As DeSoto continues championship 'run,' Marvin Duffey doing his part: Buck's Ballpark
Update: The Duncanville vs. DeSoto game has been rescheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday due to heavy rain and lightning on Friday night.
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DALLAS, TEXAS - Before DeSoto shifted focus to maybe the biggest game in the state this week, and maybe the season, the Eagles faced a rivalry.
DeSoto and traditional rival Cedar Hill are separated by fewer than 10 miles. So when they resumed that grudge match on Oct. 20, the Eagles knew they didn’t want to overlook the Longhorns while thinking about Friday’s much-anticipated showdown with Duncanville.
One player who certainly didn’t want to think about facing the Panthers just yet was senior tailback Marvin Duffey.
He continued to take advantage of what was a tough situation the defending Class 6A Division II champion Eagles had to deal with right out of the starting gate.
Duffey carried the ball 18 times and picked up 177 yards while scoring three touchdowns, the last one a dazzling 56-yard dash, as DeSoto fended off an early challenge from Cedar Hill to prevail, 35-13.
Good numbers. Good enough to be honored on the field following the game as the top player in the game.
But still not quite good enough for Duffey’s liking.
“I feel like I did pretty good, but I feel like I could have done way more,” he said.
“I just stayed calm. Like (the Cedar Hill) game, people made it way bigger than it really was, just play one game at a time. That’s all I do in the end.”
Duffey’s performance helped DeSoto gain 281 yards on the ground that night. And he’s helped the Eagles continue to be strong with their running game.
Though it was bleak at the outset, when junior 4-star Deondrae "Tiger" Riden, who had a huge showing in the Eagles’ 6A II title game win last December, suffered a serious injury in DeSoto’s season opener at Allen, leaving the field in a cart.
He did come back a few weeks later, but suffered another injury in a game on Oct. 6 against Mansfield Legacy.
But the Eagles, in particular, Duffey, haven’t missed a beat.
Duffey has rushed for 774 yards and 13 TDs. He has had four games of 100 yards or more.
Perhaps his breakthrough performance came in the Eagles’ next game after Riden’s injury, a 111-yard performance with a TD in a 54-14 win against defending 5A Division II champion South Oak Cliff. He also went for 153 yards and three TDs in a lopsided win against Mansfield Lake Ridge on Oct. 13.
“It was real hard; I had to get used to it, but I just came in and did what I always do,” Duffey said. “I didn’t want to waste my opportunity and I looked to God; he blessed me with the opportunity to go and take this real far.”
Duffey was also blessed in other areas. An experienced quarterback in DJ Bailey. Other playmakers like receiver and SMU commit Daylon Singleton.
Then a very imposing offensive line to help clear paths for Duffey and his fellow running backs, players like senior guard and Houston commit Ronnell McLain and junior guard Byron Washington, who has already received offers from the likes of Texas and Oregon.
“Our o-line, they’re the best in the nation; that’s what I always say,” Duffey said. “We can get anything done behind those guys, so they’re really the biggest part of the success. Honestly, it’s not even me, it’s the o-line; they make things successful for us.”
The Eagles’ o-line reciprocated the favor, expressing their gratitude to be able to continue to rack up the rushing yards despite the loss of Riden, especially helping the 5-foot-8, 187-pound Duffey pick up the slack.
“After (Riden) got hurt, we just knew our role got even bigger,” Washington said. “Like the little slack that we had, we had to sharpen it up and Duffey, he’s just as good.
“He’s just undersized and a lot of people doubt him, but at the same time, I feel like he’s the best back in 6A and he just does what he’s got to do. He’s very disciplined, and I just feel like he’s going to end up getting a big offer and a school is going to take a chance on him because he’s a very good athlete and off the field.”
Duffey is hoping to get that chance to shine at the next level, already receiving interest from Lamar and North Texas.
A few more good games can definitely enhance his profile. Especially Friday.
It will be a tough assignment for Washington and his fellow o-linemen.
No doubt whatsoever, they have put in countless extra time all week figuring out a way to solve maybe the best defensive line in Texas, a Duncanville front featuring Texas commits Colin Simmons and Alex January, and rising sophomore standout Kevin Ford Jr.
“They’re a pretty good team,” Washington said of Duncanville. “They’re the closest thing that we’re going to see this year, so we’re just going to ball it out. Whoever is the most disciplined is going to come out on top.”
And Bailey, a Sam Houston State commit, will also have to be on top of his game against the Panthers’ powerful defense.
“He’s a leader, and he’s another undersized player,” Washington said. “So, he gets a lot of doubt but he can spin the rock and he can lead a team. When things go bad, he can be the one that can make the sun come up on a cloudy day.”
Even if the Eagles come up short against Duncanville, the sun will still come up the next day. They remain odds-on favorites to repeat their 6A Division II championship.
Washington and his fellow Eagles knew they were going to be targeted even more by their opponents this season. So far, they have passed every test.
“We definitely embraced that, just knowing that we’re going to get everybody’s best shot because all season,” Washington said. “We’ve been leading up to this game that’s coming (Friday), and we’ve got different looks, so I feel like we’re well-prepared and we match up across the boards evenly right now.”
And now it’s finally here. Maybe the game of the year, non-playoff edition, in the Lone Star State.
The 6A Division II champ versus the 6A Division I winner.
Duffey hopes to continue his impressive run and get the Eagles their first win against the Panthers since 2016.
“They’re a very good team, you can’t put that past them; honestly, they’re probably the best team in Texas,” Duffey said.
“It’s going to be real hard-fought, don’t get me wrong, they’ve got a lot of great guys on that team, but we can pull it out. We’ve got to stay focused.”
Photo of DeSoto RB Marvin Duffey (27) by Robbie Rakestraw
-- Buck Ringgold | buck@scorebooklive.com | @SBLiveTX
