2013 Football Preview

Plant City Times &

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2013 FOOTBALL PREVIEW

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PLANT CITY TIMES & OBSERVER

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When I say “good,” you say “neighbor.”

Welcome to Plant City’s 2013 pigskin preview This season should be a fun one.

Our mission since we launched All three area schools are now in our newspaper in July 2012, has the same district for the first time been to provide Plant City with (Class 7A District 8), along the most in-depth local with Brandon and East Bay. sports coverage available.

District games will now be Within our pages, high fueled by area rivalries and school teams are covered as bragging rights. if they were major college We cannot wait. programs or professional In addition to this preteams. This strategy has view, we once again bring been well received by our MATT you a “Game of the Week” readers and has gained MAUNEY each week of the regular respect from coaches and season, highlighting the administrators at the three top matchup in the area. high schools we cover.

Our website, PlantCityObThe bar has been set high folserver.com, and our Twitter sports lowing the success of our first handle, @PlantCitySports, will preview, “Under Construction,” provide our readers with breakwhich was awarded first place for ing news, live score updates and Best Special Section of the 2012 photo galleries.

Local Media Association’s EditoSpecial thanks to PakMail, rial Contest, a national competiBruton Memorial Library and tion.

Parksdale Farms, for allowing us But we are excited to deliver to to use their businesses for our you our 2013 Football Preview, impact player photo shoots in “Big-Time Talent in Little Plant this preview.

City.”

Here’s to a great season, and, as We hope you find it both inforalways, thanks for reading! mative and entertaining.

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Trey VanDeGrift has been able to balance a rigorous academic schedule with the demands that come from being a varsity starting quarterback.

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PLANT CITY TIMES & OBSERVER

IQB

DURANT HIGH SCHOOL COUGARS

Durant quarterback Trey VanDeGrift is setting the bar high both on the field and in the classroom.

That combination likely will allow him to continue being a student-athlete at a prestigious college.

T

he quarterback of a football team is expected to possess certain characteristics.

First and foremost: leadership. And that starts with having a deep understanding of the game and a solid awareness when on the field. Some refer to this as having a high football IQ. Although he may not be a vocal leader, Durant’s Trey VanDeGrift has a high football IQ, but that intelligence doesn’t only exist on the field.

VanDeGrift holds a 6.03 GPA (3.97 unweighted). He scored a 1,470 on his SAT (2,250 including writing) and a 34 out of 36 on the ACT. This fall, the Durant High senior’s

schedule includes seven AP classes, along with weight training. He is a football player, after all.

“He’s a student on the field and a student off the field,” said Durant head coach Mike Gottman.

“He’s probably one of the brightest kids I’ve ever coached, and it’s good to have a guy like that leading your team.”

VanDeGrift started his high school career at Strawberry Crest, starting for the Chargers as a freshman and sophomore.

Before his junior year, he left the IB program at Strawberry Crest and came to Durant, his districted school.

After winning the starting job, he led Durant to its best season in program history, including a 10-0 regular season mark. After three seasons as a varsity quarterback, VanDeGrift enters his senior year with the Cougars with high hopes. His play, along with his impres-

sive stats off the field, has garnered attention from college football programs with high academic standards.

His Durant teammates look to him as a leader, and although he doesn’t try to bring attention to it, they are well aware of his success in the classroom.

“Trey is probably the smartest person I’ve ever met,” said running back John Hendricks, a transfer from Newsome. “If a play breaks down, he’ll automatically have three backup plans to show for that.”

IN THE BLOOD

Looking at his family tree, it’s no secret to where VanDeGrift gets his talents.

His grandfather is the all-time winningest coach at Lebanon High, in Lebanon, Ohio. He is also a member of the state’s high school hall of fame. The stadium at the Ohio school is even named, “James VanDeGrift Stadium.”

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Outlook yards, 20 TD). Junior Durant enrunning back Cris ters 2013 after Atkins will fill the void winning the in the backfield. Atkins Class 7A DisHead Coach: has two years of experitrict 8 district Mike Gottman ence getting quality championship Offensive carries, rushing for 821 for the second Scheme: spread yards and 10 touchconsecutive option downs last season. year in its most Defensive Newsome transfer successful Scheme: 4-3 John Hendricks also season in prowill get his chance in gram history.

Home Turf: Ron The Cougars Frost Athletic Com- the Cougars backfield.

Hendricks rushed for went 10-0 in plex; 4748 Cougar 798 yards and four the regular Path, Plant City touchdowns in 2012 season, before with the Wolves. Junior falling to fullback Kadarius Grifdistrict foe fin will add depth.

Newsome in Senior quarterback the region Trey VanDeGrift semifinals. returns after transferring in They enter 2013 after losing 2012, to Durant from Strawseveral key playmakers, most berry Crest. He passed for notably standout fullback 1,014 yards and 12 touchJamarlon Hamilton (1,340

BASICS

2013 ROSTER # Name 1 Derek Wells 2 Chris Shaw 3 Jalen Forte 4 Kadarius Griffin 5 Avery Walden 6 Eric Davis 7 Demetrius Brown 9 Austin Resendez 10 Anthony Valdez 11 Steven Wichosky 12 Trey Vandergrift 14 Norman Carter 15 Garrett Rentz

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Season Outlook downs while rushing for four scores. His top target, Reggie Gainer, graduated, while senior Paxton Sims has decided to focus on baseball.

Durant will have to find replacements on the offensive line, after losing Dalton Wilkerson, Michael Watkins and center Alex Wood. Cody Martin and Nicholas Insley will anchor the line, after starting last season.

Chris Powell will be one of Durant’s top returners and will help solidify the offensive line, along with playing on the defensive line. # Name Pos. 44 Blake Moody LB 45 Tanner Wimberly LB 48 Logan Whitehouse DB 49 Luccas Hanna DL 50 Mason Bridges LB 51 Justin Shillato DL 52 D.J. Curry DL 53 Garrett Waits OL 55 Colin Kiehlmeier DL 56 Cody Gregory LB 57 Abraham Wilmore DL 58 Dalton Spare OL 59 Cody Martin OL 60 Caleb Gude OL 63 Enes Bulut DL

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The Cougars lost several key playmakers on defense, most notably safety Randy Baker (100 tackles) and linebackers Tyler Moody (72 tackles, 3.5 sacks), Zach Hoffman (55 tackles, 6 TFL) and Chris Smith (49 tackles, 4 TFL), who now is playing at Florida A&M. The Cougars only allowed 9.3 points per game last season.

The Cougars also lost top kick and punt returner Zach Hooper, along with kicker Daniel Bowers and punter Sean Humphrey.

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VanDeGrift

DURANT HIGH SCHOOL COUGARS

continued

Trey’s father, Ty, played collegiately at Georgetown, a school known for its academics.

Trey, who has played quarterback since the third grade, likely will follow that same path. He currently has interest from nearly every Ivy League school, along with Duke, Davidson and some military service academies.

“I would like to play in college, but I want to take the best opportunity academically,” he said. “I’m not going to sacrifice academics for football.”

Ivy League schools do not offer athletic scholarships, while service academies offer full rides for all selected students, with the requirement of a post-graduate service commitment. VanDeGrift is getting interest from Duke from its Duke Select program, a hybrid of academic and athletic scholarships. Davidson also has offered but is a member of the FCS Pioneer Football League, which doesn’t offer

athletic scholarships.

While competing in a camp at Harvard in the offseason, VanDeGrift was approached by the coach at MIT. “He told me that I was one of the only people there that he could talk to, because a lot of the other kids didn’t have test scores high enough,” he said.

When it comes to his teammates at Durant, they don’t treat him any differently. In fact, Durant has built a reputation for having high academics among its players. Last season, senior offensive linemen Alex Wood and Michael Watkins finished the year with high GPAs and SAT scores. Wood now is playing for Carnegie Mellon University and pursing a degree in material science engineering.

“Our team is pretty strong academically all-around, so it’s not like I’m way above everyone else,” said VanDeGrift, who plans to pursue a career in the medical field.

His coaches do tease him, from time to time, while being all in good fun.

“I get a lot of jokes from the coaches,” VanDeGrift said.

“This one day, I was in the weight room and did something wrong and coach (Wesley) Wyatt said, ‘You see that, everybody? I just called the smartest kid in the school stupid,’ or something like that.”

Gottman said VanDeGrift is a “pleasure to coach” and is working with him on being more of a vocal leader.

“He’ll hardly ever raise his voice,” Gottman said. “He’s just not that type of kid, but I’ve told him that he needs to do that, because that comes with the quarterback role.”

MAKING THE SWITCH

The last time VanDeGrift played for Strawberry Crest, he was lined up across from his current team.

It was the 2012 spring jamboree, and VanDeGrift was on the

wrong end of a blowout.

In just two seasons with the Chargers, VanDeGrift had played for three head coaches, including current coach John Kelly in the jamboree.

“I have thought about it,” he said of Durant’s Oct. 4 meeting with his old team. Strawberry Crest made a move up in classification this year, joining Durant and Plant City.

“We want to win our district, so that means winning all our district games, but with (Strawberry Crest and Plant City) being rivalry games, it will add to it,” VanDeGrift said.

After the best year in program history, VanDeGrift hopes his senior season will be one to remember.

“You’re never going to have the same team you had the year before,” he said. “I think all the rising seniors that were a part of last year realize that and know it will take just as much work as it did last year to be in the same position.”

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DURANT HIGH SCHOOL COUGARS

Players to Watch

OFFENSE

DEFENSE

DIFFERENCE-MAKER

No. 28 Cris Atkins Junior, RB 5-8, 185 Atkins will have some large shoes to fill. He will be expected to carry much of the load left by standout fullback Jamarlon Hamilton. Atkins is no stranger to getting carries in the Durant backfield: He has been the No. 2 rushing leader the past two seasons, including 821 yards on 145 carries with 10 touchdowns in 2012 as a sophomore. He also will work as a return man on punts and kickoffs.

No. 27 Gabe Brown Senior, DB 6-0, 175 Brown is the only returning starter for Durant in the defensive backfield. He had 39 tackles in 2012 and his coaches will look to him to lead a young and inexperienced unit that lost playmakers in J.J. Garrett, Randy Baker and Terry Grimsley.

According to head coach Mike Gottman, Brown has had a great summer and could have a breakout year on defense and special teams.

No. 24 John Hendricks Senior, RB/LB 6-0, 210 Hendricks not only may be the difference-maker for Durant, but also he could be the under-the-radar Xfactor in the county. Hendricks comes to Durant from Newsome, where he had 1,012 all-purpose yards (798 rushing and 214 receiving). After losing Jamarlon Hamilton, Hendricks should be a huge addition to the Cougars backfield, along with a key playmaker at linebacker and on special teams.

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PLANT CITY TIMES & OBSERVER

DURANT HIGH SCHOOL COUGARS LOOKING BACK

2013 SCHEDULE

2012 overall record: 11-1 Class 7A District 8 record: 5-0 Playoffs: Won district and defeated Tampa Bay Tech in region quarterfinals, before losing to Newsome in region semifinals.

Last playoff appearance: 2012

All games begin at 7:30 p.m.

Aug. 30 Armwood Sept. 6 at Sickles Sept. 12 Tampa Bay Tech Sept. 20 at Plant City Sept. 27 Gaither Oct. 4 Strawberry Crest* Oct. 11 at Newsome Oct. 18 Brandon* Oct. 25 at Hillsborough Nov. 1 at East Bay* Nov. 8 BYE

2012 Results

at Freedom W 57-7 Alonso W 29-0 at Brandon* W 36-0 at Wharton W 13-12 Plant City* W 22-7 Chamberlain W 49-0 Newsome* W 38-28 at East Bay* W 28-3 at Riverview* W 57-27 King W 31-0 Tampa Bay Tech^ W 34-7 Newsome^ L 14-21

* Denotes district game ^ Denotes playoffs

*Denotes district game

Durant is coming off its first undefeated regular season in program history.

“

Head Coach Mike Gottman: “Our schedule is very

difficult, and I challenged our staff when the schedule came out to somehow raise our level to where we can play with the better teams in the county and play at the state playoff level, week in and week out.”

THE BIG GAME Sept. 12 vs. Tampa Bay Tech The Titans will head back to Durant for a rematch of last year’s region quarterfinal, which the Cougars won 34-7. TBT always fields a fast, athletic team, which will be a great tune-up for the district opener Sept. 20, against rival Plant City.

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Montel McBride committed July 2, to the University of Alabama. He will be “mailing himself” to Tuscaloosa in due time, but for now, he is focused on making his senior season at Plant City High a memorable one.

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PLANT CITY TIMES & OBSERVER

PLANT CITY HIGH SCHOOL RAIDERS

THE FULL PACKAGE W

hen Montel McBride takes the field on Friday nights this fall, his approach won’t be any different than it was a year go.

He still will show up with the same intensity and will to win, looking to outshine the opponent lined up across the line of scrimmage.

The only difference: Those opponents now know his story.

Off the field, McBride’s situation couldn’t be more different. When he entered his junior season with Plant City High, he had zero college offers.

When the season ended, he had just as many.

Entering his final season with the Raiders, the lineman has so many

The last six months have been a whirlwind for Plant City High’s Montel McBride. Now, with his verbal commitment to the University of Alabama complete, he’s focused on his final year in a Raiders uniform.

colleges after him, he sometimes loses count.

“I went from having no offers at the beginning of this calendar year to having around 15 or so now,” said the University of Alabama commit. “In that long six or seven months, there was a lot of stuff I did that people might not realize or understand in order to get my name out there.”

CAMPING OUT

McBride turned recruiters’ heads in the most honest way possible: his performance.

It started in January, with a strong showing at the Under Armour AllAmerican Football Combine, held at

Tropicana Field, in St. Petersburg. The next month, he picked up offers from South Florida, Florida International and Ohio University.

He then took the Top Offensive Lineman Award at the Valdosta MVP Camp, in Valdosta, Ga., attending the camp with Team Next Level, a recruiting service for Plant City-area athletes started by two former PCHS standouts.

“Next Level has done great things for me, getting my name out there and getting exposure, but I also have to give a lot of credit to my coaches,” he said.

“Coach (Charles) Lindsey, coach (Greg) Meyer and coach (Wayne) Ward have been a huge help recruitingwise, getting coaches at the

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Outlook

# Name Pos. Yr. 2 Landon Galloway QB SR 3 Tavares Chase WR SO 4 Markese Hargrove RB/DB SO 5 Hassan Bailey DB SR 6 John Broome DE SR 7 Sedrick King DE SR 8 Quinn St. John WR SR 9 Stephen Falkenstein DB JR 10 Rayquan Johnson QB SR 11 Peyton Collins DB SO 13 Kwest Fluitt DB SO 15 Cory Cotnoir QB SO 16 Mario Bancroft WR SR

# Name Pos. 20 Jyquis Thomas DB 21 Jared Braner DB 22 Sawyer Dawson DB 24 Ervin Micheal RB 25 Reaquavious Young DB 28 Sterling Day RB 29 Rashid Abdullah DB 30 Roderick Burney WR 32 Javaris Whitsett WR 34 Tydre Ward DB 36 Christian Hoyle K/P 37 Antoine Thompson WR 38 Jacob Castillo DB 40 Guillermo Alvarez DB 42 Austin Fernandez LB

will split time in will play tight end the backfield with at the next level but Bailey. In just four will lead the RaidHead Coach: games last season, ers behind center Wayne Ward Micheal rushed for for his senior high 427 yards and three school season.

Offensive scores.

If Galloway Scheme: HighOn defense, should be played tempo spread the Raiders have as a receiver or Defensive plenty of playmaktight end, senior Scheme: 4-2-5 ers with Division Rayquan Johnson Home Turf: Raider I offers, including is a viable option Stadium; 1 Raider linebacker Sedrick at quarterback. He Place, Plant City King, defensive successfully led the end John Broome team in the spring and defensive back game, when GalJyquis Thomas. loway was sidelined Plant City will with an injury. keep its 4-2-5 Hassan Bailey is scheme this year a name few may and feature more know outside of zone and heavy blitzing, as Plant City, but the senior has Greg Meyer makes the transipotential to have a breakout tion as the defensive coordiyear. Bailey was a defensive nator, one of many assistant leader for the Raiders last year coach changes this offseason. but had a strong showing at Those changes, along with a running back in the spring talented group of players, hope game, earning him interest to get the Raiders their first from several colleges. postseason win since 1999.

Sophomore Ervin Micheal

BASICS

Plant City comes into the season with loads of Division I talent.

The question will be whether the Raiders can translate that into wins on Friday nights and return to the postseason for the first time since 2010.

Plant City will be anchored by its offensive line, including Montel McBride and Lance Doenges.

The Raiders will run a new, high-tempo spread offense, under new offensive coordinator Charles Lindsey.

Landon Galloway has been practicing all summer with the quarterbacks after playing receiver last year. The University of Central Florida commit

2013 ROSTER

Season Outlook

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McBride

PLANT CITY HIGH SCHOOL RAIDERS

continued

school and at practices and me, face-toface, to talk with them.�

And college coaches came — in droves — to see McBride and other talented prospects at PCHS. “It’s never distracting — at least not for me,� McBride said about practice days during which college scouts line the sidelines. “When I’m at practice, I’m focused on practice, not anything else.�

In June, McBride received what he considers to be the offer of a lifetime, when the University of Alabama offered the 6-foot-4, 330 pound guard.

On July 2, less than a month after receiving the offer, he committed to the Crimson Tide while participating in Nike’s The Opening, a prestigious prospect camp and combine held annually at the Nike world headquarters in Beaverton, Ore. McBride chose Alabama over offers from Florida State, South Florida, Louisville and Auburn, among others. “At first, I wasn’t going to commit while I was there,� he said. “I was just going to go up there and enjoy the experience, but it just came down to what felt like the best thing for me. It just felt like the right thing to do.�

RAIDER PRIDE

No matter how far his promising career takes him, McBride vows he’ll stay a Plant City boy, through and through. “I’ll never forget Plant City and the people here that have made this possible,� he said. “Because of them, I am the person I am today.�

With his verbal commitment out of the way, McBride now can focus on his senior season at Plant City. He will start at offensive guard for the Raiders and play defensive tackle when needed. “Our focus right now is to take it day by day and not look past anybody,� he said. “Our record from last year (4-6) doesn’t give us the right to do that.�

When it comes to Division I talent, the Raiders are loaded this season. Landon Galloway — who will play quarterback for the Raiders and tight end in college — and linebacker Sedrick King both committed to Central Florida this summer. Several others currently are flirting with college offers. “Talent-wise, I don’t think anyone in the county has better talent than us,�

McBride said. “The thing is, it’s going to be on us as a team to do greater things than we did last year. We have all the

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ROLE WITH THE CHAMPS

Alabama defensive line coach Chris Rumph has told McBride he would have a place on his defensive line, if things don’t work out on offense at the next level. “It’s reassuring,� he said. “I’m going to try to do everything possible at O-line and hopefully get a starting position and do some great things on the field, but if I don’t, I do have the D-line in my back pocket. First resort is playing offensive line, and second would be D-line.�

Ultimately, McBride just wants a chance to play. Although he knows he will be competing for jobs against some of the best college talent in the nation at Alabama, he is excited about the opportunity.

McBride remembers talking to Ward as a freshman and him telling McBride he would be a national recruit.

McBride didn’t believe him. “I thought he was just blowing smoke, at the time,� he said. “When recruiting started to pick up this year, I realized he really wasn’t kidding.�

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2013 FOOTBALL PREVIEW

13

PLANT CITY HIGH SCHOOL RAIDERS

Players to Watch

OFFENSE

DEFENSE

DIFFERENCE-MAKER

No. 2 Landon Galloway Senior, QB/WR/TE 6-3, 200 Galloway has been a key member for the Raiders in multiple capacities the last few years. His role this season will be to fill the quarterback void left

by Nick Rodriguez. Galloway was in the running for the quarterback job last year but played receiver instead, catching 32 passes for 360 yards.

He is committed to the University of Central Florida, where he likely will play tight end.

No. 6 John Broome Senior, DE 6-2, 230 Broome had 39 tackles, seven tackles for loss and four sacks last season for the Raiders. In the spring game, he nearly matched his 2012 sack total in just one half of play, recording three sacks against Durant. Broome already has several offers, including Florida A&M, Alabama State and Florida International.

No. 5 Hassan Bailey Senior, ATH 5-10, 185 The “athlete” label is fitting for Bailey, because he can do it all. Bailey played on defense for the Raiders as a junior, racking up 39 tackles, one sack and two tackles for loss, but he likely will be used on both sides of the ball this season. In this year’s spring jamboree, Bailey rushed for more than 100 yards in just two quarters against Durant.

After that performance, he received his first offer from St. Francis University.

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PLANT CITY HIGH SCHOOL RAIDERS LOOKING BACK

2013 SCHEDULE

All games begin at 7:30 p.m.

Aug. 30 at Steinbrenner Sept. 6 vs. Wharton Sept. 13 BYE Sept. 20 Durant* Sept. 27 at Bloomingdale Oct. 4 at East Bay* Oct. 11 Tampa Bay Tech Oct. 18 at Spoto Oct. 25 Strawberry Crest* Nov. 1 at Brandon* Nov. 8 Gaither

2012 overall record: 4-6 Class 7A District 8 record: 2-3 Playoffs: N/A Last playoff appearance: 2010

2012 Results

at Strawberry Crest L 7-21 Freedom W 14-9 Gaither W 23-21 Riverview* W 34-14 at Durant* L 7-22 at Alonso L 10-27 East Bay* L 12-24 at Brandon* W 22-20 at Newsome* L 7-40 Tampa Bay Tech L 13-28

* Denotes district game

“

* Denotes district game

THE BIG GAME Sept. 20 vs. Durant Hassan Bailey (5) had a terrific showing at running back in this year’s spring jamboree.

HEAD COACH WAYNE WARD: “The reason why we’re moving to a high-tempo, fast-paced offense is because we have so much talent and so many playmakers, and we want to find ways to get them the ball.”

Durant claimed the James L. Redman Memorial Cup in 2012, with a 22-7 win over Plant City.

With a roster loaded with Division I talent, the Raiders hope to bring the trophy back home, making it four wins of the last five in the rivalry series.

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2013 FOOTBALL PREVIEW

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After just one season playing varsity football, Alex Carswell likely will get the most attention of any player at Strawberry Crest this fall.

16

PLANT CITY TIMES & OBSERVER

STRAWBERRY CREST HIGH SCHOOL CHARGERS

TAKING THE

THRONE W

ith a lack of wins and success comes a lack of respect and attention.

This had been the curse of the Strawberry Crest football program leading into the 2012 season.

With zero wins in 2011, any talent on the Chargers went overlooked by the media and college recruiters.

That all changed last year under head coach John Kelly.

The Chargers had a sudden resurgence and began competing against some of the area’s top programs. After a 4-6 record and the begin-

ning of what appears to be a bright future, Strawberry Crest hit another milestone, when standout wide receiver Karel Hamilton signed with Samford University (Birmingham, Ala.), becoming the first Charger to sign with a Division I program.

That trend likely will continue this season, when Alex Carswell steps into the spotlight.

RISING STOCK

At 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, Carswell is a tall, athletic prospect who has caught the eye of several big name col-

After the graduation of standout Karel Hamilton, senior Alex Carswell is looking to step up and lead Strawberry Crest to its first-ever postseason.

lege programs this summer.

South Florida, Cincinnati, Middle Tennessee State and Memphis are a few of the schools that already have offered Carswell.

Carswell likely will play outside linebacker at the next level, but some schools are considering him as a wide receiver or defensive end. He will play wide receiver and defensive end/outside linebacker for Strawberry Crest this season.

“I’m leaning a little more to the defensive side now, because it seems that’s where my bread and butter is and

that’s what I’m going to start focusing more on,” he said.

“I’ll still be playing offense and am looking forward to it.”

Iowa State also has offered and is interested in Carswell playing H-back, a position that lines up similar to a tight end but off the line of scrimmage.

“Honestly, they go hand-inhand,” Carswell said of his preference between offense and defense. “I like scoring touchdowns, and I like stopping the other team from scoring.”

As far as college, Carswell doesn’t have

19

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17

PLANT CITY HIGH SCHOOL RAIDERS

Outlook Steinbrenner, Strawberry Crest Hillsborough and got a brief glimpse Jefferson. of success last Head Coach: John Quarterback season.

Kelly Tristan Hyde will This year, in the return for his second season Offensive junior year, after under head coach Scheme: Multiple breaking school John Kelly, the Defensive passing records Chargers hope to Scheme: 3-4 with 2,112 yards have their first on Home Turf: Charand 20 touchthe field winning ger Stadium; 4691 downs. His season in program Gallagher Road, favorite target, history — SCHS Dover Karel Hamilton went 6-5 in 2010, — becoming the with one of its first Charger to wins coming by commit to a Diviforfeit. sion I school — is After a 2-8 now with Samseason in 2011 ford University in (1-9 not countAlabama, but Hyde will have ing an Armwood forfeit), the plenty of offensive weapons, Chargers were much more including his brother, Josh, competitive last fall, going along with Alex and Austin 4-6 with close, one-possesCarswell. Chris Perez will sion losses to Bloomingdale,

BASICS

2013 ROSTER # 2 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 12 13 14 15

Name Joshua Engram Joshua Hyde DJ Trigg Micah Webb Austin Carswell Farron Rainford Clay Cullins Ty Coufal Alex Carswell James Everrett John Boscia Tristan Hyde

Pos. DB WR/DB WR DB ATH TE WR DB DE/TE WR K QB

Yr. JR SR SR SR JR JR JR SR SR SR JR JR

# 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 28 30 31 32

Name Pos. Zack Hamel K Brendon Headley LB Devin Cardell LB Michael Tolliver TE/RB Isaiah Smallwood DB Chris Johnson DB Matt Chaney LB/DE Jordan Smith WR Devonte Lowe DB Chris Perez RB Theo Williams RB Cedric Bellard DB Arthur Shepherd DB Darius Williams RB

Yr. JR SR SO SR SR SR SR SR FR SR FR SR SO JR

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them searching for a replacement in the return game.

Engram and Josh Hyde likely will fill those roles, along with Austin Carswell. Junior Zach Hamel and sophomore Cameron Lehtola look to replace the loss of kicker and punter Noah Shaffer.

# Name Pos. 68 David Cox OL 70 Logan Bennet OL 72 Emory Williams DL 73 Cody McDaniel OL 75 Caleb Gregory OL 78 Cody Nulph OL 79 Donovan Todd DL 80 Tristan Samuels WR 82 Sebastion Fearon DB 83 Cameron Lehtola K 98 Nick LoPresti OL 99 Zachary Weber DL N/A AJ Rahming WR

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return in the backfield after racking up nearly 750 allpurpose yards as a junior.

Cody Nulph will lead a young and inexperienced offensive line.

Defensively, the Chargers lost a wealth of talent in their linebacking core, including Andrew Zuluaga, Jarrett Gretebeck and Micheal Mitchell.

According to Kelly, he will look to senior Brendon Headley to be the leader of the linebacking unit, along with Matt Chaney, a Plant City High transfer who had impressive numbers for the Raiders last season.

Zach Weber will be a leader up front on the defensive line, while Josh Engram looks to hold down the defensive backfield.

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Carswell

STRAWBERRY CREST HIGH SCHOOL CHARGERS

continued

his heart set on any school in particular but says a comfortable feel, early playing time and education all will factor into his decision.

“I’m looking for a good culture where I feel most at home,” he said. “I’m also looking for a place where I have a great chance of getting my degree. That’s my main goal: I want a college that graduates its players.”

FOLLOWING THE FOOTSTEPS

Carswell looks to become the second Strawberry Crest football player to go on and play at the highest level of college football, but he credits a lot of that to Hamilton, the first player to do so.

“Karel taught me a lot,” he said. “He was always a little bit better than me, so I always pushed myself to be as good as him and be better than him in everything — in the weight room, down in conditioning

and even in the classroom.

Last season was Carswell’s first playing varsity.

“It was definitely a big transition from JV to varsity,” he said.

“It was a rush.”

Just one year later, the Chargers coaching staff has charged Carswell with the task of being a leader both on and off the field.

“Last year, he played kind of a secondary role to Karel,” Kelly said. “As the No. 1 guy this year, he will have a target on his back.”

Although Hamilton had an impressive stat line on the field, Carswell has garnered significantly more attention from college scouts. Hamilton, who, at 6-1, 190, has a smaller build than Carswell, received offers from Samford, Chattanooga, Coastal Carolina and Jacksonville University, all Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) schools.

Carswell already is nearing

10 FBS offers before his senior season begins.

“Alex and Karel are very different types of players,” Kelly said.

“But, I think Karel definitely helped open the door for everyone after him, showing colleges that we do have legitimate talent at Strawberry Crest and that there are athletes here worth looking at. Alex is trying to utilize the best of his given talents, and once the offers started coming in, the reality started to set in, and he’s realized that he has to live up to those levels and expectations.”

BROTHERLY LOVE

Carswell’s path to college football could be followed by his little brother, Austin.

Austin will be a junior wide receiver/cornerback and backup quarterback for the Chargers this fall. He has played on varsity since his freshman year.

“It’s fun playing together,” Alex said of his brother. “It’s al-

ways a constant competition.”

That competitive attitude allows the brothers to hold each other accountable as teammates.

“If I see him slacking or he sees me slacking in the weight room or conditioning, we’ll tell each other to tighten up and work harder,” Alex said.

“There’s no time for error.”

“They’re both great kids and hard workers,” Kelly said. “Like Alex, Austin will also play a part both ways for us this year.”

Through the work of Hamilton, the Carswell brothers and others, the Strawberry Crest program quickly is establishing itself as a quality program.

“My goal is for this program to win a state championship,” Alex said. “Whether that happens this year or another year after I’m gone — that’s what I’d like to see. I think Karel has helped send it into the right direction and has got everyone’s minds thinking that we can be something great.”

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STRAWBERRY CREST HIGH SCHOOL CHARGERS

Players to Watch

OFFENSE

DEFENSE

DIFFERENCE-MAKER

No. 15 Tristan Hyde Junior, QB 5-11, 175

No. 22 Matt Chaney Senior, LB 5-10, 170

No. 25 Chris Perez Senior, RB 5-9, 195

You wouldn’t have known it was Hyde’s first year playing varsity football on Friday nights last fall. As a sophomore, Hyde passed for 2,112 yards and 20 touchdowns, completing nearly 54% of his passes. His favorite target in Karel Hamilton is gone, but with a year of experience under his belt, Hyde hopes to lead the Chargers to their first postseason.

After losing several key playmakers on defense, Chaney is a welcome addition at Strawberry Crest. The Plant City High transfer had 81 tackles, five tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in 2012, for the Raiders. He will see time at outside linebacker, as well as safety in Strawberry Crest’s 3-4 system.

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Perez led the Chargers in rushing last season with 649 yards and 11 scores and enters his senior year bigger and stronger. Head coach John Kelly was pleased with Perez’s “impressive numbers with limited carries” last year and believes he will be a key part of the offensive system, including catching balls out of the backfield.

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PLANT CITY TIMES & OBSERVER

STRAWBERRY CREST HIGH SCHOOL CHARGERS LOOKING BACK

2013 SCHEDULE

All games begin at 7:30 p.m.

Aug. 30 at Bloomingdale Sept. 6 Spoto Sept. 13 at Leon Sept. 20 Brandon* Sept. 27 Freedom Oct. 4 at Durant* Oct. 11 Riverview Oct. 18 East Bay* Oct. 25 at Plant City* Nov. 1 BYE Nov. 8 at Armwood

2012 overall record: 4-6 Class 6A District 8 record: 1-5 Playoffs: N/A Last playoff appearance: N/A

2012 Results Plant City at Bloomingdale at Steinbrenner Hillsborough* at King* Armwood* Leto* at Sickles* at Jefferson* East Bay

W L W L L L W L L W

21-7 27-28 21-14 24-32 16-28 18-35 76-7 17-38 31-35 29-14

* Denotes district game

“

* Denotes district game

THE BIG GAME Oct. 25 at Plant City Running back Chris Perez will be a key offensive player for the Chargers.

Head Coach John Kelly: “Although last year was a big improvement record-wise and how competitive we were, 4-6 is not where we want to be, but we’re headed in the right direction. We’re not just playing to compete. Every time we go out, our goal is to win.”

The Chargers picked up the program’s landmark victory against Plant City last season, stunning the Raiders 21-7 in the season opener. This year, Strawberry Crest heads east to Plant City in what will be the final district game for the Chargers.

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“After the cheers have died down… and the stadium is empty, after the headlines have been written and after you are back in the quiet of your room and the championship ring has been placed on the dresser and all the pomp and fanfare has faded, the enduring things that are left are: the dedication to excellence, the dedication to victory, and the dedication to doing with our lives the very best we can to make the world a better place in which to live.”

– Vincent T. Lombardi

Owners: The Wolf Family

Founders: Tim and Jo Haught

Wishing all of our teams the best in the upcoming season!

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PLANT CITY TIMES & OBSERVER