Spoto's Addison a threat on both sides of the field

Spoto senior Nick Addison is the type of player that can change the outcome of a football game, on both sides of the field.

At 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, he can throw, run, catch, defend and dish out punishing hits. Too bad Spoto can't clone more of him. In his last three games, he's put on quite a show.

In Friday's season opener against Wharton, a 37-10 victory, Addison finished the night with 300 total yards and five touchdowns. He threw for 239 passing yards with four touchdowns on plays of 4, 77, 9 and 35 yards and rushed for 61 yards with a touchdown.

"We're leaning towards being more of an aerial attack team with throwing the ball more," Addison said. "We have a more athletic quarterback in me and we can do more stuff instead of just being a run-first team."

"Nick is a special guy," Spoto coach Dale Caparaso said. "He proved himself in 7-on-7 and we have that flexibility [with him at quarterback]."

In the preseason classic against Newsome, Addison rushed for a touchdown and threw for another score in a 13-12 loss and in the Spartans' 16-6 win against Lennard in the spring jamboree, Addison threw for 66 yards, rushed for 17 and returned a kick for an 85-yard touchdown.

Last season, he played sparingly at quarterback, completing 12 passes for 266 yards with a team-high four touchdown passes. He also carried the ball14 times for 111 yards and caught five passes for 41 yards.

Addison said his coaches worked with him during the spring and summer to improve his throwing form and accuracy. It paid off during the inaugural Big County Preps 7-on-7 tournament, where Addison led the Spartans to the tournament title.

"It helped me a lot," he said. "I got my timing down, the throwing and accuracy."

Amazingly, offense isn't his forte.

Addison is viewed by some recruiting websites as one of the top defensive backs in Florida. In fact, BigCountyPreps.com and FlaVarsity.com ranked him as the top cornerback in Hillsborough County. Addison ended the 2009 season tied for a team-best four interceptions along with 46 tackles. He was selected to the 2009 Tampa Tribune All-Hillsborough County Defensive Second-Team.

Ole Miss, Washington State and Iowa State have offered Addison scholarships and are recruiting him at cornerback.

"I like being in the secondary more," Addison said. "Quarterback is something I learned how to play. I have fun [on defense]. I get some big hits and I can pick the ball off and take it back [for a touchdown]."

In the meantime, he's enjoying being Spoto's offensive leader.

"I was always good at quarterback since [youth football]," he said.