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Late Touchdown Lifts Terriers

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By KATHERINE SMITH, The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 22, 2007

Updated: 09/22/2007 01:12 am

TAMPA - Forget Hillsborough High's vaunted defense.

It took two sophomore offensive players to secure a 35-32 come-from-behind victory against Middleton on Friday night. With neighborhood and Class 4A-District 11 bragging rights on the line, Terriers quarterback Tarean Austin hit wide receiver Terrence Mitchell for a 27-yard touchdown with 1:40 remaining in the game.

'I was about ready to retire, but I'm going to wait at least three more years,' Hillsborough coach Earl Garcia said of his sophomores' performance. 'I'll wait until those guys graduate.'

Austin attempted only nine passes, but it was his final completion that capped 295 offensive yards.

'We kept telling our defense you keep getting all the press, but eventually we're going to have to outscore somebody to win,' Garcia said. 'I didn't think it was going to be tonight.'

A scoreless first quarter set the stage for a 40-point swing in the second quarter.

Running room against Middleton was hard to come by in the first quarter until Hillsborough's Iziah Wyche broke a 28-yard run that helped set up Lindsey Lamar's 8-yard touchdown rush at the beginning of the second quarter.

Middleton struck right back. Jeremy Blount set up the Tigers' first score with a 50-yard return to Hillsborough's 40-yard line. On the ensuing play, senior tailback Carlton Jones got an outside lane on the Terriers defense and took it to the end zone.

Wyche put the Terriers back on top with a 51-yard touchdown run with a little more than 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter. Then senior Marc Thomas put the Terriers ahead by two scores with a 1-yard run, a play that was set up by a pass interference call against Middleton.

With Hillsborough's run defense providing little room for maneuver, Middleton took to the air. The Tigers, a team that came from behind for victories in their first two games, battled back, thanks in part to quarterback DeAndre Presley, who kept scoring drives alive. Presley converted on third-and-22 with a 40-yard completion to DeNario Johnson midway through the second quarter. Presley then converted on another third-down play with a 22-yard completion to Jones, while wrapped up by two Terriers defenders. Presley punched it in from the 1-yard line to pull the Tigers within seven.

Hillsborough fumbled the ball on the ensuing possession, setting up Presley's 28-yard touchdown pass to Blount.

Middleton opened the second half with a six-minute scoring drive, capped by a 3-yard run by Jones. Kicker Zach Wehr's extra-point kick bounced off the goal post, while Hillsborough retook the lead with Thomas' second touchdown run of the game. Evan Colborne's extra point put the Terriers ahead by one with one quarter to play.

Presley took the lead for Middleton for the last time with a 1-yard touchdown run with nine minutes remaining in the game. The 2-point conversion failed.

'When you play your heart out, you never lose,' Presley said. 'We just ran out of time. That's the only thing we did wrong. We just ran out of time tonight.'

Hillsborough's defense, which had pitched back-to-back shutouts leading into Friday night's battle, came up big in the end with consecutive sacks of Presley, which were followed by two incomplete passes. In the end, the Terriers took a knee and a piece of first place in the district.

M-Jones 40 run (kick blocked)

H-Wyche 51 run (Colborne kick)

H-Thomas 1 run (Colborne kick)

M-Presley 1 run (Wehr kick)

M-Blount 28 pass from Presley (Wehr kick)

M-Jones 3 run (kick failed)

H-Thomas 28 run (Colborne kick)

M-Presley 1 run (pass failed)

H-Mitchell 27 pass from Austin (Thomas run)

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