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Hillsborough County Football Capsules: Week 2

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Tribune staff report

Published: September 11, 2008

JEFFERSON (0-1) AT ROBINSON (0-1)

After back-to-back impressive performances under center, Jefferson sophomore quarterback Quentin Williams has proven he's for real. He passed for three TDs in the Dragons' preseason road win over Titusville Astronaut and produced more than 200 yards through the air in last week's 30-23 loss to Hillsborough.

This week, Williams faces a Robinson squad that surrendered 261 yards passing in a 35-0 season-opening setback to Alonso. Unless the Knights can find a way to stop the Dragons' passing game and get their own offense out of neutral (they didn't complete a pass under the second quarter of their game against the Ravens), they're facing another long night.

KESWICK CHRISTIAN (0-1) AT BERKELEY PREP (0-1)

Even though it came to a Class 1B team, 2A Berkeley Prep shouldn't feel too bad about its 35-14 loss last week to Bradenton Prep. The Patriots were, after all, a state semifinalist last season and were later handed a record fine and put on probation for three years by the Florida High School Athletic Association, mostly for recruiting violations.

The Bucs should have a more equitable match up this week in Keswick Christian. The Crusaders were thumped 35-0 by Indian Rocks Christian on opening night and generated less than 50 yards of total offense. Berkeley gave up nearly 200 yards rushing against Bradenton Prep but it did manage some respectable numbers offensively behind freshman quarterback Destin Nichols and on special teams, including a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Julain Crockett.

PLANT CITY (0-1) AT BLAKE (0-1)

After falling to a physical Jesuit squad, 29-0, on opening night, Blake faces another difficult opponent this week in Plant City. Yellow Jackets coach Sean Washington said his team probably tried to go deep too often against the Tigers because of the passing success they enjoyed in their preseason win against Boca Ciega. This week, Washington says Blake will get back to basics, both on offense and defense. Sophomore quarterback Eugene Davenport will work on the Yellow Jackets short game and try to use their speed to their advantage.

After falling 25-6 to local rival Durant last week, Plant City coach Jason Strunk is hoping running back Duran Lowe is back to full speed against Blake. Lowe was forced out of the game on the Raiders' first series after suffering an ankle sprain. He is probable for the game against the Yellow Jackets. Lowe left the Durant game following a 34-yard run to the Cougars' 9-yard line and never returned.

TAMPA CATHOLIC (0-1) AT CLEARWATER CENTRAL CATHOLIC (1-0)

Tampa Catholic lost more than the game in last week's 20-10 setback to Ocala Trinity Catholic. The Crusaders' star quarterback, Christian Green, sprained an ankle and was unable to play the entire second half. Crusaders coach Bob Henriquez says Green is probable for the game against CCC, which knocked off Miami Bay Point School 19-0 last week.

The Marauders were just one of three teams to beat TC last season -- a campaign that saw the Crusaders reach the 2A state title game -- and many Crusaders players have been looking forward to this game since. TC needs this game to get back on track of its goal of returning to the 2A playoffs, but the Marauders, who reached the region finals of 2B last fall, are yet another tough opponent for the Crusaders.

ALONSO (1-0) at HILLSBOROUGH (1-0)
The Ravens are coming off a big win over Robinson in which they got contributions from both sides of the ball. Unlike last season when it relied heavily on its defense, Alonso's offense, led by quarterback C.J. Bennett has been putting up a lot of points. Alonso will face a young Hillsborough defense which gave up more than 500 yards of offense to Jefferson last week, but it's a proven scheme that can be smothering at times.

Speaking of smothering, Hillsborough's offense will face a tough task in dealing with Alonso's defensive tackles Demonte McAllister and Teddy Eumo. Terrirers leading rusher Lindsey Lamar got a little banged up in their victory over Jefferson last week and is a bit gimpy with a sprained ankle. Even at 100 percent, it would be a challenge for Lamar to find any running room with the likes of McAllister and Eumo in the way.

LETO (1-0) at TAMPA BAY TECH (1-0)
The Falcons are flying high after their regular-season opening rout of Sickles. The 30 points Leto put up on the Gryphons defense is the most they've scored in two years. Quarterback Adolfo Navarro and running backs Jeremy Deering and Antwoun Howard lead a speedy Falcons offense, but one that suffers from a small and inexperienced offensive line.

The Titans defense should be able to exploit that weakness. It's a defense that creates a lot of turnovers and turns them into points, like they did last week with four returns for touchdowns against Bloomingdale.

And while Leto also possesses a lot of speed on defense too, they'll have their hands full with Tampa Bay Tech's Maurice Hagens and quarterback Angel Rodriguez, who rushed for over 100 yards in the Titans 61-6 victory over Bloomingdale last week.

NEWSOME (0-1) at JESUIT (1-0)
The Tigers are coming off a big victory over Blake, but one that may prove very costly. Already down a starter following an injury to safety Will Hagen, starting quarterback Ryan James and tailback Greg Dupell will be game-time decisions. Both suffered ankle injuries in the Blake game. Despite the injury setbacks, Jesuit's new spread offense seems to be working out. Robby Garcia, who replaced Dupell, rushed for 124 yards and three touchdowns and could see a lot more action this week if Dupell can't go.

Newsome was shut out last week against Spoto. The Wolves offense barely saw the field in the 6-0 loss because the Spartans offense kept them on the sideline while they controlled the clock with a calculating ground game. Jesuit, the kings of the power-I before they went to the spread, are quite capable of playing a similar game of keep away.

PLANT (0-1) at GAITHER (0-1)
Both teams are coming off tough losses in which neither offense really got going. The Panthers offense was shutdown by a dominating Armwood defense. Quarterback Aaron Murray didn't have a lot of time to get the ball to his various weapons, but this week against a young and unproven Gaither defense, Murray should be able to take advantage of that weakness.

Gaither's defense will also be without starting nose tackle Walter Ruiz, who suffered a broken clavicle and will be out for the rest of the season. The Cowboys will also likely be without starting tailback Jarvis Giles. The Tennessee commit is expected to miss his second-consecutive game with a hamstring strain. Cary White will carry the load in Giles' absence, but will have a tough time against a Plant defense that limited the Hawks to a total of 119 offensive yards last week.

BRADENTON CHRISTIAN (0-1) AT CAMBRIDGE CHRISTIAN (0-1)
The Lancers are hoping to bounce back after being outmatched in a 54-0 season-opening loss at Jacksonville University Christian. This game serves as Cambridge Christian's home opener (at Jefferson) and as the team's first Class 1B-District 6 game.

The status of Lancers senior quarterback Etienne Turner (ankle) is still and question mark and it won't be resolved until game-time, but look for the Lancers to try and move the ball on the ground more with Micah Lewis since Turner is a bit banged up.

The Lancers defense was a question mark after losing so much experience to graduation from the 2007 team, but the unit must do a better job this week in slowing down Bradenton Christian, which managed only three points in a season-opening loss to Bradenton's St. Stephen's.

DURANT (1-0) AT EAST BAY (1-0)
Both teams are coming off impressive wins over neighborhood rivals in their season-openers and look to sustain that momentum in another big non-district matchup for each team.

Both the Cougars and Indians feature powerful ground attacks (Durant senior RB Ryan Rice and East Bay senior FB Chaz Burrows are among the most talented backs in the area), and up-and-coming sophomore quarterbacks (Durant's Je'Twan Smith and East Bay's Fred Porter).

This game likely will come down to defense. Durant's linebacker corps, which includes senior Billy Whitcomb and Ruben Garcia, is the strength of the Cougars defense, while East's Bay's front seven also is formidable, with junior tackles Dontavious Fleming and senior linebackers Shane Cyrus and Tyler Hooks.

Three of the last four meetings between these two teams have been decided by six points or less, including last year's 24-21 game won by Durant. The Cougars have won four of the last six meetings against the Indians.

KING (1-0) AT BRANDON (0-1)
John Lima's Eagles are banged up and will host a King squad which was victorious in Coach Alvin Davis' debut.

King quarterback Keith Graham showed his big-play ability in the Lions' season-opening win over Lennard, accounting for three touchdowns (two rushing, one passing), and the Lions defense did a good job as well by forcing some big turnovers.

The Eagles defense played well in a season-opening loss to Middleton. Brandon, which will have a new quarterback at the helm in sophomore Josh Celerin, must find some offense from somewhere. The Eagles have been ravaged by injury on that side of the ball, especially on the offensive line.

SARASOTA OUT-OF-DOOR (0-1) AT CDS PREP (1-0)
CDS Prep kicked off its inaugural season in 11-man football the best way possible by defeating Leesburg First Academy, but the Patriots should have a tougher test this week against Out-of-Door Academy.

Quarterback Billy Embody, running back Darius Bing and receivers Matt Monteilh and Deuce Gruden each had big games for the Patriots last week, and that group will need to do so again for the Patriots to have a chance against the Thunder, who return 13 starters (eight on offense) from last year's 4-6 team.

HAINES CITY LANDMARK CHRISTIAN (0-2) AT FAITH BAPTIST CHRISTIAN (1-1)
Faith Baptist Christian won its first 11-man tackle football game with a win over Eastland Christian, 25-6.

Senior quarterback Aaron Despaw rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns and passed for another score for the win.

The Eagles will face a Haines City squad that has lost by a combined score 80-20 in its two games, both at the doing of Providence Christian.

MIDDLETON (1-0) AT CHAMBERLAIN (1-0)
Chamberlain is coming off a 45-13 win over Gaither while the Middleton Tigers defeated Brandon, 21-5.

The Chiefs offense looked unstoppable, led by quarterback Dontae Aycock's three scores, two of which were rushing touchdowns.

Defense was the strong point for Middleton against Brandon, holding the Eagles to negative yards rushing while recording six sacks.

Middleton won last year's meeting, 12-7.

SICKLES (0-1) AT LENNARD (0-1)
Sickles made a few mistakes on both sides of the ball in a 30-6 loss to Leto last week, as two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown, and some costly penalties on defense put the Falcons in good scoring position.

Lennard was also plagued with mistakes in its 19-14 loss to King. Despite its advantage in offensive stats, King capitalized on three fumbles for the win.
Both teams will to need take better care of the ball and play smart on defense. Sickles won last year's meeting, 24-7.

SPOTO (1-0) AT BLOOMINGDALE (0-1)
Spoto has a chance to start the season 2-0 for the first time in program history. The Spartans will face a Bloomingdale squad that gave up 61 points to Tampa Bay Tech.

After the loss, Bloomingdale coach Jason Stokes said his team didn't have the speed to simulate Tech's offense in practice. Unfortunately, his Bulls will face another speedy team in Spoto.
Last year, the Spartans won 22-9.

WHARTON (0-1) AT ARMWOOD (1-0)
Armwood is coming off the most anticipated game of the year, where the nationally ranked Hawks defeated Plant, 9-2.

In the win, Armwood's defense shut down one of the top quarterbacks in the country in Aaron Murray. Its offense, however, didn't resemble the consistency and unstoppable running attack of years past.

Wharton had nothing positive to take away from its 29-24 loss to Freedom. An interception, fumble and mistakes on special teams and defense allowed Freedom to come from behind and win.
Armwood won last year's meeting 44-2.

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