football special september 2015

Charging aheadA publication of the Daily Commercial — August 2015

2 friday night lights august 2015

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August 2015 fridAy night lights 3

FRANK JOLLEY [email protected]

Local football programs could be major players in the Florida High School Athletic Association football series over the next four years.

When the FHSAA released its new reclassifications for the 2015-2018 football seasons in January — a four-year cycle this time instead of the usual two — it featured, as usual, a number of changes and emphasized local rivalries.

Unlike in previous reclas-sifications, when programs moved up and down in clas-sification, only four schools changed classifications with the new plan — Lake Minneola (from Class 6A to Class 7A), Mount Dora, (5A to 4A), South Lake (6A to 5A) and South Sumter (5A to 4A).

The biggest shakeup for local teams was shifted to new dis-tricts. That movement created

districts that were largely local and increased the likelihood that multiple teams from Lake and Sumter counties might earn postseason berths.

For example, in Class 5A-District 13, a five-school league, three of the teams are from Lake County. South Lake, Tavares and Eustis have been married up with perennial state powerhouse Orlando Bishop Moore and Poinciana.

South Lake was a member of Class 6A-10 the past two seasons and reached the play-offs last year. Bishop Moore advanced to the Class 5A state semifinals in 2014.

“We’re very happy with the alignment,” South Lake coach Mark Woolum said. “It puts us where we should be … play-ing schools that are our size. For the past two years, we’ve been the smallest school in our district. Now, we’re in a district where every school is evenly matched in terms of

student population.“We’ve had very good games

with Eustis and Tavares in the past and Bishop Moore is one of the best programs in central Florida. I’m very excited about the new redistricting plan.”

Lake Minneola, formerly in Class 6A-10 with South Lake, Leesburg and Orlando Edgewater, moved into Class 7A-4, a seven-team league with crosstown rival East Ridge.

As a result, Class 7A-4 is one of the largest districts in the state in terms of geography, with teams spread out from Winter Park (Lake Howell) and Oviedo in Orange and Semi-nole counties, and Ocala (West Port) in Marion County.

In Class 4A, South Sumter and Mount Dora dropped out of Class 5A and joined Uma-tilla, The Villages and Dunnel-lon in District 4. South Sumter previously was the only local team in Class 5A-6 and Mount Dora joined Eustis and Tavares

in Class 5A-11.Umatilla and The Villages

were playoffs teams from Class 4A-4 last season.

Only 12 local schools will be playing football next season. Montverde Academy an-nounced in December that it was dropping the sport after three seasons. In July, Wild-wood officials announced that it was dropping varsity football this season.

The Wildcats will play a ju-nior varsity schedule this sea-son and school officials hope to add some varsity games in 2016 and resume a full varsity program in 2017.

Also, First Academy of Leesburg and Mount Dora Christian Academy will be part of the state’s 76 independent schools, meaning they cannot play for a state championship. First Academy and Mount Dora Christian will compete in the Sunshine State Athletic Conference.

reclassification could renew rivalriesnew district AlignmentsSunShine State athletic conference

› First Academy of Leesburg › Mount Dora Christian Academy

claSS 7a-DiStrict 4 › East Ridge › Lake Minneola › Orlando Edgewater › Winter Park Lake Howell › Oviedo Hagerty › Ocala West Port › Ocoee

claSS 6-DiStrict 5 › Leesburg › Gainesville › Ocala Forest › Ocala Lake Weir › Ocala Vanguard

claSS 5a-DiStrict 13 › South Lake › Eustis › Tavares › Orlando Bishop Moore › Poinciana

claSS 4a-DiStrict 4 › South Sumter › Mount Dora › Umatilla › The Villages › Dunnellon › New district alignments are for football only.


sChEdulEAug. 28 ...............................................................................@ Cocoa BeachSept. 4 .............................................................................................St. CloudSept. 11 .................................................................@ Kissimmee GatewaySept. 18 ................................................................Orlando First Academy Sept. 25...........................................................................................@ Ocoee Oct. 2 ....................................................................................Lake Minneola Oct. 9 .............................................................................@ Oviedo Hagerty Oct. 16 ...........................................................................@ Ocala West Port Oct. 22 ........................................................................ Orlando Edgewater Oct. 30 ...............................................................Winter Park Lake Howell

2014 rEsults (0-10)South Lake ............................................................................................. 3-62@ Tavares ...............................................................................................13-27@ South Sumter ..................................................................................0-45Orlando East River ............................................................................... 0-35@ Orlando Oak Ridge ......................................................................... 0-52@ Winter Park Lake Howell ................................................................7-10@ Apopka Wekiva ............................................................................... 3-63Winter Springs ......................................................................................0-49Ocoee .....................................................................................................16-28@ Lake Minneola .................................................................................. 3-41

kEy gamEsAug. 28 At CoCoA BeACh: After a winless season in 2014, a chance for the Knights to get off to a positive start.oCt. 2 LAke MinneoLA: The next game in a relatively young rivalry. The stakes have been raised since this is now a district game.

kEy playErsTirrek Hooten, running back; Hunter Bush, tight end; Danny Mor-ris, strong safety; Rahmad Fortune, linebacker

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Ashour Peera is the ultimate optimist.For many football coaches, a win-

less season would send them scurrying about, looking to make radical changes in the hope of turning things around.

Not Peera.The East Ridge coach, entering his

second season on the heels of last year’s 0-10 campaign, is upbeat. He has written 2014 off as part of the learning cycle and is heading full-steam ahead into 2015, with high hopes the Knights will be much improved.

“We expect to see a huge change in our program this season,” Peera said. “Mainly, when it comes to attitude, being prepared and work ethic. This group of guys have been great to work with all summer and they are very focused right now headed into the season.

“Their main goal is to represent East Ridge High School with pride and put themselves in position to possibly play at the next level.”

Almost from the instant Peera stepped on campus and took over the football program, he has stressed family. He has promoted togetherness within his pro-gram to the point that nearly everything he does in regards to the Knights is done with the intent that everyone in the program will take part.

To that end, he took players out on a 10-day summer college tour, where they met numerous college coaches and saw their facilities. He also took a two-day tour around the state with the Knights’ freshmen.

In addition, Peera has placed a great deal of importance on raising the team’s academic standing.

“Our administration under the guid-ance of our principal, Julie Lueallen-Robinson, have been instrumental in the rebuilding of our program to help get us to the point where we can com-pete with anyone on a week-to-week

basis,” Peera said.Peera wants the Knights to build off

its spring game, a 26-24 win against Kissimmee Liberty. In that game, East Ridge played a competitive game and battled from start to finish.

In 2014, the Knights struggled on both sides of the ball. East Ridge was shutout four times and allowed more than 27 points in nine games.

The entire season was a learning process, as Peera was not officially

on board until after the spring game. Previous coach

Ken Knapczyk re-signed several days into spring practice and the Knights

scrambled from then on.

“We’re looking for running back Tirrek Hooten to have a great year

in the backfield for us,” Peera said. “He had a

170-yard game in the spring and has put on a considerable

amount of muscle this offsea-son. He’s currently being recruited

by many Division I schools and is poised to be a leader.”

Peera feels Danny Morris, who has transitioned from linebacker to strong safety, will be a key on defense.

“He has a knack for where the ball will be and is also one of the biggest hitters on the team,” Peera said. “We expect him to make a huge impact this season both in the secondary and in the box.”

The Knights are also high on Hunter Bush, who played quarterback last year, but will be a tight end in 2015. Peera said Bush could be headed to the next level with a solid season.

All told, the Knights are expecting big-ger and better things in 2015. Last year, Peera said, is past history and was part of the learning process.

Now, he feels East Ridge will begin to show they learned their lessons well.

“Our excitement level is high as we approach the Kickoff Classic against Brooksville Central,” Peera said. “It should be a good matchup and a good test of where we stand heading into the season. We’re looking forward to the 2015 season.”

Knights ready to step up in Peera’s second year

daily commercial file

East Ridge head coach Ashour Peera talks to Hunter Bush (13) during a game against South Lake High in Clermont on Aug. 28, 2014.


sChEdulEAug. 28 .................................................................................Lake MinneolaSept. 4 ....................................................................................... @ LeesburgSept. 11 ................................................................................@ Ocala Forest Sept. 18 ............................................................................................. TavaresSept. 25................................................................................@ Mount Dora Oct. 2 .............................................................................................PoincianaOct. 9 ..........................................................................................@ Umatilla Oct. 23 ...................................................................................@ South Lake Oct. 30 ..............................................................@ Orlando Bishop MooreNov. 6..............................................................................................Harmony

2014 rEsults (3-6)Leesburg ............................................................................................ 8-16Harmony ............................................................................................ 14-7Orlando Lake Highland Prep ........................................................ 31-3South Lake ....................................................................................... 0-28Keystone Heights .............................................................................. 7-0Ocala Lake Weir ............................................................................. 20-21Mount Dora .......................................................................................9-28Tavares ............................................................................................. 21-42Orlando Bishop Moore ..................................................................6-52

kEy gamEsSept. 4 at LeeSburg: The latest installment in the longest rivalry in Lake County. Leesburg leads the series, 46-24-1.Sept. 18 tavareS: First district game in Class 5A-District 13.

kEy playErsWillie Slydell, quarterback; Tyreek Dorsey, running back; Ricky Rippy, linebacker; Sam Taylor, defensive back

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The good news for Eustis High School football fans is the Panthers are return-ing nine starters from last year’s defen-sive corps.

The bad news is that Panthers coach Mike Hay is faced with replacing both guards and both tackles on the offensive line. Nonetheless, Hay is continuing the process of rebuilding Eustis’ football program as he enters his fourth season at the helm.

Eustis lived off its defense for most of the early part of last season. The Panthers allowed more than 16 points only once its its first five games last year — 28 against South Lake.

However, over its final four games, the Panthers’ beleaguered defense strug-gled, allowing 143 points — an average of nearly 36 points per game — with a season high of 52 points in a 52-6 loss to Orlando Bishop Moore in Eustis’ season finale.

Offensively, the Panthers struggled all

season, scoring more than 20 points in just three games. Eustis’ season high on offense was 21 points in a 42-21 loss to Tavares.

Hay believes the potential is there for the offensive corps to be much im-proved in 2015.

“Every skill player we had last year returns to their starting role on offense,” Hay said. “At quarterback, we will have a converted running back — sophomore Willie Slydell. In our spring game, Willie amassed 217 all-purpose yards in just three quarters. We’re really high on what he can do as a sophomore.”

When the Panthers have the ball, Slydell will get help from running back Tyreek Dorsey, who ran for 121 yards in three quarters in the Panthers’ spring game, and wide receiver Billy Brett.

On the rebuilt offensive line will be returning center Jeremy Carter and Hay said senior Semjay Jenkins has the potential to be a major contributor as one of Slydell’s front wall.

Defensively, Eustis is expected to

be as strong as last year. With a little support from the offense by holding on to the ball longer and giving them a chance to catch their breath, the Panthers’ defense has the potential to be dominant.

Dre Dyer and Gentrivas Relford will step in to fill holes and Ricky Rippy is expected to lead a solid group of linebackers. Seniors Sam Taylor and Trevon Cleveland will be patrolling in the defensive secondary.

Dorsey, Rippy, and Taylor are heavy hitters who can wear down runners and receivers over the course of a game, potentially creating turnovers.

Since coming to Eustis after spend-ing time as an assistant at Mount Dora, Hay has installed a weight program that he believes has helped the Pan-thers become bigger and more physi-cal. He feels Eustis might be one of the best-conditioned teams in Class 5A-District 13.

“We’re not going to be pushed around,” Hay said.

Eustis will need that physicality to compete in Class 5A-13. The Panthers will strive for a playoff berth with Poin-ciana, Tavares, South Lake and Orlando Bishop Moore.

Tavares, South Lake (in Class 6A), and Orlando Bishop Moore all had winning records in 2014.

South Lake and Orlando Bishop Moore were playoff teams last year and Orlando Bishop Moore is expected to compete for a Class 5A state champion-ship this year.

Panthers hoping to rebound after 3-6 season


sChEdulE Aug. 28 ................................................................................ Ocala Christian Sept. 4 ................................................................@ Ocoee Legacy Charter Sept. 11 ............................................. @ Lecanto Seven Rivers Christian Sept. 18 .............................................................. Ocala St. John Lutheran Oct. 2 ................................................... Maitland Orangewood Christian Oct. 9 .....................................................Ocoee Central Florida Christian Oct. 16 .............................................. @ Mount Dora Christian AcademyOct. 23 .......................................................................... @ Jupiter Christian

2014 rEsults (6-5)Belle Isle Cornerstone Charter ..........................................................38-6Jacksonville Temple Christian ......................................................... 33-12@ Windermere Prep ..........................................................................44-70Mount Dora Christian Academy .....................................................14-45Lecanto Seven Rivers Christian ......................................................61-23@ Ocala Christian ............................................................................... 53-12@ Gainesville St. Francis Catholic ................................................. 56-10Oviedo Master’s Academy................................................................. 51-13@ Orlando Christian Prep ................................................................. 12-42@ Mount Dora Christian Academy .............................................. 44-48West Palm Beach Berean Christian .................................................8-41

kEy gamEsAug. 28, OcAlA christiAn: The start of the season for the Eagles means seven straight games against Sunshine State Athletic Conference Coastal Orange opponents.Oct. 16, At MOunt DOrA christiAn AcADeMy: The biggest small-school game in Lake County. The annual battle for the Orange Crate.

kEy playErsSandy “Dude” Edwards, linebacker; Caleb Lynum, quarterback; Cameron Bedford, defensive end; Anthony Dario, center.

Ojay Cummings

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PAUL [email protected]

The numbers game can always be a big issue for smaller schools, but for once First Acad-emy of Leesburg coach Sheldon Walker feels the Eagles are ahead of the game on that front heading into the 2015 season.

And with a few extra bodies available this year, that opens up some options for the Eagles and has them feeling good going into the season.

“We typically average about 17 players per team and this year we’ve got 24,” Walker said. “We’ve got a lot more depth than we’ve ever had. The running game is a huge strength for us. That plus our depth.

“Last year we only dressed 14 players. This year we can substitute with kids we are comfortable enough to put in the game.”

Of course, it’s not just about the numbers. Walker feels confident that he has plenty of quality to go with that quantity.

“We’ve got a strong team and probably our best senior class in a long time,” Walker said. “We’ve still got a lot of young kids and we’ve got a huge group of under-classmen and some kids who have never played before. But I’m real excited about where we are.”

First Academy doesn’t have a traditional spring because the Eagles don’t play a spring game. But spring and summer gave First Academy a chance to begin installing a new offense under a new offensive coordinator.

“The summer was excellent for us in terms of kids getting into the weight room and doing the things they needed to get done,” Walker said. “But we’re under the gun to get ready to go.

We’re making decisions every day as far as what works for us and what doesn’t. We need as much practice time as we can get.”

First Academy, which went 6-5 a year ago, will look to spread things out this year while relying heavily on that running game. That ground game was led last year by Ojay Cummings, who earned All-Sunshine State Athletic Conference honors after rushing for 1,678 yards as a junior last season.

Cummings, however, has left First Academy and Walker will now have to find a new

workhorse.The Eagles also have a true

quarterback in Leesburg trans-fer Caleb Lynum, a sophomore.

Overall, First Academy returns eight starters on both offense and defense. Walker isn’t changing much from last year on defense and will continue to keep his defensive approach relatively simple for his players.

Senior Sandy “Dude” Edwards is among the leaders on defense, having earned All-SSAC honors last year as a linebacker.

“Defense is nothing more than getting 11 hats on the ball,” Walker said. “You’ve just got to get there and tackle. We’ve got a bunch of kids who can run and we’ve just talked about getting to the ball. We don’t want them to over think it.”

One difference for Walker this season is that among the players he will be coaching is his son,

Kanyon, who has been a ball boy for the team for seven years.

“I’m definitely a little harder on him just because he knows my expectations,” Walker said. “You never as a coach want people to think he got an op-portunity based on being your son.”

Returning a core group of seniors has been paying off for the Eagles already. Walker saw the dedication from that group during the summer as they began stepping into leadership roles with the team.

“I definitely saw that during the summer,” Walker said. “Guys are realizing that this is their senior year and that they’ve got a chance to do something they did in their sophomore year (when the Eagles went 10-2). They are getting a sense of urgency and realizing that this is it.”

numbers add up for first Academy of leesburg


sChEdulEAug. 28 ............................................................................................ @ EustisSept. 3 ................................................................. South Lake (BHSN TV) Sept. 18 ..............................................................................Oviedo Hagerty Sept. 25....................................................... @ Winter Park Lake Howell Oct. 2 ...................................................................................... @ East RidgeOct. 9 ......................................................................................... Mount Dora Oct. 16 .................................................................... @ Orlando Edgewater Oct. 22 ...............................................................................Ocala West Port Oct. 30 ..................................................................................................OcoeeNov. 6......................................................................................... @ Leesburg

2014 rEsults (4-6)Ocala Lake Weir ................................................................................... 42-13@ South Lake...................................................................................... 33-38@ Vero Beach ...................................................................................... 35-52@ Ocala Vanguard ..............................................................................21-45@ Mount Dora .....................................................................................35-19IMG Academy ........................................................................................0-49@ Orlando Edgewater ............................................................ 19-26 (OT)@ Ocala Trinity Catholic......................................................................0-37Leesburg ................................................................................................49-13East Ridge ............................................................................................... 41-3

kEy gamEsAug. 28 At Eustis: The first regular-season game under new head coach Walter Banks.sEpt. 3 south LAkE: A Thursday game and a rare televised game involving Lake County teams. The Bright House Sports Network Game of the Week.

kEy playErsJesse Fiske, quarterback; Bryndan McCoy, wide receiver; Deon Edwards, defensive back; Amari Thompson, defensive back

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A new era has begun at Lake Minneola High School.

The foundation for the Hawks football program was laid by former coach Corey Brinson, who left after last season’s 4-6 campaign after leading the team for its first four seasons.

Enter Walter Banks.A longtime coach in south

Lake County, including a stint as head coach and assistant at South Lake and at Montverde Academy, Banks was named Lake Minneola’s new coach in January. Banks hit the ground running and led Lake Minneola through a busy spring practice session.

Over the summer, he trav-elled to camps with his players, including getting his skill posi-tion players involved in 7-on-7 tournaments.

When the Hawks hit the field on Aug. 3 for their first preseason practice, Banks hit the field with his team, work-ing them through non-contact drills with the goal to get better each day.

“That is what we always want to do,” Banks said. “We want to be better at end of the day than we were when it began. Our players have accomplished a lot already. They’ve learned new systems on offense and defense, along with new termi-nology, and they’ve had to get adjusted to how we do things here. The attitude has remained positive. They have bought into what we’re doing.

“I’m excited and I think the kids are, too.”

On offense, the Hawks have been learning the pro-style attack that Banks favors and ditching the spread offense from last season. Banks said

quarterback Jesse Fiske has undergone one of the biggest transformations on the team, learning how to run the offense from under center instead of out of the shotgun.

In 2014, Fiske passed for 1,388 yards and 13 touchdowns and ran for 284 yards and four scores.

Banks said he believes Fiske, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound senior, can make the transition.

“He’s definitely a prototype (pro style) quarterback,” Banks said.

Fiske’s primary targets are ex-pected to be wideouts Bryndan

McCoy and Blake Flemming, who combined to catch 76 passes in 2014.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Hawks will be led by senior defensive back Deon Edwards. An Arkansas commit, Edwards is a big hitter who can also step into the box as a hybrid linebacker of sorts.

Edwards missed two games last season, but still managed 48 tackles including 10 for losses.

Amari Thompson, a senior defensive back who had two interceptions in 2014, also will be a key player on defense. Defensive lineman Austin Pickett and linebacker Xavier Gilliam are expected to step up on defense.

Lake Minneola will be mov-ing up to Class 7A for the next four seasons and will play in District 4. Other teams in the district include East Ridge,

Orlando Edgewater, Winter Park Lake Howell, Ocala West Port and Ocoee.

The Hawks played Orlando Edgewater the past two seasons in Class 6A and have consid-ered East Ridge one of their rivals since Lake Minneola was founded five years ago.

Banks believes that Lake Minneola could be one of those teams that gets better as the season progresses, as the players grow more and more comfortable with their new as-signments. Fortunately for the Hawks, many of their district games, which would impact their playoff aspirations, will be in the second half of the season.

“We’ve got a great group of kids and coaches, and will all want the same thing … for Lake Minneola to produce a winning program. I think we’ve got all the tools we need to do that.”

lake Minneola begins new era with new coach


sChEdulEAug. 28 .............................................................................@ South SumterSept. 4 .................................................................................................. EustisSept. 11 ..................................................................................@ South Lake Sept. 18 ....................................................................................Ocala ForestSept. 25.........................................................@ Bradenton Braden River Oct. 2 ............................................................................ @ Ocala VanguardOct. 9 ......................................................................Lakeland Lake Gibson Oct. 23 ......................................................................................... Gainesville Oct. 30 .......................................................................... @ Ocala Lake WeirNov. 6....................................................................................Lake Minneola

2014 rEsults (3-7)@ Tavares .............................................................................................. 41-21@ Eustis .................................................................................................. 16-8Mount Dora ......................................................................................... 28-34@ Winter Garden West Orange .......................................................14-47Ocala West Port ....................................................................................23-7Orlando Edgewater ........................................................................... 31-38Ocala Forest .........................................................................................17-45@ South Lake.......................................................................................21-24@ Lake Minneola ............................................................................... 13-49South Sumter .................................................................................... 28-34

kEy gamEsAug. 28 At South Sumter: Real early season test for both teams. South Sumter won last year’s game 34-28. Also, the regular-season debut for Leesburg coach Doug Allison and the start of Inman Sherman’s 32nd season at South Sumter.oct. 30 At ocAlA lAke Weir: Final district game of the season. A playoff berth could be hanging in the balance.

kEy playErsWyatt Rector, quarterback; Brian Hepburn, running back; Quen-tin Peeples, running back

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For his first season as the head coach at Lees-burg High, Doug Allison is taking a few pages from the playbook of legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden. And the first page of that playbook includes teaching his players the definition of success.

“That definition is to do the very best you are capable of doing in any situation,” Allison said. “I really believe the players are buying in when I look at the effort they’ve given in spring practice, the spring game and carrying on through the summer.

“We had a group of core guys who didn’t miss a day this summer and others that when they did miss, it was because they were at underclass-men combines, which is a pretty good excuse.”

Allison has been charged with turning around a program that struggled to a 3-7 record a year ago, including losses in seven of the final eight games of the season. But with a new staff in place, the Yellow Jackets aren’t spending any time look-ing back.

“The No. 1 thing is that it is an entirely new staff from me to every one of the assistant coaches,” Allison said. “There are no holdovers from last year’s staff. That makes a complete difference in the environment and encour-ages both the players and coaches not to look back.

“The cancers of a team are when you complain, criticize or compare. The focus is on what we are doing now and then there is the big C — compete. If you’re going up against a blue chip talent you may

not have those talents. But if you don’t compare yourself, then you can really compete.”

Allison is installing an up-tempo offense for the Yellow Jackets and sophomore quarterback Wyatt Rector, who started for Leesburg last season as a freshman and threw for 2,348 yards and 15 touchdowns while also rushing for 539 yards and nine touchdowns.

Rector will miss two of his favorite targets from a year ago in Boise State signee Bryan Jefferson and Iowa signee Adrian Falconer. But Rector will have some weapons, par-ticularly in senior Brian Hepburn and Quentin Peeples.

On both offense and defense Allison plans on doing plenty of gambling.

“It’s a little like playing the stock market,” Allison said. “Some people like mutual funds and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s a safe investment. But we’re looking for those high-risk, high-reward stocks.

“To complement an up-tempo offense, we need to be very aggressive on defense. Those players have to be ready to play the next play. If we go three and out on offense it’s going to come real fast, so the defense has to be ready.”

Allison knows his strat-egy could lead to some

interesting Friday nights, depending largely on how effective his offense is in each game.

“It could lead to some big wins and it could lead to us being blown out if it’s a night where the of-fense isn’t ticking,” Allison said. “But it doesn’t mat-ter if you lose by one or by 42, a loss is a loss. And it doesn’t matter if you win by one or 42, a victory is a victory.”

The Yellow Jackets will be tested in the season opener when Leesburg travels to Bushnell to take on perennial local power-house South Sumter.

“That’s just a fantastic measuring stick for us,” Allison said. “They are a program that we want to emulate. If we go there and measure up, great. But if we don’t, then at least we know where we are. When you play an A-list program like South Sumter, it’s a fair way to gauge yourself.”

yellow Jackets looking to turn program around


Leesburg quarterback Wyatt Rector (16) calls out a play during a game against South Sumter on Nov. 7, 2014, in Leesburg.


sChEdulE Aug. 28 ..................................................Lecanto Seven Rivers Christian Sept. 4 ............................................................................@ Ocala Christian Sept. 11 ..........................................................@ Ocala St. John Lutheran Sept. 18 ........................................... @ Ocoee Central Florida ChristianSept. 25.............................................................................Jupiter Christian Oct. 2 .................................................................@ Ocoee Legacy Charter Oct. 9 .................................................. Maitland Orangewood Christian Oct. 16 ............................................................First Academy of Leesburg

2014 rEsults (9-2)Gainesville St. Francis Catholic ......................................................41-20@ Santa Fe Catholic ...........................................................................31-21Orlando Faith Christian ......................................................................28-2@ First Academy of Leesburg ........................................................ 45-13Ocala Christian ....................................................................................42-13Jacksonville Temple Christian .........................................................55-12@ Lecanto Seven Rivers Christian ............................................... 49-32Ocoee Central Florida Christian .................................................... 37-40First Academy of Leesburg ............................................................48-44Naples Community School ............................................................ 56-28

kEy gamEsAug. 28 LecAnto Seven RiveRS chRiStiAn: First SSAC regular-season game at defending Coastal Orange champions. Also, first of four division games to open the season.oct. 16 FiRSt AcAdemy oF LeeSbuRg: The battle for the Orange Crate. For these two teams, the only games that have more meaning are playoff games.

kEy playErsNick Johnson, linebacker; Jacob Alleyne, running back; Jasper Pierre, running back; Josh Lewis, wide receiver

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Matt McGonigal wasn’t around to watch as Mount Dora Christian Academy ran rough-shod over Lakeland Landmark Christian Academy in a 54-0 spring game victory. Despite going 15-4 over the past two seasons, including an 8-2 record a year ago and a trip to the post-season, there have been changes at the top for the Bulldogs.

Coach Dennis Cardoso stepped down at the end of last season and Kolby Tackett replaced Cardoso on an in-terim basis and guided MDCA to the spring game victory. But after the game, Tackett told the team he was leaving to take a job at Harding Univer-sity, a Division II school in Searcy, Arkansas.

MDCA then hired McGonigal on an interim basis, bring-

ing him over to MDCA after McGonigal spent five years as an assistant coach at Umatilla, his alma-mater. Joining the Bulldogs after the spring game gave McGonigal a little bit of a late jump on getting ready for the season.

“It set me back a little as far as my relationship with the kids,” McGonigal said. “But as far as the X’s and O’s, it really hasn’t hurt at all. We’re running the same offense they used in the spring, so it’s me learning it instead of them having to learn a new offense.”

McGonigal didn’t stick with the same offense for the

convenience of the players. Although the Bulldogs may not have faced the toughest test from Lakeland Landmark in the spring game, 427 yards rushing is still 427 yards rushing.

“Even if I had been here in the spring I would have stuck with the same offense,” McGonigal said. “It’s an of-fense that works well for this team, so there’s really no need to change it. I just think the Wing-T is a perfect offense for a smaller high school. We’ll run the same thing and maybe some triple option out of the shotgun.”

Although McGonigal was able to see a little of his team in the summer and start building those relationships, the start of fall practice was the first time he was really able to see the Bulldogs in action.

“It’s been going great,” McGo-nigal said early in fall workouts.

“The kids have a great attitude and work well together. There’s quite a bit of talent on this team and I couldn’t ask for a better group of kids.”

The Bulldogs return two of their top rushers from the team that reached the fifth-place game of the Sunshine State Athletic Conference last season in junior Brian Bone and senior Jasper Pierre. Jacob Alleyne was one of the stars of the spring game with touchdown runs of 69 and 68 yards.

“We have 16 or 17 kids out here, so it can be a challenge when it comes to practicing,” McGonigal said. “But our expectations are for every kid who starts the season to finish the season. It can be tough out here and we want to create guys who are not going to quit when it gets tough.”

As shown in the spring game, the running attack will be

the strength of the Bulldogs, although MDCA can also move the ball through the air when it needs to with both Kyle Clark and Ben Johnson throwing touchdown passes in the spring game.

“Speed is our strength and we have a lot of guys who can catch,” McGonigal said. “But the true strength of this team is that they all love each other and you don’t see them fighting out there.”

To that end, McGonigal is counting on that close-knit bond to help the Bulldogs fit everyone at the positions where the team needs them the most.

“We’re going to need to have some guys put the team ahead of their individual aspirations,” McGonigal said. “Right now we have 10 guys who want to be ei-ther a running back or receiver, but some of those personal goals will need to be sacrificed for the team.”

Continuity despite new leadership at MdCA


sChEdulESept. 28 ......................................................................................South LakeSept. 4 ...........................................................................................@ TavaresSept. 11 ................................................................... Palm Coast Matanzas Sept. 18 ..................................................................................... The VillagesSept. 25.................................................................................................Eustis Oct. 2 ....................................................................................... @ DunnellonOct. 9 ............................................................................... @ Lake Minneola Oct. 22 ..............................................................................................Umatilla Oct. 30 .............................................................................. @ South SumterNov. 6.............................................................................@ Ocala Vanguard

2014 rEsults (8-3)Titusville Astronaut............................................................................. 41-6@ Umatilla............................................................................................23-12@ Leesburg ......................................................................................... 34-28Orlando Bishop Moore ..................................................................... 13-28Lake Minneola .................................................................................... 19-35@ Orlando Lake Highland Prep ....................................................... 41-0Inverness Citrus ..................................................................................... 14-7@ Eustis ................................................................................................. 28-9@ South Lake..................................................................................... 49-34Tavares ..................................................................................................57-39@ Merritt Island ................................................................................... 14-21

kEy gamEsSept. 4 at tavareS: Separated by just four or five miles, always a heated rivalry. Was a district game for the past two seasons.Oct. 30 at SOuth Sumter: Will be a district game for the next four years. A district championship could be at stake.

kEy playErsBrett Heggie, center; Colton Dial, defensive tackle; Dalton Dial, defensive tackle; Zach Dickinson, quarterback

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As the defensive coordinator for South Lake High last season, Donnie Burchfield got a close-up look at the high-powered Mount Dora offense. Unde-feated through the first seven games of the season, South Lake saw that winning streak come to an end in a 49-34 loss to the Hurricanes.

So when Burchfield was named head coach at Mount Dora, he went to offensive co-ordinator Frank Scott and told Scott that he liked everything the offense was doing.

“I told him we’re not going to change a thing,” said Burch-field. “I just want to get better at what we do.”

Burchfield, a longtime as-sistant coach at various schools in the area, is replacing Ben Bullock at Mount Dora, who

left after one season to become head coach at Ocoee in Orange County. Mount Dora was 8-3 in Bullock’s lone season, advanc-ing to the Class 5A regional quarterfinals before losing to Merritt Island 21-14.

And while Burchfield is happy to stick with last year’s offense at Mount Dora, he is making changes on the other side of the ball. Burchfield is switching the Hurricanes to an even front, hoping to take advantage of a slew of talent available for the defensive line.

“The guys have really ad-justed to allow us to play to our strengths,” Burchfield said. “You always want to look at your personnel and do what fits the kids the best. The kids we’ve got on the defensive line can make key stops when we need it.”

Both the offensive and defensive fronts are headed by

senior Brett Heggie, who has committed to the University of Florida as an offensive lineman. Joining Heggie are twins Colton and Dalton Dial. Senior Chris Cooper, senior Beau Fuller and junior Riley Smith help make both lines a real strength for the Hurricanes.

On defense, that line should help take some pressure off a young crop of linebackers.

“We’ve had some young line-backers step in and we’ve found out a little more about them over the summer,” Burchfield said.

On offense the Hurricanes return quarterback Zach Dick-inson, who started for Mount Dora last year as a sophomore. The Hurricanes did have some holes to fill in the backfield, but have found some good pros-pects, particularly in Danny Daniels and Horace Walton.

“I really think our offense

is pretty solid,” Burchfield said. “The big thing is having our leaders step up and gel together.”

The Hurricanes will open the season against South Lake in Mount Dora, a chance for Burchfield to immediately go up against his old school. Burch-field joined Mount Dora after spending the past three seasons at South Lake, where he was the associate head coach in addition to being the defensive coordi-nator. He helped the Eagles to an 8-3 record in 2014 and the school’s first postseason berth in many years.

Prior to joining the staff at South Lake in 2012, Burchfield coached at East Ridge (2011-12), Mount Dora (2009-11), Tavares (2008-09) and South Lake (2003-07).

The Hurricanes face one of their toughest district chal-lenges on Oct. 30 when Mount

Dora travels to South Sumter in the new Class 4A-District 4. Other district games will come against The Villages, Dunnellon and Umatilla.

“I know I’m blessed,” Burchfield said. “Not many new coaches get to step into a program that went 8-3 the year before. I’m an upbeat and positive coach and I feel like the players have really bought in to what I want to do.”

That buy-in from the players showed in summer workouts when 45 to 50 players would show up for the voluntary workouts. The Hurricanes also performed well at summer team competitions, going up against larger schools and hold-ing their own.

“We’re a small school and we really competed,” Burchfield said. “What we ask of the kids is that they always bring their best and that’s what they’ve done.”

hurricanes looking to build on past success


sChEdulEAug. 28 .................................................................................@ Mount DoraSept. 3 ...................................................... @ Lake Minneola (BHSN TV)Sept. 11 ........................................................................................... LeesburgSept. 18 ..................................................@ Clearwater Central CatholicSept. 25...................................................................................@ Dunnellon Oct. 2 .....................................................................Orlando Bishop Moore Oct. 16 .......................................................................................@ Poinciana Oct. 23 .................................................................................................. Eustis Oct. 30 .......................................................................................... @ TavaresNov. 6.......................................................Brooksville Nature Coast Tech

2014 rEsults (8-3)East Ridge ...............................................................................................62-3Lake Minneola .................................................................................... 38-33@ Ocala Forest ....................................................................................44-14Eagle Lake Lake Region ...................................................................... 13-9Eustis .......................................................................................................28-0@ St. Cloud ..........................................................................................56-24Leesburg ................................................................................................ 24-21Mount Dora ..........................................................................................34-49@ Orlando Edgewater ......................................................................44-55@ Kissimmee Gateway ......................................................................47-12@ Daytona Beach Mainland ..............................................................7-42

kEy gamEsSept. 3 at Lake MinneoLa: Rivalry game that will be tele-vised on Bright House Sports Network. Lots of players from both teams grew up playing with and against each other in youth leagues.oct. 2 orLando BiShop Moore: First district game of the season for the Eagles. One of the top private-school programs in the state rolls into Groveland.

kEy playErsTrace McEwen, wide receiver; D.J. Alan, running back/wide receiver; Cary Samedi, defensive line; Isaiah McCoy, defensive line

JErrod smith



What can they do for an encore?

South Lake High School had an 8-3 mark and earned a post-season berth in 2014. It was an improvement of one win over the Eagles’ 2013 record and was the team’s best mark in more than a decade.

But, the expectations in Groveland have grown higher and higher in each of coach Mark Woolum’s three previous seasons at South Lake and now fans likely are asking them-selves if the team can continue to show improvement.

If the Eagles are to win nine or 10 games in 2015, they’ll have to do it with an all-new of-fensive line. South Lake gradu-ated 19 starters from last year’s squad, but Woolum believes the foundation they help to lay will help to ease the rebuilding process.

“We had a great group of

seniors last year,” Woolum said. “They played together for four years, but they were also great leaders that helped to establish a new attitude at South Lake. Our players now know that we expect them to work hard on the field and in the classroom.

“But, we are very young and will have many players start-ing that have never been in a varsity game.”

Despite the relative inexperi-ence of the Eagles, Woolum said he was buoyed by the fact that more than 100 student athletes turned out for summer work-outs and preseason practices. He said there has been plenty of competition during practices at nearly every position, as young players look to impress and earn starting jobs.

And Woolum and his coach-ing staff have maintained integ-rity within their program by not compromising their standards, in spite of the personnel losses

through graduation.“We made some tough choic-

es and removed some student athletes from the team that could have brought us more experience,” Woolum said.

Woolum said a returning playmaker from last year, wide receiver Trace McEwen, will be expected to be a game-breaker this year. In addition, D.J. Alan, who played running back and wide receiver in 2014, should see a lot of action.

“The rest of our starting offense will be new,” said Woolum.

Defensively, the coach said

South Lake’s defensive line will be experienced and talented. Cary Samedi, who has already received two offers from NCAA Division I schools, will be the leader on the line.

In addition, Isaiah McCoy, the son of former NFL stand-out Tony McCoy and younger brother to former South Lake standout and University of Florida freshman T.J. Mc-Coy, is expected to be a big contributor.

“Isaiah had a great spring and has shown much promise,” Woolum said. “He is starting to look like his brother, which is a great sign for us.”

Woolum also said Tyrell

Richmond, will offer some experience and stability in the defensive secondary.

South Lake’s efforts to improve on last season’s performance, which included a regional quarterfinal contest against Daytona Beach Main-land, will be made even more difficult with the recent reclas-sification by the Florida High School Athletic Association. The Eagles dropped from Class 6A to Class 5A, but will com-pete in District 13, along with Eustis, Tavares, Poinciana and powerhouse Orlando Bishop Moore.

Despite the scheduling obsta-cles, Woolum is positive about his team.

“Our kids have a lot of pas-sion,” Woolum said. “They believe in themselves and their teammates. They have been very coachable. They believe they can compete to make the playoffs.”

south lake Eagles optimistic about the future

›› 2015 weekly high school football scheduleAug. 28

› East Ridge at Cocoa Beach › Lake Minneola at Eustis › Ocala Chrisitan at First Acad-

emy of Leesburg › Leesburg at South Sumter › Lecanto Seven Rivers Chris-

tian at Mount Dora Christian Academy

› South Lake at Mount Dora › Tavares at Cocoa Space Coast › Belleview at The Villages › Umatilla at Lecanto

sEpt. 3 › South Lake at Lake Minneola

sEpt. 4 › St. Cloud at East Ridge › Eustis at Leesburg › First Academy of Leesburg at

Ocoee Legacy Charter › Mount Dora Christian Acad-

emy at Ocala Christian › Mount Dora at Tavares › The Villages at Crescent City

› Ocala Lake Weir at Umatilla › South Sumter at Orlando

Freedom

sEpt. 11 › East Ridge at Kissimmee

Gateway › Eustis at Ocala Forest › First Academy of Leesburg at

Lecanto Seven Rivers Christian › Leesburg at South Lake › Mount Dora Christian Acad-

emy at Ocala St. John Lutheran › Palm Coast Matanzas at

Mount Dora › South Sumter at Brooksville

Hernando › Umatilla at Tavares › Keystone Heights at The

Villages

sEpt. 18 › Orlando First Academy at

East Ridge › Tavares at Eustis › Ocala St. John Lutheran at

First Academy of Leesburg

› Oviedo Hagerty at Lake Minneola

› Ocala Forest at Leesburg › Mount Dora Christian Acad-

emy at Ocoee Central Florida Christian

› The Villages at Mount Dora › South Lake at Clearwater

Central Catholic › South Sumter at Umatilla

sEpt. 25 › East Ridge at Ocoee › Eustis at Mount Dora › Lake Minneola at Winter Park

Lake Howell › Leesburg at Bradenton

Braden River › Jupiter Christian at Mount

Dora Christian Academy › South Lake at Dunnellon › Ocala Trinity Catholic at

South Sumter › Tavares at Harmony › The Villages at Orlando First

Academy

› Umatilla at Crescent City

Oct. 2 › Lake Minneola at East Ridge › Poinciana at Eustis › Maitland Orangewood

Christian at First Academy of Leesburg

› Leesburg at Ocala Vanguard › Mount Dora Christian Acad-

emy at Ocoee Legacy Charter › Mount Dora at Dunnellon › Orlando Bishop Moore at

South Lake › Tavares at South Sumter › Umatilla at The Villages

Oct. 8 › South Sumter at Orlando

Bishop Moore

Oct. 9 › East Ridge at Oviedo Hagerty › Eustis at Umatilla › Ocoee Central Florida

Christian at First Academy of Leesburg

› Mount Dora at Lake Minneola › Lakeland Lake Gibson at

Leesburg › Matiland Orangewood Chris-

tian at Mount Dora Christian Academy

› The Villages at Tavares

Oct. 16 › East Ridge at Ocala West

Port › First Academy of Leesburg at

Mount Dora Christian Academy › Lake Minneola at Orlando

Edgewater › South Lake at Poinciana › South Sumter at The Villages › Orlando Bishop Moore at

Tavares › Dunnellon at Umatilla

Oct. 22 › Orlando Edgewater at East

Ridge › Ocala West Port at Lake

Minneola › Umatilla at Mount Dora

Oct. 23 › Eustis at South Lake › First Academy of Leesburg at

Jupiter Christian › Dunnellon at South Lake › Tavares at Poinciana

Oct. 30 › Winter Park Lake Howell at

East Ridge › Eustis at Orlando Bishop

Moore › Ocoee at Lake Minneola › Leesburg at Ocala Lake Weir › Mount Dora at South Sumter › South Lake at Tavares › The Villages at Dunnellon › Ocala West Port at Umatilla

nOv. 6 › Harmony at Eustis › Lake Minneola at Leesburg › Mount Dora at Ocala

Vanguard › Brooksville Nature Coast Tech

at South Lake

“Our kids have a lot of

passion. They believe in themselves and their teammates. They have been very coachable. They believe they can compete

to make the playoffs.”Mark woolum,

South Lake head coach


sChEdulEAug. 28 ............................................................................................LeesburgSept. 4 ....................................................................... @ Orlando FreedomSept. 11 ............................................................... @ Brooksville Hernando Sept. 18 .......................................................................................@ UmatillaSept. 25....................................................................Ocala Trinity CatholicOct. 2 ..................................................................................................TavaresOct. 8 ................................................................ @ Orlando Bishop Moore Oct. 16 ...................................................................................@ The Villages Oct. 23 ...........................................................................................Dunnellon Oct. 30 ........................................................................................Mount Dora

2014 rEsults (11-1)Wildwood ...............................................................................................63-0@ Crystal River ..................................................................................... 42-6East Ridge ..............................................................................................45-0@ Zephyrhills, ..................................................................................... 45-10Brooksville Central ...............................................................................38-0Dade City Pasco ..................................................................................... 14-6@ Brooksville Hernando ...................................................................36-12Brooksville Nature Coast Tech ........................................................48-15@ Weeki Wachee ................................................................................ 41-10@ Leesburg ..........................................................................................34-28Citra North Marion ...............................................................................16-12Live Oak Suwannee ........................................................................... 22-24

kEy gamEsSept. 25, Ocala trinity cathOlic: If South Sumter re-mains unbeaten until this game, the Raiders will put a 37 game regular season winning streak on the line when the Celtics come the Raider Field.Oct. 8 at OrlandO BiShOp MOOre: A mega-matchup. If South Sumter gets past Ocala Trinity Catholic and Tavares, the Raiders will be aiming for 40 straight regular-season wins against the Hornets.

kEy playErsBokeyon Rice, running back; Isial Flowers, running back; Carson Wells, defensive line; Derek Dixon, defensive back

jamEs taylor



South Sumter is a marquee game on nearly every high school football team’s schedule.

Opponents and fans circle games against the Raiders when the schedule comes out every year and South Sumter coach Inman Sherman knows he will see the opposition’s “A” game every week.

And that’s just fine with the Raiders.South Sumter, more often than not,

responds to the challenge, particularly during the regular season. The Raiders will open the 2015 campaign at home against Leesburg riding a 33-game regular season winning streak.

In fact, South Sumter’s last regular-season loss came in 2011 — a 13-6 defeat by Leesburg at Raider Field. Last year, in the regular-season finale for both teams, J.T. Taylor raced 85 yards with a pass from quarterback Reace Kinley with two minutes to play to avert an upset and walk away

with a 34-28 win.For South Sumter to

maintain its unbeaten streak, Sherman and his staff will have to replace last year’s offensive line after all five players graduated. A key player on the line will be center, where Caleb Simmons had started 36 straight games.

Sherman called Simmons, “one of the smartest linemen” he’s ever coached.

Derek Peacock, Skylar Skipper and Gabe Littlefield have proven themselves capable of handling duties on the of-fensive line, with Skipper and Littlefield battling for the starting job at center.

“We’ve had great competition at most positions,” Sherman said.

The Raiders will be loaded in the backfield, with Taylor, Isial Flowers, Bokeyon Rice and Deon Williams all

returning. Last year, South Sumter rushed for 3,436 yards and scored

45 touchdowns on the ground.

Taylor led the rushing corps with 1,157 yards and 19 touchdowns. Flowers added 701 yards and 13

scores.Sherman feels Flowers

is set for a “great” senior year.

South Sumter’s run-ning game likely will be its

strong suit on offense again this year.

The Raiders’ running backs “have the ability to control the game from start to finish,” Sherman said.

South Sumter also will have to replace Kinley at quarterback and Sherman believes Bryce Williams and Broughton Martin will be able to handle the job of running the Raiders’ no-huddle attack.

On the defensive side of the ball, Carson Wells will likely start the season at defensive end, but can move to linebacker if needed. In addition, defensive backs

Matt Simmons and Deontae Grant, who played on South Sumter’s baseball team, which reached the state semifi-nals in May, could be stoppers in the secondary.

“Derek Dixon has made some great plays during camp, as well,” Sherman said.

Defensively, the Raiders were stout, shutting out three opponents and hold-ing teams to 10 points or less in seven games. Until the second half of its third game of the season against East Ridge, South Sumter’s defensive unit actually had surrendered no yards to opposing offenses.

Despite South Sumter’s past history, Sherman said the Raiders have plenty of work ahead of them. After 31 seasons and 253 wins, he is taking nothing for granted.

“We have lot of work to put in if we expect to be a good football

team,” Sherman said.

south sumter hoping to maintain winning ways


South Sumter head coach Inman Sherman talks to his team during a game against Leesburg on Nov. 7 at Leesburg.


sChEdulEAug. 28 ....................................................................@ Cocoa Space CoastSept. 4 ........................................................................................Mount DoraSept. 11 .............................................................................................Umatilla Sept. 18 ............................................................................................@ EustisSept. 25..................................................................................... @ HarmonyOct. 2 ................................................................................ @ South SumterOct. 9 ......................................................................................... The Villages Oct. 16 .................................................................... Orlando Bishop Moore Oct. 23 ...................................................................................... @ Poinciana Oct. 30 .........................................................................................South Lake

2014 rEsults (7-3)Leesburg ................................................................................................ 21-41East Ridge ............................................................................................. 27-13@ Umatilla.......................................................................................... 42-38Ocala Lake Weir ..................................................................................27-20@Orlando Bishop Moore .................................................................. 6-40@ Deltona ............................................................................................. 21-18Orlando Lake Highland Prep ............................................................ 58-7Eustis ......................................................................................................42-21@ Mount Dora ....................................................................................39-57@ Deltona Pine Ridge ....................................................................... 54-0

kEy gamEsSept. 4 Mount Dora: Rivalry game and the first of three-straight games against Golden Triangle opponents.oct. 30 South Lake: A playoff berth could be at stake in this regular-season finale for the Bulldogs.

kEy playErsDylan Williams, offensive tackle; Ben Lester, defensive end; Gage Pait, offensive guard; Jake Jessup, offensive tackle

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There is no hesitation from David LaMarre. Asked about his expectations as the first-year head coach at Tavares High School, LaMarre fires off his re-sponse quickly and confidently.

“I expect to win the district and make the playoffs,” LaMarre said. “We’ve been 8-2 and 7-3 the last two years and haven’t won the district. I wasn’t here of course, but we’re tired of knock-ing on the door. It’s time to step up and win the big games.”

LaMarre’s goal is particularly lofty considering the Bulldogs don’t return many starters from last year’s 7-3 team. Then there is the fact that LaMarre is installing a new triple-option offense.

“If we continue to get better and the football gods smile on us, I think we can reach our

goal,” LaMarre said. “We have a lot of players who didn’t start last year and a few transfers, but we have some good tal-ent. There is a little bit of that unknown element and not a lot of varsity starts on the team. But we do have talent.”

LaMarre expects the strength of the team to be on the offen-sive and defensive lines, where the Bulldogs have the most re-turning starters. Those include senior Dylan Williams and junior Ben Lester, who both earned Florida Athletic Coaches Association All-District under-class honors a year ago.

Senior Gage Pait and junior

Jake Jessup add to the experi-ence on the front lines.

“We’ve got a senior quar-terback who hasn’t started,” LaMarre said. “All our backs played something else last year. Our receivers are young or didn’t play last year. But we’ve been getting better each week.”

LaMarre gave his team a big challenge in the spring when he took the Class 5A Bulldogs on the road to play at Class 7A Ocala West Port. The result wasn’t particularly pretty as West Port rolled to a 48-0 vic-tory, but the exhibition game also served its purpose.

Jordan Smith and Nikolas Gonzalez both showed the ability to move the ball on the ground for Tavares.

“We moved the ball well in the spring game, but mistakes hurt us,” LaMarre said. “Since then we’ve put in a no-huddle offense and we used it at the

end of the passing league at the end of the summer. The players have picked it up well as we repeated it over and over.”

While LaMarre put in the new offense, he’s only made minor changes on the other side of the ball.

“We’ll run some different stunts and coverages and do a few different things, but it’s the same system,” LaMarre said. “We had some players who weren’t in the correct spots and it’s been a progression. But there’s been a tremendous amount of improvement.”

LaMarre has been pleased by what he’s seen from the Bulldogs since he took over in Tavares after having spent the previ-ous two seasons at St. Francis, a private school in Gainesville. Before that LaMarre was a long-time assistant at district rival Orlando Bishop Moore.

He takes over for Chris

Gauntlett, who stepped down for personal reasons.

“The players have worked really hard and have been committed,” LaMarre said. “The summer has been good and we’re ready to move on to the fall. This is where it gets serious.”

With so few returning start-ers, LaMarre has also been working on building leaders for the Bulldogs, a key component for any team with postseason aspirations.

“There was definitely a void to be filled as far as leadership,” LaMarre said. “We’ve talked to the seniors about this being their last year and it’s their last chance to determine what kind of legacy they are going to leave here. It’s not about entitlement because they are seniors, it’s about leading by example.

“It’s a work in progress, but I’ve seen people starting to step up.”

Expectations running high for tavares Bulldogs


sChEdulEAug. 28 ...........................................................................................BelleviewSept. 4 .................................................................................@ Crescent CitySept. 11 ............................................................................Keystone Heights Sept. 18 ................................................................................ @ Mount DoraSept. 25........................................................... @ Orlando First Academy Oct. 2 ................................................................................................UmatillaOct. 9 .............................................................................................@ Tavares Oct. 16 .................................................................................... South Sumter Oct. 30 ..................................................................................... @ DunnellonNov. 6........................................................................................................ TBA

2014 rEsults (8-3)@ Belleview .............................................................................................7-17Brooksville Central ............................................................................... 27-6@ Pierson Taylor ...................................................................................33-7Starke Bradford ................................................................................... 28-0Bell ............................................................................................................33-7Umatilla ................................................................................................ 10-34@ Keystone Heights .........................................................................48-42@ Wildwood ..........................................................................................43-6Interlachen............................................................................................. 44-7@ Hawthorne ...................................................................................... 41-16@ Jacksonville Raines ....................................................................... 0-54

kEy gamEsSept. 25 at OrlandO FirSt academy: A big non-district game against an Orlando powerhouse.Oct. 16 SOuth Sumter: A historic day when the Raiders go to The Range to face the Buffalo. A matchup between the only two varsity programs in Sumter County.

kEy playErsKole Harris, defensive back; Dylan Leiva, wide receiver; Marion Evans, linebacker; Sam Petro, lineman

kolE harris


They tasted success a year ago and now they are hungry for more. In only its second season playing at the Class 4A level last season, The Villages put to-gether an eight-win year while earning a berth in the postseason.

And while that trip to the postseason ended in an ugly loss on the road to Jacksonville Raines, it also helped lay the foundation for things to come for the Buffalo.

“We have 22 seniors this year and I’m excited about this group,” The Villages coach Richard Pettus said. “These kids have the hearts of giants. We just want the chance to be able to compete on Friday nights and if we stay healthy, we’ll have that chance.”

The Buffalo have come a long way in a short amount of time. It was just 2012 that The Villages had an 0-10 season as a Class 1A school. In 2013 came the jump to Class 4A and a six-win season, fol-lowed by last year’s run to the playoffs.

“The numbers at the school puts us in Class 4A,” Pettus said. “But I’m not sure we’re a 4A talent-wise. I’ve been here 14 years and we’ve always found a way to get it done. We’ll find a way to get it done this year.”

The seniors helped to set the tone early on for the Buffalo, being an example to the younger players in the weight room over the summer. That example has had an impact on those younger players, helping to create an air of excitement around the program.

“I’ve really been pleased with the work ethic,” Pettus said. “When they are asked to be here in the summer, they’re here. They made the commitment in summer that will be a key to our success in the fall.”

The Buffalo return eight starters on offense and nine on defense, providing plenty of experience on both sides of the ball.

“Our strengths are with our skills guys in the receiving corps and quarterback corps and our offensive line is big up front,” Pettus said. “Defensively our sec-ondary is a strength and our defensive line is a strength. We’re a little inexperi-enced at running back and linebacker

and we may lack a little team speed.”Senior wide receiver/defensive back

Dylan Levia is one of the top return-ers after a junior year where he had 16 catches for 248 yards along with six interceptions on defense. Senior Kole Harris rushed for 302 yards and eight touchdowns last season.

On defense senior Marion Evans had 30 tackles and two sacks while Sam Petro and Cole Holton combined for another 57 tackles.

Having been to the playoffs last season, the goal for the Buffalo this year is to repeat that feat. But this year The Villages faces a different set of oppo-nents on the road to the playoffs in the new Class 4A-District 4.

That district pits the Buffalo against South Sumter, Mount Dora, Umatilla and Dunnellon. Asked to pick one key game, Pettus instead points to the four district games as having equal weight.

“It’s a tough district, but our goal every year is to get to the playoffs and that won’t change,” Pettus said. “The last time these players played against South Sumter was in middle school. Now, since we can’t play Wildwood (which dropped its varsity program this year), South Sumter will be our rivalry game.

“Since our goal is to win the district, each district game will be key to making the playoffs and each of those games is meaningful. It’s those district games that can take us to the promised land.”

D019361


the Villages looks to cash in on experience


The Villages Buffalo enter the field before a game against Wildwood on Oct. 24, 2014.

“We have 22 seniors this year and

I’m excited about this group. These kids have the hearts of giants. We just want the chance to be able to

compete on Friday nights and if we stay healthy, we’ll have that chance.”

Richard Pettus


sChEdulEAug. 28 .........................................................................................@ LecantoSept. 4 ................................................................................Ocala Lake WeirSept. 11 ..........................................................................................@ Tavares Sept. 18 ................................................................................. South SumterSept. 25...............................................................................@ Crescent City Oct. 2 ....................................................................................@ The VillagesOct. 9 .....................................................................................................Eustis Oct. 16 ............................................................................................Dunnellon Oct. 22 .................................................................................. @ Mount DoraOct. 30 ............................................................................... Ocala West Port

2014 rEsults (8-3)@ Lecanto ........................................................................................... 49-42Mount Dora ........................................................................................... 12-26Tavares ..................................................................................................38-42@ Keystone Heights ............................................................................41-14@ The Villages .....................................................................................34-10@ Wildwood .......................................................................................... 52-0@Interlachen .........................................................................................41-6Starke Bradford ................................................................................... 28-17Deltona Trinity Christian ....................................................................49-8Deltona .................................................................................................. 34-21Jacksonville Bolles ...............................................................................0-63

kEy gamEsSept. 18 South Sumter: First Class 4A-District 4 game of the season for the Bulldogs. A victory against the Raiders would mean instant respect and earn Umatilla a great deal of statewide credibility.oct. 22 at mount Dora: A win could mean Umatilla’s second playoff berth in as many seasons.

kEy playErsCaleb Robinson, wide receiver; Austin Bush, linebacker; Tyler Belyeu, linebacker; Ethan Shreve, center

CalEb robinson

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The wins came in bunches for Umatilla last season. After starting the season with two losses in its first three games, Uma-tilla ran off seven straight wins to claim a district title and advance to the playoffs with the school’s best record in 11 years.

Coach Steve Seward is hoping that’s just the start of things to come for the Bulldogs.

“Winning the district gave the players a taste in their mouths where they know what it takes to earn those wins,” Seward said. “We have a lot of kids returning who are district champions and it’s huge when you know you can do something and know the work it requires to get there.”

Seward has seen evi-dence of that knowledge throughout the summer with the dedication of his players to the weight room.

“As long as I’ve been at Umatilla our kids have always done a great job in the weight room,” Seward said. “These kids don’t mind working and if they can get here, they will be here. Out of 28 days our kids averaged 22.5 days this summer. That’s pretty good.”

One of the things help-ing Umatilla is that the

Bulldogs return plenty of experience from last year’s successful run. The Bulldogs return six start-ers on offense and seven on defense. Included among those returning starters is do-everything Caleb Robinson, who

scored 20 touchdowns a year ago running and receiving. Robinson ac-counted for 836 yards and 12 touchdowns receiving and another 554 yards and eight scores rushing.

Umatilla also returns a pair of outstanding line-

backers in junior Austin Bush, who had 103 tackles last year, and senior Tyler Belyeu, who added 100 tackles. Senior Josh Enfin-ger has been impressive at quarterback.

Having those returning starters and a solid overall upper class has helped the Bulldogs establish some solid leaders for the team.

“One thing we’ve really worked on at Umatilla is trying to develop leaders,” Seward said. “These kids

have done a good job and they are really the coaches on the field. We don’t have any kind of hazing atmo-sphere here, it’s all about nurturing maturity.

“The seniors on this team really are leaders and they know how to get their point across to the younger guys.”

Seward knows Umatilla will have to be at its best to repeat the feat of a district title. This year the Bulldogs are in a district with South Sumter, Mount Dora, The Villages and Dunnellon. There aren’t likely to be any easy wins in that group.

“Our district is very tough and the bar is absolutely set higher,” Seward said. “We’ve got to keep getting better and once we start playing, we have to keep getting better each week. When you go up against a team like South Sumter, you’d better be ready.”

The upside to playing

in a tough district is that if you survive and make the playoffs, your team is already truly battle tested. Seward expects that to be the case for the Bulldogs this year.

“Playing a tough sched-ule does prepare you for the playoffs,” Seward said. “In the playoffs every game is a knock-down, drag-out fight and that’s the way it’s going to be in our district this year.”

Umatilla will be tested from the start in the district with its first opponent being peren-nial power South Sumter. Seward is pointing to that game as a key contest for the Bulldogs.

“If you want to win the district then you have to beat South Sumter,” Seward said. “If you can get by that one then you have future opponents to worry about. But you’ve got to win that first dis-trict game and get out of the blocks well.”

umatilla aiming high after big 2014 season


Umatilla’s Austin Bush (42) runs the football during a game against Deltona Trinity Christian Academy Oct. 30, 2014.

“Winning the district

gave the players a taste in their mouths where they know what it takes to earn those wins. We have a lot of kids returning who are district champions and

it’s huge when you know you can do something and know the work it requires to get there.”

Steve Seward

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MARK LONG Associated Press

GAINESVILLE — Florida coach Jim McElwain, hired to fix the team’s five-year stretch of lackluster offense, knew his toughest job in training camp would be to find a starting quarterback.

At least he had options. What he didn’t know was whether any of them could be the kind of difference-maker the Gators have lacked since former Heis-man Trophy winner Tim Tebow left campus in 2010.

This much, however, is cer-tain heading into the season: McElwain knows what he’s looking for from sophomore Treon Harris or redshirt fresh-man Will Grier.

“Being a winner is huge, OK,” McElwain said. “That’s huge. That means the people around you have played better and

elevated their play based on you being on the field. Some of the times, some of the greatest quarterbacks out there maybe didn’t have the greatest arm. They maybe didn’t have the greatest feet. But for whatever reason, the team moved suc-cessfully down the field.”

Harris started the final six games last season, complet-ing 49.5 percent of his passes

for 1,019 yards with nine touchdowns and four intercep-tions. He was thrust onto the field after starter Jeff Driskel self-destructed with a flurry of turnovers early in the season.

The 5-foot-11 Harris wasn’t a huge upgrade, but he showed flashes here and there.

He’s eager to prove he’s capable of more.

“Last year when I first got here, everything was fast,” Har-ris said. “It’s slowed down. I’m understanding more football, how to read defenses and how to take control in a football game.”

Grier missed the entire sea-son with herniated disks in his back, an injury sustained while lifting weights.

Grier said he added about 15 pounds in the offseason and feels “healthy, ready to go.”

“I just made it important to me to put on some weight and

get stronger and be able to take some hits and stuff like that,” Grier said. “It’s just a great opportunity. I’m going to do whatever it takes to help this team win and perform as best as I can.”

Newcomer Luke Del Rio, the son of Oakland Raiders coach Jack Del Rio, might be the wild card in the quarterback race. According to teammates, Del Rio looked good in summer workouts.

But Del Rio still must get an NCAA waiver to be eligible to play this season. Del Rio was a walk-on at Alabama and received a waiver to play right away after transferring to Or-egon State before last season.

He chose Florida knowing there was an opportunity under McElwain and new of-fensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier. Others clearly saw that, too.

Former Vanderbilt receiver and high school quarterback Josh Grady arrived on campus this summer and is eligible to play right away under the NCAA’s graduate transfer rules. Former Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson also visited Gainesville before deciding to transfer to rival Florida State.

So it’s clear McElwain is try-ing to upgrade the position.

But for now, he’ll likely have to decide between Harris and Grier. It could come down to which one is less afraid to fail — and maybe able to get Florida out of the depths of offensive ineptitude.

“You think about some of the great players of our time in any sport, well, you know what, they’ve gone through some failure. But they’ve faced the adversity, learned from it and gotten better,” McElwain said.

BRENT KALLESTADAssociated Press

TALLAHASSEE — Everett Golson hopes to prove at Florida State that a difficult finish to his Notre Dame career was an anomaly.

But first he has to beat out junior Sean Maguire, who has spent the last two seasons as Jameis Winston’s backup.

At the moment, Maguire is listed as No. 1 on the depth chart, but coach Jimbo Fisher said that means nothing.

Fisher knows from his own experience about the challeng-es of acclimating to a new team for one season. He transferred from Salem in West Virginia to Samford for his final season as a college quarterback in 1987.

After just three days of practice, Fisher has already been effusive in his praise for the 22-year-old Golson, who

becomes immediately eligible because he earned his under-graduate degree this spring at Notre Dame with a year of eligibility remaining.

“He has all the gifts,” Fisher said. “He can throw it; he can run. He learns well.”

Maguire, on the other hand, led Florida State to a dra-matic 23-17 overtime win over Clemson last year with Winston suspended, and he’s been in the Seminoles’ system for three years.

“He’s better and better with his knowledge of what’s going on,” Fisher said about the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Maguire, considered more of the classic drop-back quarterback.

There is a wide experience gap between Golson and Magu-ire, who has played in just one full game and parts of a dozen others, throwing a total of 70 passes compared to Golson’s

745 at the college level.But the 6-0, 200-pound Gol-

son, plagued by interceptions and fumbles, lost his starting job last year at Notre Dame.

“The past is what it is,” Gol-son said recently. “I’ve learned and matured.”

Golson threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns but was intercepted twice in Florida State’s 31-27 win over the Irish

last October. He was inter-cepted 14 times and lost eight fumbles in a season when Notre Dame dropped five of its last six regular-season games.

Maguire, meanwhile, is beginning his fourth year in Fisher’s program and is more of the prototype for the Semi-noles’ passing offense.

“It’s good competition — it’s the only way to look at things,” Maguire said.

Maguire said Fisher came to him when first thinking about checking with Golson on his potential interest in coming to Florida State.

“I’m not afraid of competition at all,” Maguire said.

“I didn’t come to Florida State to say, ‘Here you go, you’re the starting quarterback,’” Maguire said. “I’m going to help him, obviously. We’re all on the same team.”

Golson, who is from Myrtle

Beach, South Carolina, said he’s been warmly received by his new teammates.

There is also competition for the starting tailback posi-tion created by the absence of Dalvin Cook, who is suspended. Florida State took two team pic-tures: one with their suspended sophomore and another without him.

Cook’s status for the season remains in the hands of local law officials. The first fresh-man 1,000-yard rusher in the school’s history faces an early September court date on a misdemeanor assault charge on an accusation he hit a woman outside a downtown bar in June.

Unlike a separate incident that led to the dismissal of freshman quarterback De’Andre Johnson, no video has surfaced from the Cook episode.

scheduleSept. 5 ............... New Mexico StateSept. 12 ........................East CarolinaSept. 19 .........................at KentuckySept. 26 ...........................TennesseeOct. 3 ..................................... Ole MissOct. 10 .............................. at MissouriOct. 17 ...................................... at LSUOct. 31 .............................. vs. GeorgiaNov. 7 ................................VanderbiltNov. 14 ................ at South CarolinaNov. 21 .................... Florida AtlanticNov. 28 ........................Florida State

scheduleSept. 5 .............................Texas StateSept.12 ........................................... USFSept. 18 .............. at Boston CollegeOct. 3 ........................ at Wake ForestOct. 10 ....................................... MiamiOct. 17 ................................. LouisvilleOct. 24 .................... at Georgia TechOct. 31 ..................................SyracuseNov. 7 .............................. at ClemsonNov. 14 ............................... N.C. StateNov. 21 ........................ ChattanoogaNov. 28 .............................. at Florida

florida, Mcelwain looking to find starting QB

transfer golson hopes to win florida state QB job


KYLE HIGHTOWERAssociated Press

ORLANDO — While a lot of guys George O’Leary’s age would be thinking about slow-ing down, the UCF coach is busier than ever.

O’Leary, who turns 69 this month, is starting his 47th year in coaching and 12th at UCF — and he recently became the school’s interim athletic director.

O’Leary said that while he probably should start thinking about his future, he still enjoys what he’s doing.

“I think I’ve had a good ca-reer, but I love the competition, I love the camaraderie with the kids. I love game planning. I love winning,” he said.

Then O’Leary quoted former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden, who famously said, “After you retire, there’s only one big event left.”

“Nobody wants to see that,” O’Leary said. “I think the big thing is that I got a couple of jobs to do this season, but they’re both going well. I’m going to put the amount of time management that I have to put into both of them.”

The athletic director’s role has required him to tweak his schedule. He arrives at his office at 5:30 each morning, an

hour earlier than he normally would.

Though he said he has more of a “CEO role” these days, he remains active on the practice field and is present at every team or position group meeting.

The players haven’t noticed O’Leary backing off.

Senior offensive lineman Joey Grant said O’Leary jumped into a drill this week to show a player the correct form on a blocking drill.

“He’s very involved,” Grant said, “and if something’s not being done right he’s gonna correct it. It’s his program and what we do on the field is going to be directly correlated to him.”

The Knights have won 15 of 16 American Athletic Confer-ence games and has claimed at least a share of the league title the last two years. They’ll

have to replace 14 starters, but O’Leary said the fact UCF was picked to finish second in the East Division shows the pro-gram is held in high regard.

“The one thing about the program which I really didn’t realize ...was the respect the program has,” O’Leary said. “Everybody says, ‘Coach you weren’t picked to win the conference.’ But when you look at the players on offense and defense that we have, I think the respect that they gave the program is very obvious.”

O’Leary’s job on the sidelines was made tougher this summer when he announced that unior receiver Taylor Oldham and freshman defensive back Chris Williams would miss most, if not all, of the team’s preseason practice.

O’Leary said Oldham will likely be out until October after suffering an undisclosed injury

during UCF’s spring game in April. Williams is recovering from being shot twice in the arm earlier this month follow-ing an altercation outside a lounge.

Williams was released from the hospital July 20, and will be out at least eight weeks. O’Leary placed Williams on a medical withdrawal from sum-mer classes and said his status would be evaluated next week.

The injuries of both Oldham and Williams hit players at posi-tions that the Knights will be hoping to replenish this fall.

The offense lost its four top receivers from 2014, and the defense will be trying to replace its entire starting secondary which included the early NFL draft departure of AAC co-De-fensive Player of the Year Jacoby Glenn.

Oldham is one of the most experienced receivers.

TIM REYNOLDS Associated Press

CORAL GABLES — Braxton Berrios’ story could serve as the ultimate example of what Miami is trying to accomplish this year.

He told people for years that his dream was to play for the Hurricanes. More often than not, they wouldn’t believe. In fairness, he doesn’t exactly fit the mold of the prototype Mi-ami wide receiver — he stands only 5-foot-9 and he’s not a South Florida native like many great Hurricanes at that position in the past, hailing instead from Raleigh, North Carolina.

Look at him now. After 21 catches last season as a fresh-man, Berrios is already con-sidered a leader and one of the keys to Miami’s success in 2015.

“I know I got the last laugh,” Berrios said. “They can turn on the TV and see it. I know I

got the last laugh on all those people who laughed in my face.”

He’s thinking the Hurricanes might get some collective last laughs this season as well.

It’s an annual rite in college football. Dozens of preseason publications come out and predict how the year ahead will play out, and it’s no secret around Miami that the external expectations for the Hurri-canes this season aren’t exactly overwhelming. The consensus seems to be that the Hurricanes will basically be a middle-of-the-pack team in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and that coach Al Golden’s hold on his job is tenuous at best.

Somehow, the Hurricanes have convinced themselves not to care about what’s being said on the outside.

“We don’t listen to it,” Berrios said. “We’re not worried about

that ... we’re not. We’re going to be good. We know we’re going to be good and that’s really all that matters to us. We can’t stop them from saying anything, we can’t sway their opinion. We don’t care.”

After a freefall ended last season — a four-game losing streak, to be precise — Miami doesn’t need much in the way of motivation these days. The

Hurricanes finished 6-7, the program’s worst mark since 2007 and that came in a year where they were supposed to contend for the ACC’s Coastal title. Now, only a few of the preseason predictors see Miami as a legit candidate to win the Coastal.

The Hurricanes disagree. They’re also not looking back.

“I’m excited. That’s it,” Golden said at the team’s annual media day luncheon, seeming exasper-ated over a question about the 2014 season.

Everyone knows that these have not been glory years for Miami.

The Hurricanes haven’t won a national title since the 2001 season, are still waiting for their first ACC crown, plus haven’t won a bowl game since escaping with a 21-20 win over Nevada on a frigid New Year’s Eve night at Boise State in 2006.

And of course, there was that NCAA investigation that started in 2011 over the actions of a rogue former booster who’s now serving time in federal prison for masterminding a $930 mil-lion Ponzi scheme.

Golden may be in a make-or-break year, even though he’s under contract through the 2019 season. He said recently that he doesn’t let that notion bother him, saying all that matters is getting this team ready for this season.

“We need to get better,” Miami athletic director Blake James said. “We need to get better. We need to get better as a program and we need to look at what are we doing to get better and look at all the categories. Some are very easy to quan-tify. Others aren’t. ... He’s been working on making the changes that are necessary to make us a better program.”

scheduleSept. 3 ..............Florida InternatioalSept. 12 ............................at StanfordSept. 19 ..................................FurmanSept. 26 .............. at South CarolinaOct. 3 ...................................at TulaneOct. 10 ...................................... UConnOct. 17 .................................at TempleOct. 24 ...................................HoustonOct. 31 ............................at CincinnatiNov. 7 ......................................at TulsaNov. 19 ..........................East CarolinaNov. 26 .......................................... USF

scheduleSept. 5 .............. Bethune-CookmanSept. 11 ............... at Florida AtlanticSept. 19 ..............................NebraskaOct. 1 at .............................CincinnatiOct. 10 .....................at Florida StateOct. 17 ...........................Virginia TechOct. 24 ................................. ClemsonOct. 31 .................................... at DukeNov. 7 ......................................VirginiaNov. 14 .................at North CarolinaNov. 21 ......................... Georgia TechNov. 27 .........................at Pittsburgh

ucf’s O’leary will maintain focus on coaching

low external expectations nothing new for uM


PAT EATON-ROBBAssociated Press

NEWPORT, R.I. — The American Athletic Conference is not one of the nation’s power conferences.

Its commissioner wants to change that and South Florida and UCF are in support of his goals.

Mike Aresco said recently his league will not accept the status quo in which the Big 12, Big Ten, Atlantic Coast Conference, Southeastern Conference and Pac-12 are perceived to be on a different level from the AAC.

Speaking during his confer-ence’s annual football media days, Aresco called his confer-ence a “challenger brand.”

“If we look and act like the so-called Power Five, we will be in the conversation and eventu-ally ‘Power Six’ will enter the media and public lexicon and perceptions,” he said.

Aresco acknowledged the AAC, which is entering its third season since rising out of the breakup of the old Big East, cannot make the NCAA give it the level of autonomy in rulemaking it has bestowed on the Power Five.

He said the American can instead force open that door with its play on the field and by providing student athletes with an equal level of support off of it.

He noted the AAC already has joined the Power Five in institut-ing reforms such as full cost-of-attendance scholarships and strict concussion protocols.

But not everyone believes the league can keep pace.

“We can do that for a couple of years,” UCF coach George O’Leary said. “We obviously can’t sustain. When you are not getting a $35 million check, it’s hard to have that cost of attendance and keep up with

everything.”On the field, the Ameri-

can went just 4-22 against Power Five schools in 2014. The league’s out-of-conference schedule this season includes 19 games against Power Five schools. Navy and Temple also will play Notre Dame.

“As those Power Five schools go to nine conference games and are mandated to play one from the other four Power Five

conferences, it limits their abil-ity to play our teams,” Aresco said.

“On the other hand, some conferences have said they won’t play FCS schools, which means they will potentially play us. I believe if we play them, we can compete with them.”

The AAC has added Navy for football this season. With a 12-team league it will have its first conference championship game on Dec. 5 at the home site of the division champion with the best conference record.

Cincinnati was picked as the favorite in the annual media poll. The Bearcats return 15 seniors from a team that went 9-4 last season and won a share of the conference title with a 7-1 mark in the league. They re-ceived 22 of 30 first-place votes.

Cincinnati quarterback Gun-ner Kiel, whose team is used to living in the shadow of Ohio State, said one of his goals is to

show the nation that his team and his conference deserve both a little more respect and a little more attention.

“We feel like the underdogs to the Power Five,” he said. “There are some real good teams in this conference and we don’t get the recognition that we should.”

The Bearcats have been placed in the East Division of the conference, and are picked to finish ahead of UCF, Temple, East Carolina, South Florida and UConn.

Memphis, which went 10-3 last season, is the choice to win the West Division ahead of Houston, Navy, Tulane, SMU and Tulsa.

Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo said other conferences may have stronger teams at very top of their leagues, but he believes the Midshipman are joining one of the strongest confer-ences in the nation from top to bottom.

FRED GOODALLAssociated Press

TAMPA — Da’Quan Bowers is grateful to have another chance to prove himself with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

A major disappointment for four seasons after entering the NFL as one of the nation’s top college pass rushers in 2011, the 25-year-old defensive lineman is back with the Bucs after at-tracting little interest from other clubs in free agency.

The 6-foot-4, 300-pound tack-le, a second-round draft pick out of Clemson in 2011, eventu-ally landed a one-year deal to try to jumpstart his career. And, he’s determined to make the most of the opportunity.

“I feel amazing, man. Really blessed,” Bowers said during a break in training camp, where he’s trying to earn a job as a backup on a line lacking

experienced depth with tackle Akeem Spence out following back surgery.

The fifth-year pro was humbled, but not broken by his failure to land a contract in free agency.

Instead, Bowers returned to school to work toward a degree

in sports management. He also stayed in shape and kept in contact with the Bucs, who signed him just before the start of training camp.

“It wasn’t disappointing. Sometimes you need to step away and take another look at it. Looking from the outside in made me appreciate things more than I had in the past,” Bowers said.

The Bucs once envisioned Bowers becoming the dominant edge pass rusher the team has lacked the past decade, but coach Lovie Smith thinks he has the versatility to move inside and play effectively at tackle.

Bowers split time at end and tackle in 2014, appearing in 11 games and finishing with 21 tackles and 1 1/2 sacks. In 50 career games, including 10 starts, he has seven sacks.

“I’m a swing man. The more I can do, the more my chances

are,” Bowers said, while also conceding his best chance to earn playing time likely will be as a tackle.

He reported to camp “physi-cally and mentally prepared” to whatever necessary to take advantage of a “clean slate” with Smith, who’s beginning his second season in Tampa Bay.

The coach is encouraged by what he’s seen in camp, noting Bowers is in good shape and is making progress in practice.

Smith is not surprised.“Most of us have been fired at

least one time and it’s a hum-bling experience. ... To know and to see how blessed you are to have a chance to be an NFL football player, you would get a different player at most posi-tions if a player was cut first and then had to come back. He would appreciate it a lot more and know that you only have so many opportunities,” the coach

said.“Da’Quan did some good

things for us last year,” Smith added. “And I know right now, he came in, in-shape ready to go. ... He can be a good football player.”

Bowers said he’s better for what he went through for the six months or so he was a man without a team.

“Definitely a humbling expe-rience, gave me a lot of times to truly work on myself, make some positive strides in my life away from football as far as go-ing back to school and trying to get my degree,” he said.

“Being away from football, being away from everything made me miss it that much more,” Bowers added. “It’s an honor and a privilege, and an amazing opportunity with coach Lovie. ... I’m very, very thankful for it.”

scheduleSept. 5 ..........................Florida A&MSept. 12 ...................at Florida StateSept. 19 .........................at MarylandOct. 2 ................................... MemphisOct. 10 ..................................SyracuseOct. 17 .................................at UConnOct. 24 .........................................SMUOct. 31 .................................... at NavyNov. 7 ......................at East CarolinaNov. 14 ....................................TempleNov. 20 ..............................CincinnatiNov. 26 ....................................at UCF

scheduleSept. 13 .............................TennesseeSept. 20 ................. at New OrleansSept. 27 .......................... at HoustonOct. 4 .................................... CarolinaOct. 11 ............................. JacksonvilleOct. 25 ......................at WashingtonNov. 1 ................................. at AtlantaNov. 8 .................... New York GiantsNov. 15 ...................................... DallasNov. 22 .................... at PhiladelphiaNov. 29 .................... at IndianapolisDec. 6 ..................................... AtlantaDec. 13 ...........................New OrleansDec. 17 .............................. at St. LouisDec. 27 ...................................ChicagoJan. 3 ................................ at Carolina

Bowers excited for another chance with Bucs

usf hopes aac can turn Power 5 into Power 6


MARK LONG Associated Press

JACKSONVILLE — Jackson-ville Jaguars cornerback Nick Marshall flashed a brief smile in the locker room Thursday as he noticed one of his college games being replayed on an 80-inch television.

Teammates saw it, too, and responded by razzing the rookie.

The taunts had nothing to do with Marshall making plays. After all, they’ve seen plenty of that in training camp.

They were about his previous position at Auburn. The former Tigers quarterback, who led Auburn to a 20-7 record and a national championship game in two seasons, has stood out during the first week of prac-tice. He is picking up schemes, blanketing receivers and look-ing like a legitimate contender

to make the final roster.“Great poise, really strong

competitor, and his speed and instincts are really showing up,” Jaguars coach Gus Bradley said. “I really like him now. I think he’s got a chance. ... The thing with him is it’s not too

big. He doesn’t care who he’s lining up against.”

Although the Jaguars have depth at cornerback — Davon House, Aaron Colvin, Demetri-us McCray and Dwayne Gratz have starting experience — there is an open battle for the final spot or two. And Marshall is right in the mix, maybe even at the forefront.

“It’s working out very well,” Marshall said. “I’m getting better each day. I’m taking advantage of reps and learning from the veterans in front of me.”

Marshall was a two-way player at Pineview High in Georgia and started his college career with the home-state Bulldogs. He was a backup cornerback as a freshman, but was dismissed from the team in February 2012 for an undis-closed violation of team rules.

He landed at Garden City

Community College in Kansas, where he spent a year before transferring to Auburn. With the Tigers, Marshall topped 4,500 yards passing and 1,800 yards rushing, and helped the Tigers reach the Bowl Championship Series title game against Florida State in 2014. Marshall returned for his senior season, but the Tigers went 8-5 despite averaging 35.5 points a game.

Marshall earned an invita-tion to the Senior Bowl, where he started the first day at quarterback but switched to cornerback between meetings and practice.

“I thought about it,” he said. “It was just something that I knew was the best fit for me. That’s why I chose that posi-tion. It was my decision on my own. Nobody forced me to make the decision.”

It may have been the best

thing for him.The Jaguars coached Mar-

shall on the South squad and saw firsthand his athleticism and raw coverage skills. They considered drafting him with a late-round pick, but thought they could get him as an un-drafted free agent. They made him one of their priority sign-ings, and have been pleased with the results so far.

“He’s a baller,” Colvin said. “You really don’t have to tell him too much. He’s just a foot-ball player. I don’t want to tell him too much because once he starts thinking, that will start holding him back.”

Added former Auburn team-mate and Jaguars running back Corey Grant: “He’s just a natural athlete. I knew it would fit him perfectly. I never had a doubt in my mind he would roll into it and do it well.”

TIM REYNOLDS Associated Press

MIAMI — Once the Miami Dolphins offense found a rhythm in their intrasquad scrimmage, the touchdowns started coming in rapid succes-sion through the air and on the ground.

Also worth noting: None came with Ndamukong Suh on the field.

Suh made his presence known early with some im-pressive plays during a pre-season scrimmage at Florida International University. The scoreboard said the final score was Defense 21, Dolphins 17, somewhat inexplicable since the Dolphins once led 30-0 and a bunch of touchdowns weren’t even counted in the second half.

“It’s great to be with the fans,” Dolphins coach Joe Philbin

said. “I thought they created a great atmosphere for a football practice in training camp. It’s great for the players. A couple guys already came up to me and were like, ‘Wow coach, I’m glad we did that.’ We’ve got to get on a bus and go play a game in six days and I thought this was really good preparation for them.”

The Dolphins ran about 90 plays, and the announced attendance was about 16,000 with a fireworks show and autograph session afterward. Philbin thanked them for com-ing, urged them to come see the team play at their remodeled Sun Life Stadium home — and got loud cheers when he sug-gested they could see the team play in January as well.

Ryan Tannehill threw a pair of second-half touchdowns, both to Jordan Cameron. One went for 26 yards on the first

play after the break when he stepped up against heavy pres-sure and found the tight end in the left corner of the end zone. The other was a 2-yarder in a red-zone situation. Tannehill finished 11 of 17 for 101 yards with the two scores and two interceptions.

Tannehill found Jarvis Landry for a 14-yard gain on the scrim-mage’s first snap. Two plays later, Suh took over — first running down Lamar Miller for a 12-yard loss after blowing past guard Billy Turner, then immediately following that by catching Damien Williams for a third-down stop.

“It’s going to happen,” Tan-nehill said. “When you have an All-Pro player, no matter who’s playing guard, there’s going to be one play a game or two plays a game where he’s getting through.”

Later, Suh went back into the game when the offense was 7 yards from the end zone and driving. Perhaps not coinciden-tally, as soon as Suh re-entered, someone false-started and the drive stalled.

“I’ve seen him do it in person before,” Tannehill said. “I was on the wrong end of some of

those hits. I do understand it. Just the energy he brings to the defense in the pass game and the run defense ... I’m glad he’s on our side.”

Perhaps the most promising part of the night for the Dol-phins was from Suh after the scrimmage, when he shrugged off his big plays and described them as the start of him shak-ing game-situation rust off.

“Just scratching the surface,” Suh said. “I’ve got a lot of work in front of me to do ... I’ve got some things I’m not happy with.”

Suh was signed by the Dol-phins on March 11 to a six-year $114 million contract, with $60 million guaranteed. The contract made Suh the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history.

He surpassed Houston’s J.J. Watt, who had been the top-paid defender.

scheduleSept. 13 ................................. CarolinaSept. 20 ................................... MiamiSept. 27 ................. at New EnglandOct. 4 ....................... at IndianapolisOct. 11 ......................... at Tampa BayOct. 18 ................................... HoustonOct. 25 ....................................BuffaloNov. 8 .................... at New York JetsNov. 15 ..........................at BaltimoreNov. 19 .............................. TennesseeNov. 29 ..............................San DiegoDec. 6 ...........................at TennesseeDec. 13 ........................... IndianapolisDec. 20 .................................. AtlantaDec. 27 .................... at New OrleansJan. 3 ............................... at Houston

scheduleSept. 13 .....................at WashingtonSept. 20 ................... at JacksonvilleSept. 27 ..................................BuffaloOct. 4 ......................... New York JetsOct. 18 ...........................at TennesseeOct. 25 ..................................HoustonOct. 29 ................... at New EnglandNov. 8................................. at BuffaloNov. 15 ..................... at PhiladelphiaNov. 22 ...................................... DallasNov. 29 ................. at New York JetsDec. 6 .................................BaltimoreDec. 14 ................... New York GiantsDec. 20 ........................ at San DiegoDec. 27 .......................... IndianapolisJan. 3 ........................... New England

former QB impressing Jaguars at new position

suh an immediate force in Miami scrimmages

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