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Jags’ Shoen sets national record

TRUMAN – Run, Derek, run. Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Truman junior running back Derek Shoen ran his way into history after recording 629 all-purpose yards in the Jaguars’ Week 8 game against Madelia on Oct. 19 in Truman.

Shoen had 576 rushing yards on 41 carries, 30 receiving yards and 23 return yards, breaking the state and national rushing yards record and the state’s all-purpose yards record.

The record-breaking performance was a result of the Jaguars’ practice earlier in the week when Shoen said he challenged his offensive line.

“‘If you do well, that means everyone else is going to do well because you open the holes up for everybody,'” Shoen recalled saying. “They really answered the bell and had some great pushes and made great holes.”

Going into the game, the excitement was already high because of the Jaguars’ rivalry with the Madelia Blackhawks. The Jaguars were determined to beat the Blackhawks and at halftime, Shoen had more than 200 yards rushing and was well on his way to making history.

With every carry, the junior running back inched closer and closer to the state record of 464 yards, set by DeLaSalle’s Alexander Robinson on Oct. 7, 2005.

“It was really a team effort,” Shoen said. “Those guys up front and Rory (Becker) as the fullback, too, did their job and it just made my job easier.”

By the end of the game, not only had Shoen broken the state record for most rushing yards in a game, but also the state record for most all-purpose yards in a game and the national record for most rushing yards in a single 9-Man football game.

Nathan Arnold of Ellendale in South Dakota had previously held the national record when he totaled 550 yards rushing in 2008.

A previous report stated Shoen finished the game with 570 yards on 39 carries, but upon reviewing the game footage, the official statistic was imputed as 576 yards with 41 totes.

“I had no idea what was going on. It was after when they announced over the PA system that I found out (about the record),” Shoen said. “My emotions were all over the place from beating Madelia and how fun that game was. It was the cherry on top. … It made it a lot sweeter since we did it against Madelia, and we beat Madelia. I can always say that I broke a record against the hometown rival.”

Shoen admitted he didn’t think that much of the feat right away. It wasn’t until the next day when talking to Jaguars head coach Ben Senf that Shoen began to think more about what he had done. The more he saw people talking about it, the more he realized just what he had accomplished.

“It has started to set in and I see more stuff about it, and it’s just like, ‘Wow. I really did that,'” he said. “It’s still pretty unreal that that’s happened.

“Basically, I did something that no one’s done in the United States, which is unreal.”

Additionally, Shoen is now sixth in the state and tied for 10th nationally for most points scored in a game with 44 points on six touchdowns and four 2-point conversions and tied for 10th in Minnesota and tied for 13th in the country for most touchdowns in a game.

He secured a ninth-place spot in the national record books for most carries in a game (41), while the accomplishment earned him a share of the 15th-place position in the state.

As a team, the Jaguars didn’t break any records, but they did find a place in the record books. The team is now second for most rushing yards in a game in Minnesota and third nationally with 631.

Lester Prairie racked up 714 yards rushing against Blooming Prairie in 2012 to hold the state’s record, while Wolsey-Wessington tops the national record with a 738-yard rushing performance in 2014.

Shoen became a major piece of the Jaguars’ offense this season, with the majority of the team’s offense going through him. This hasn’t always been the case, however.

“When I was younger, we worked in the system and we had a lot of backs, so I always wanted more carries and I wanted to be the guy,” Shoen said. “Now that we graduated those guys and kids didn’t come out, I was the go-to guy.

“It just helped me because then I know that this is our offense and it really relies on me. I know that I have to do my job to make it go.”

Although Shoen’s breakout performance came during the last game of the regular season, he is only a junior, so he still has one more year to play with the Jaguars.

“You just gotta keep going and don’t settle now that – I guess you can say – you’re at the top. You have to keep that chip on your shoulder mentality,” Shoen said. “I have another year to prove myself and leave no doubt in the conference.”

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