St. Pius coach Paul Standard paused for a moment when asked for comparisons to his all-star cornerback Geno Smith after Friday’s 35-0 win over Druid Hills.
“David Irons. I was his position coach” at Dacula High. “He played at Auburn and later [briefly] for the Atlanta Falcons.
“He reminds me a lot of David in terms of his ability to play defensive back and to be able to cover anybody.”
Smith is considered one of the state’s top juniors and has around 10 early scholarship offers, including Georgia and Georgia Tech. He said he expects an offer by Florida when he makes an unofficial visit this weekend.
The 5-foot-11, 170-pound Smith helped lead St. Pius to a shutout against Druid Hills, which was limited to 106 total yards and didn’t cross the 50-yard line until four minutes left in the game.
St. Pius scored touchdowns on its first seven possessions, along with a 76-yard punt return by TJ Holloman.
Quarterback Trey White carried four times for 107 yards and one touchdown, while completing 5 of 6 passes for 79 yards and two touchdowns.
“I was real proud with how our kids prepared this week with a huge game looming next week” against Grady, Standard said.
Smith starts both ways for St. Pius, including halfback, and finished with seven carries for 50 yards Friday. His coach says that in college he could play tailback or wide receiver, as well as cornerback.
“We keep him out there on offense because he’s a guy that can go the distance on any play,” Standard said. “With Geno back there, that’s somebody that defenses have to worry about.”
Smith wants to play cornerback in college. He had a couple of big hits Friday.
“He has great closing speed, and he’s very aggressive, partly due to him playing running back in an offense where he has to block,” Standard said. “That makes him a tougher player.”
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