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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 11, 2007

Postseason Taste

Tampa Bay Tech isn't going to the state playoffs, but the Titans will get somewhat of a taste of postseason play this week.

The Titans' remarkable turnaround this season under first-year Coach C.C. Culpepper will extend one more game, as the Titans agreed to travel to Mulberry (6-4) for a postseason bowl game Thursday night, TBT principal Chris Farkas confirmed Saturday.

Tampa Bay Tech finished 6-4 to post a winning season for the first time since 2001, snapping a 20-game losing streak along the way (the team was winless in both 2005 and 2006). The Titans missed out on a playoff berth by finishing with a 1-3 mark in the tough Class 4A-District 11, which includes Armwood, Hillsborough, Middleton and Freedom.

Armwood and Hillsborough advanced to the playoffs from the district.

A Nice Switcheroo

At halftime of Plant's game with Robinson on Friday night at Dad's Stadium, Panthers WR Derek Winter was approached with somewhat of a strange proposition from Plant coaches. However, the senior standout happily obliged.

"At halftime they came in and they wanted to dress two of our younger quarterbacks. We knew we wouldn't have to play the whole game, and I think they felt like I probably wouldn't need to go in any more and that they wouldn't need me. And I had caught a few and I had come down hard on my head, and we were a little worried about that. So they told me I was getting undressed," said Winter, who had four receptions for 134 yards and a touchdown in the first half.

Winter and senior LB Patrick Carter traded uniforms for street clothes in the second half, allowing junior varsity quarterbacks Dominic Marino and Phillip Ely, both freshmen, to dress and get game action in the second half against Robinson.

The move was needed so Plant stayed under the state-mandated maximum of 60 dressed players.

The move worked out well. Marino ended up tossing his first career varsity touchdown pass in the third quarter, a 24-yard strike to Daniel Lerom.

King For A Minute

Riverview senior running back Jahleel Addae celebrated the Hillsborough County rushing title for only a few minutes. At the half, when Addae knew he had gotten the 85 yards needed to surpass Gaither's Jarvis Giles for the title, he wasn't aware Cambridge Christian's Taylor Cabral had rushed for 312 yards in less than three quarters.

As short-lived as it was, Addae, who posted three consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons to close his career but never led the county in rushing, said it came second to winning his final prep football game, which the Sharks did, 21-12, over Brandon.

"They told me I had over 85 yards, but it didn't mean nothing, I stayed humble." he said. "I wanted to go out with a win in my last year as a senior and do it for the other seniors on our team. That's what mattered most to me."

He Said It

"That was a nice break. The only darn break we got all day." - Robinson coach Mike DePue on senior Andrew Hall's interception of Plant quarterback Aaron Murray late in the first half of the Knights' 56-0 loss to the Panthers. It was just Murray's second interception of the season, compared with 41 touchdown passes.

Inside The Numbers

1985 - Last year Brandon won a playoff game.

10 - Times Chamberlain has failed to make it out of the first round of the playoffs in 14 previous appearances under Coach Billy Turner.

1-5 - All-time record in road playoff games for the Hillsborough Terriers under Coach Earl Garcia, with the only win coming at Lakeland in 2001.

.500 - Winning percentage, or better, of 10 Hillsborough County teams (Durant, Riverview, Alonso, Tampa Bay Tech, Middleton, East Bay, Newsome, Jesuit, Berkeley Prep, Cambridge Christian) that didn't make the postseason.

5 - Number of times Lakeland has failed to win a first-round playoff game in 20 career postseason appearances. Lakeland travels to Brandon for a regional quarterfinal.

1 - Number of Hillsborough County teams advancing to the postseason with a sub-.500 record. Jefferson is 4-6.

Staff writers Adam Adkins and Nick Williams contributed to this report.

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