October 11, 2009

The future Husker - he made his verbal commitment late last summer - and current Viking star has thrived as Waverly has transitioned from a straight Wishbone offense to more a more balanced, with elements of a spread attack. A talent like Evans is going to find ways to be successful, though WHS head coach Mike Johnson says Evans has become more productive by slowing down.

Huh?

"Tyler is very composed and determined and he's become more patient, which has made him an even more effective player," says Johnson, whose team is presently 6-0 and ranked No. 3 in Class B, according to Huskerland Prep Report.

At 6-2 and 180, Evans has the size and speed (that's a 4.46 40, thank you) and overall athletic ability (did we mention the 36-inch vertical) to be a menace in any offense. Having said that, Evans' eyes got big when the Waverly coaches talked to him about running more from the spread.

"I was instantly excited because I thought the spread had a lot of opportunities for our team," says Evans. "I saw were we were going to have some opportunities to make plays in space, and take advantage of our team speed, which is a real strength for us."

Evans has done his share and then some. Through six games he has rushed for 403 yards, averaging nine yards per carry, and also leads the team with eight touchdowns. With a more liberal mix of passing in the Waverly offense he's also thrived, throwing for 425 yards and seven touchdowns and zero interceptions.

He had a huge game last week in the 39-0 win over Beatrice, rushing for 116 yards and scoring four touchdowns. Earlier this season the Vikings tamed Pius and Crete, and the consistency of the team's performance has been a point of pride within the program, says Evans.

"We have been pretty steady and a lot of that comes from having good senior leaders. This is a really close knit team and there's a lot of trust amongst the players. And I really feel going to spread also helped elevate our game."

Last season the Vikings were 8-1 in the regular season and as hot as any team in Class B playoffs started. They ended quickly for the Vikings, as they were swept aside by old friend Pius X.

"They'd scouted us well and were really ready for our wishbone. That game had a lot to do with us using more spread now; it wasn't the only reason but it was part of it," says Evans.

His decision to say yes to the Huskers was an easy one, fulfilling a lifetime dream to play for Big Red, and one he's glad is behind him. "I still get some calls but it was getting crazy back before I committed and it was getting to be a hassle. When they call now, I just tell them I'm done with that, and it feels good to be in that place."

Once at Nebraska it is expected he will play either receiver or defensive back, with the final call likely to be made once he's on campus.

A committed student, Evans carries a perfect 4.0 GPA and plans to study something in the medical field.

Unbeaten and practically untested, Waverly this week plays 2-4 Platteview and Evans wants to make sure his team plays only Platteview this week. That means no looking ahead to the monster game vs. No. 2 Omaha Skutt next Friday.

"We can read the schedule - we know Skutt is next week," says Evans. "When it gets here that will be a great game in a playoff atmosphere. But it won't mean nearly as much if we don't keep our mind on our business and treat Platteview with respect. We need to keep that one-game focus the rest of the season."

	Bob Jensen is the Publisher for HuskerlandPreps.com. Bob Jensen can be reached at jensenpub@hamilton.net.
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