 4,000 yard mark in his career, making him the third runner in county history to join the elusive 4,000 yard club alongside Tevin Drake and Dwayne Mobley.
Lecanto (5-2, 3-1 5A-7) came into the contest with a plan to stop Smith, but every time the Panthers took the lead, or threatened to make a game out of it, it was Smith who decided that was not going to happen.
Travis McGee found Tyler Messina for a 7-yard touchdown to open the scoring, but Nature Coast (7-0, 4-0 5A-7) responded behind quarterback Brian Haygood who has eclipsed the 100 yard mark in each of the last two games.
Smith would answer the next two Lecanto scoring drives with a 50-yard touchdown run, and a 65-yard swing pass that he turned into a touchdown.
Up Next: Nature Coast travels to Citrus, where the Sharks aim to stay perfect in the district.