Sports
Email
Print
Saddle Up!
ADVERTISEMENT
Published: August 29, 2008
The frontier wasn't all about roughnecks, shootouts and riding off into the sunset.
Venturing into the unknown meant breaking new ground and starting anew, leaving the familiar for the promise of something better.
Charging into uncharted territory brought an opportunity to forge ones name into history while building for the future, a rewarding task sure to be wrought with a heaping share of hard work.
Highlands County's high school football teams enter a new frontier of their own this season, as Sebring, Avon Park and Lake Placid each blaze new territory and break new ground with different visions for the future.
It's tough not to peg all the area teams as "rebuilding" in 2008, with new coaches in Avon Park and Lake Placid and a sophomore-heavy lineup taking the field for Sebring.
For the Streaks, the class of 2010 is rising to the challenge of picking up where 2007's standout seniors left off.
Sophomores Matt Grubb and Jesse Baker will be trusted to handle every snap, as the incoming quarterback and center look to grow up quickly if the Blue Streaks hope to be a contender come November. And though underclassmen may be out front, it'll be the experience of defensive catalyst Kenny Daniels, firecracker JC Howard and stable horse Daniel Burnett that'll lead the way for the Streaks under the area's most tenured coach, Jared Hamlin.
The search for leadership brought Avon Park back home to new coach Andy Bonjokian, a Red Devil alumnus who hopes to bring his hometown squad back to the level of success of the generation that built AP's football reputation. With playmakers Albert Moses, Virgil Cooper and Terrell Conner and the best crop of defensive backs in the Heartland, the Red Devils are the area's wild card, capable of as many strides and setbacks.
And speaking of hardship, no team has faced more adversity in the last month than Lake Placid, whose Greens Dragons probably can't wait to get on the football field after a tumultuous August brought a coaching change and a new outlook.
Lake Placid is tired of losing, and if offensive weapons Zach Campbell and Chevontray Wilson and defensive anchor Travalier Scholtz have any say, the Dragon's won't have to feel that way for long.
Flip through the pages ahead and explore your favorite team, getting a glimpse of things to come, and keeping in mind that even the grandest city started as an outpost on the frontier.
Brian Gjurgevich is Highlands Today's sports editor. He can be reached at bgjurgevich@highlandstoday.com or 863-386-5841.
Email
Print
TBO.com - Tampa Bay Online Member Agreement | Privacy Statement | Work With Us
