Surpless caps season with passing record

Bad things sometimes happen to good people.

That's the way Jim Deuble will prefer to remember the 2008 football season for North Shore Country Day.

The Raiders absorbed a 53-8 whipping Oct. 23 on the road against unbeaten Alden-Hebron and completed a winless season at 0-9.

"The same thing happened to us in about my fifth year as a coach (1994) and you just feel so bad for the kids," said Deuble. "They're good kids who kept working hard all through it. We really appreciate the way they hung in there.

"To me it was a good year -- despite the record -- because of their preparation, and their effort, and their enjoyment of the game. It was just one of those years where we happened to be out-manned every week. And we would have had our hands full even if we had stayed healthy."

North Shore was reduced to about 15 or 16 healthy players by the end of the regular season, and Deuble was forced to press more freshmen and sophomores into regular action than usual.

That might pay off down the road for the Raiders -- once their physical and emotional scars heal.

"In the past we'd have some leads in the fourth quarter, and that's when we'd work those kids into the games," said the coach. "This year they had to start and finish games, and they were overmatched in a lot of spots."

Sophomores David Deuble (linebacker, running back), Lauris Herth (wide receiver) and Will Taylor (defensive end) all played significant roles and so did freshman tackle Jack Eisner, who started the last six games after senior Mick Reedy went down with an injury.

Against Alden-Hebron, the Raiders avoided a shutout in the fourth quarter when Trey Surpless threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to David Thomas. Thomas caught 10 passes for 134 yards as Surpless went 14-of-30 for 185 yards with three interceptions.

Surpless, a junior, established a single season school record for passing yards (1,147) in his first year as a varsity football player, completing 88-of-216 attempts. He threw six TD passes and eight interceptions.

"I've never had a quarterback improve as much as Trey did," Deuble said. "He'll be a big piece of the puzzle for us next year with the way he throws the ball."