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Tech, Freedom Post Victories

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By SCOTT PURKS

Tribune correspondent

Published: May 24, 2008

TAMPA - The coaches from Friday's jamboree at King talked a lot about the importance of keeping perspective.

Tampa Bay Tech coach C.C. Culpepper said his team's 14-13 one-half victory over Wharton was yet another step in the right direction, considering the Titans were scrapping for shreds of respect less than two years ago.

Culpepper also pointed out on Friday that TBT came back from a 7-0 deficit, something that might have crushed his squad not so long ago.

"The old TBT would have folded against a Wharton team that's almost always in the playoffs," Culpepper said. "The new TBT showed it's going to keep fighting."

Led by the running of fullback Maurice Hagens and the passing of Angel Rodriguez, who threw an 84-yard touchdown pass to Dominique Leak, the Titans came back to take a 14-7 lead into the final minutes.

Wharton, led by the passing of quarterback Andrew Clifford and the running of Kyle Wilcox, scored with less than 2 minutes remaining on an 8-yard run by Wilcox. The Wildcats' two-point conversion attempt, however, fell in a heaping TBT sack, leaving Wharton coach David Mitchell ultimately frustrated with his team's effort.

In the second half, offense came up on the short end of an 8-0 Freedom victory over King.

Freedom, which gained only 18 total offensive yards, scored on a botched punt coverage by King.

With less than 2 minutes left, King punted from deep in its territory. The ball ended up bounding crazily around the Lions' 35-yard line. Freedom returner Chase Croy raced in, scooped up the ball and sprinted untouched for the touchdown.

"It wasn't exactly how we drew it up, but Chase made a good play and made something happen," Freedom coach Marquel Blackwell said.

Overall, Blackwell said the Patriots had a lot of work to do, from the coaching staff all the way down.

"The spring game offers us a chance to go back and evaluate, and that's exactly what we'll do," he said. "We'll get better from this."

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