Preps special
Blue Jackets have replacements ready
By RODNEY PAGE
Published September 3, 2004
ST. PETERSBURG - Chris Ah Leong takes over as coach at Admiral Farragut this season, but this is not a rebuilding year.
Ah Leong knows rebuilding when he sees it. He was the Indian Rocks Christian coach in the late 1990s when the team struggled to get enough players, let alone win a game.
Sure, the Blue Jackets lose all-everything player Vince Patterson. But Ah Leong thinks there are quality players waiting to take his place. He believes this is a playoff team.
"I think we'll have a great team," Ah Leong said. "But we are real young. We've got a lot of depth, which we haven't really had in the past. I think (the district) is between Berkeley Prep, Shorecrest and us."
The talent starts with junior running back Bernard Scott. Scott played sparingly behind Patterson last season, but he is one of the school's top sprinters and is capable of breaking long runs. Sophomore quarterback Kraig Brown also played a little last season, but Ah Leong is sold on his talent. Brown is more of a running quarterback, so don't look for the Blue Jackets to throw a lot.
"(Brown) is taking charge of that offense," Ah Leong said.
Senior Cameron Young returns at fullback after playing on the line last season. Young has been on the varsity squad since eighth grade, so he is experienced. Senior wing back/tight end Tai Hererra-Clark is another skill player Ah Leong likes. Up front, senior guards David Schultz and Austin Anderson will anchor the offensive line.
Alex Weghorn will handle place kicking and field goal duties. Weghorn has never played organized football.
Defensively, Ah Leong likes sophomore lineman Elvis Fisher. Young, Schultz and Hererra-Clark also will play on defense.
"We're trying to limit the number of guys we have playing both ways," Ah Leong said. "We're trying to build our depth now so that when we start we can keep guys fresh."
[Last modified September 1, 2004, 08:22:26]
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