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Prep Notebook: Freedom's Blackwell Under Investigation

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 12, 2007

Freedom High varsity football coach Marquel Blackwell is under investigation by the Hillsborough County School District for an incident involving another teacher, spokesperson Linda Cobbe confirmed Thursday.

Cobbe said no discipline, if any, has been decided upon for Blackwell, the former University of South Florida quarterback who is in his first year as head coach.

When asked about the incident on Wednesday, Freedom principal Richard Bartels would not comment. Messages left for Blackwell have not been returned.

Freedom is 0-5 and has been outscored 159-6. The Patriots play at Durant on Friday.

The football program has been involved in other incidents the past year.

Two weeks ago, the FHSAA suspended five Freedom players for six weeks and two more for one week for their involvement in the team's brawl with Tampa Bay Tech on Sept. 21. On Oct. 5, the FHSSA reinstated two Freedom players and altered the punishment of three others, changing the one week suspensions to three week suspensions and the third from six weeks to four. Freedom was fined $1,700.

During Week 4 of the season last year, Freedom head coach Adam Stegeman was removed from the position for inappropriate actions after a victory against Wesley Chapel. Assistant coach Leon Brockmeier replaced Stegeman for the remainder of the season, but lost the position to Blackwell who was hired as the new head coach in Janurary. Bartels said Blackwell would be the in-school suspensions teacher.

LANCERS GIVE BACK: For one day next week, it won't be about football for Cambridge Christian's team and Coach Rick Shears. It will be about giving back.

Shears and his team will head to Oak Grove Elementary on Monday morning and spend an hour reading to the children at the school. It's an event Shears started last year as a way of thanking the school for allowing his football team to hold its practices at the school.

"I always want the boys to do some community service, and this is a pretty good deal," Shears said. "We put about two or three guys per room and they read to the kids. They love it."

Shears said the event was a big success last year, and his team is looking forward to returning on Monday. He added his players get the royal treatment from the kids, especially when they walk in the door wearing their jerseys.

"The kids think they're gods. They look up at them that way," Shears said. "They always want autographs and stuff."

Shears scheduled the event this year to coincide with Cambridge Christian's bye week, and the Lancers would like nothing more than to go into the off week knowing there is still an outside chance of attaining the program's first playoff berth.

Cambridge Christian kept its playoff hopes alive last week with a 1B-6 district victory against Sarasota Out-of-Door Academy, and the Lancers understand they need to win their remaining district games – and get a little help – to achieve that goal.

The next challenge is Saturday when Cambridge Christian hosts Bishop McLaughlin on the Lancers' Senior Night.

SMITH OUT INDEFINITELY: Armwood junior LB Petey Smith is out indefinitely and could be sidelined for the remainder of the regular season following abdominal surgery last week, Armwood coach Sean Callahan said Thursday.

Smith underwent abdominal surgery last week to repair an undisclosed ailment that surfaced the week following the Hawks' win against Brandon on Sept. 14. Smith was initially going to be out three weeks following the surgery, but Callahan said the recovery time likely will extend longer than that.

Callahan said he does expect Smith to return at some point this season, more than likely in the postseason.

"He's going to be out for a while," Callahan said. "We're hoping on getting him back some time for the playoffs."

Converted lineman Leon Johnson will replace Smith in the middle of Armwood's defense.

Meantime, senior two-way lineman Matt Patchan is slated to play tonight against Plant City. Patchan, who returned to practice Wednesday, has missed the past two games
with a shoulder injury. Senior K/P Wesley Skiffington, who missed last week's game, also is scheduled to play.

Junior FB Matt Eastman is "very questionable" for Friday's game against the Raiders. Eastman is still feeling the effects of a shoulder injury sustained earlier in the season. Eastman will suit up but likely will be used as the team's third fullback, Callahan said.

MULTIPLE BACKS A PLUS: This season, six players have taken turns at running back for Wharton. Marquis Thomas and LaDre Watkins have split most of the carries, while Jairus Jones and Xavier Fareed and Josh Powell have taken a few. In the last two games, sophomore Shane McEwen has carried the ball six times for 20 yards.

Last year, the Wildcats depended on Joel Miller to carry the load, while Watkins got a few carries at relief. Coach David Mitchell said it's a plus for his offense.

"I bet Tampa Bay [Buccaneers] would like to have that right now," Mitchell joked.

Mitchell said a surplus of running backs wears down on an opposing defense.

"If you can put the defense on their heels and then throw some fresh legs at them, well, it's all about moving the chains," Mitchell said.

Mitchell also said all possess different running styles.

"Jairus, he's finesse. LaDre is a downhill guy, Marquis is quick and Josh Powell, he's a power guy. Xavier is kind of a power guy and he's a little finesse."

Together, they've totaled 976 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns.

TIGERS ENJOYED BRIEF VACATION: Middleton had time to recuperate during its bye week and Coach Harry Hubbard said it gave most of his players a chance to heal.

"Sometimes you can get a little rusty with a bye week but we'll just have to wait and see," Hubbard said.

Senior WR Jeremy Blount sat out the second half against Blake with a bruised knee while senior QB De'Andre Presley played with a dislocated thumb on his non-throwing hand.

Hubbard said both are fit to play Friday against Wharton, which he said will be the first meeting of the two programs.

BLAKE'S LYNCH OUT: Blake coach Sean Washington said senior CB Kevin Lynch won't play tonight against Brandon and is questionable next week against Jefferson.

Lynch received a concussion during the team's loss to Plant last week and was taken by ambulance to a local hospital. Washington said Lynch, the team's standout defensive back, is waiting to be cleared by a physician.

"We'll miss Kevin but we have some young guys who can step in," Washington said.

CHIEFS NOT UNDERESTIMATING JEFFERSON: Chamberlain assistant coach Brian Turner knows Jefferson is better than its 2-3 record.

"Their defense is as good as we're going to play," Turner said. "In order to be one of the top teams, you have to beat Armwood, Plant, Hillsborough and Jefferson."

The Chiefs returned to its running game last week against Sickles, led by Kenny Allen's two touchdown runs and Turner said the team will continue to establish the run. Turner also said for the first time in weeks, the entire linebacker corps played together with Robert Charies and Octavious Wilds back in action. With Charies
and Wilds back on the field, Turner said Justin Bell can move back to his natural position of cornerback. Chamberlain's defense has posted three consecutive shutouts.

GETTING BACK OUTSIDE: Tampa Bay Tech coach C.C. Culpepper admitted the weather, as well as Armwood, played a part in limiting the Titans to 121 yards of total offense last week.

Torrential rain made the conditions at Titan Stadium sloppy, forcing Culpepper and his coaches to reduce their playbook. The sacrifice? The perimeter game that had
served them so well before the Armwood game.

The Titans like to use burly fullback Maurice Hagens to loosen up the interior defense, and then use speedy backs like Antonio Wallace and Antonio Chow to take advantage of cheating linebackers and safe-ties outside.

"I didn't feel like we should put the ball on the perimeter because of the weather," Culpepper said. "We didn't want to put the ball on the ground [turn
it over]."

The Titans did accomplish that. They did not commit a turnover.

ROUGH WATERS AHEAD: Coach Kevin Kelley is certainly appreciative of Plant City's 2-0 start in Class 5A-District 7 football action.

But he knows the tough part is still ahead.

On Friday the Raiders (4-2 overall) face Armwood, ranked No. 23 nationally by Rivals.com, in non-district action. Then they face consecutive district games against Newsome and Brandon, with a bye week in between.

This is the stretch that will determine whether the Raiders win a second straight district title, Kelley said.

"Newsome is a good club and Brandon is playing lights out and putting up some big numbers," Kelley said. "The whole meat of the season is coming up."

TOUGH SCENARIO: Durant coach Mike Gottman is tired of seeing the same week-to-week scenario for his team.

One week, the Cougars take advantage of their scoring opportunities and come away with a win. The next, they can't convert and suffer a heartbreaking loss.

The latest bad week occurred the last time the Cougars took the field, when they suffered a tough 22-19 loss to district foe Sarasota. The most crushing blow came on Durant's final drive, when Cougars QB Jeremy Fussell was intercepted inside the Sailors' red zone, ending the potential game-tying drive. It was the second of two fourth-quarter turnovers in the Sailors' red zone.

"That's the way it's been all year. It's kind of been the story of the season, not taking advantage of opportunities to score," Gottman said. "I'm not exactly sure what it is. We've become inconsistent. We have mental errors and break downs in critical situations."

The miscues overshadowed another standout rushing performance from junior RB Ryan Rice, who tallied 210 yards on the ground in the loss. Rice currently is third among Hillsborough County rushers with 837 yards this season.

The Cougars (2-4) are hoping to reverse their fortunes tonight against winless Freedom.

"I told the kids after the loss there's nothing I can say or do [now] to make the pain go away," Gottman said. "It's all about how we respond this week. The best way to get bad taste out of our mouth is to go out and win."

Compiled by Tribune reporters Adam Adkins, Nick Williams and correspondent Matthew Postins.

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