Veteran crop returns for Green Devils

By CHRIS GIRANDOLA, ERIC MUSKATEVC
Published May 12, 2005

St. Petersburg (5-5 in 2004) enters spring practice wishing it was fall.

The Green Devils return 25 starters on offense and defense, highlighted by senior running back Robert Blanks.

Blanks, 5-11 and 208 pounds, recently returned from the highly touted Nike Combine in Tallahassee, where he ranked third overall for state high school players. Blanks, who has received numerous offers from Division I colleges, ran a 4.6 in the 40 in addition to completing 24 repetitions in the bench press at 185 pounds.

"He really shined up there," St. Petersburg coach Todd St. Louis said. "He's been working hard in improving in all areas of his game and it has shown."

Blanks, who had 400 yards receiving from the slot position in 2004, will team up with fellow senior Durant Kent (5-8, 170) and junior Quinton Newton (5-8, 165) out of the backfield. St. Louis thinks this year's version of his wishbone offense will surpass last year's attack, which produced more than 3,000 yards rushing.

Steve Berthelot takes over at quarterback, a position held the past three years by Jared Paletti, who is headed to Division II Trinity College (Conn.). Berthelot, a running back last year, went to the Nike Camp in Miami over Spring Break and impressed the coaches enough to be ranked ninth out of 150 athletes and 24th out of all the Nike Combines.

Berthelot should have an easy target in senior wideout Donald Bowens. Bowens (6-3, 195), who has been offered a full ride to Mississippi, starred at the combines, ranking first overall among receivers.

"We're a lot farther ahead of things than I thought we would be," St. Louis said. "Our speed and strength is a lot better, to the point where I've had to tell the guys to let off a little bit so they don't hurt each other."

SEMINOLE: Whereas St. Petersburg returns a plethora of talent and experience, the Warhawks face a fall with only five veterans.

"Well, basically, it's back to the fundamentals," coach Sam Roper said. "Block and tackle, simple as that. Just going to have to line them up and see what happens (Aug. 20) against Countryside."

Seminole, 4-6 in 2004, will rely heavily on running backs Ryan Catanzaro and Lyndon Rowells and wingback/corner Greg Harvey, the only returnees of skill position players. Harvey, a sophomore standout on defense in the fall at the corner position, will assume duties at wingback for the first time.

Rowells, another sophomore, compiled 700 yards rushing and will team with senior Catanzaro as they try to steer the Warhawks in the right direction.

Roper has three players competing for starting quarterback. Juniors Brian Lumpkin, who took some snaps under center last fall, and Joel Lother will battle sophomore Mike Bradley, who started on the junior varsity squad.

TARPON SPRINGS: Bruce Buck was an easy hire for Tarpon Springs after Don Davis resigned at the end of his 12th season. Buck is no stranger to a leading role, winning a district championship with Pinellas Park in 1983, but don't look for much difference between the 2005 team and last year's squad, whose 6-4 record is misleading.

"We have a nice senior crop," said Buck, adding he has close to 60 athletes out for spring practices, including 15 returning seniors.

Kevin Nelson and Andrew Couchenour, who had 100 tackles each, will graduate, but Buck expects the "same ol' Tarpon defense" to be there next season, as he has helped coordinate there since 1991.

"I'm a little bit more of a formation guy," Buck said of the upcoming offense.

Montell Gamble, all-county first-team in the secondary last year, returns as an explosive threat at wideout. Quarterback Matt Selby started last year when graduating Justin Ross did not, and is a lock to hand the ball off to Steven Bennett and Marcus Thompson, who return at tailback.

"We still haven't had a winning season here or a playoff game," said Bengston, who also was the 'Canes girls basketball coach before accepting the football position.

Bengston will have to play to PHU's strengths. John Gentry played wideout last year and has been converted to quarterback this spring. He is in battle with last year's JV starter Andrew Gibbons for the position.

Ted Larsen is moving on to N.C. State as a defensive tackle and middle linebacker J.P. Jenkins will be playing for Southwest Missouri in Division II. Mark Wachtler, an incoming senior tailback, currently is taking handoffs but has never played a down.

[Last modified May 12, 2005, 00:31:16]