No passing fancy

Teams with sure-handed receivers have fared well, and Pinellas County is well stocked at the position again.

By BOB PUTNAM
Published August 27, 2005

The slant pass came Jamar Newsome's way, and the field opened up like a vast meadow.

Losing defenders with his arsenal of dekes, the Boca Ciega receiver weaved his way for a 54-yard touchdown in Thursday night's game against Countryside.

"We had about eight guys touch (Newsome) and he still scored," Cougars coach John Davis said. "I was impressed with him as a receiver. I remember telling my coaches at the end of the game to watch out for him. They said he wasn't in there. I said, "Watch him anyway.' "

Newsome isn't the only one to keep an eye on. There is a marvelous collection of fleet and savvy receivers across the county. Six of last season's top 10 are back, including St. Petersburg Catholic's Andrew Harris, Clearwater Central Catholic's Riley Cooper, St. Petersburg's Donald Bowens and Gibbs' Kevin Williams.

There also is a slew of others waiting in the wings.

"It's about as good a group as I can remember," St. Petersburg coach Todd St. Louis said. "There are just some tremendous athletes in this county. Those are the guys you want to have the ball."

The shift to the receivers game began more than a decade ago when a few county teams started shucking their running roots by establishing the pass and pushing the ball downfield.

Gibbs offensive coordinator Dave Cleppe was one of the first to open things up. In 1993, Cleppe had an up-and-coming quarterback, Shaun King, and went to Florida State University to learn the intricacies of the Seminoles' fastbreak offense.

For programs built on running games, watching a team air it out took some getting used to. But the nonbelievers were converted by the Gladiators' success.

Other teams slowly began to amp up their offenses. As a result, receivers started thriving in the county like never before.

The proof is in the playoffs. Last season, nine of the county's top 10 receivers were on teams that made the postseason.

And by showcasing the passing game more, receivers are getting the attention from colleges.

There are 10 receivers from Pinellas playing at major Division I schools, including three - Kevin Marion (Dixie Hollins), Chris Davis (Gibbs) and Chip Brinkman (CCC) - who could start this season at Wake Forest.

"Everybody wants to be a receiver now," Davis said. "It's the glamour position. The first thing I see when I go out to practice is my offensive linemen throwing footballs to each other. In fact, one of them, Seaver Brown, now wants to be referred to as receiver Brown."

The class of the county this season is Cooper.

Rivals.com rates the 6-foot-4, 205-pounder as the sixth-best athlete in the country. Auburn and Notre Dame have him as the top receiver on their boards. He has a 40-inch vertical leap, helping him to 32 catches and 987 yards last season, plus 15 interceptions the past two seasons.

"I think we can definitely do better than last year," Cooper said earlier this season. "We've got a lot of weapons and that'll take some pressure off me."

Cooper and teammate Colin McCarthy will benefit from having an experienced quarterback, Andrew Nowells.

Bowens does not have that luxury. Steve Barthelot injured his ankle and is out four to five weeks. Bowens will line up under center to give the Green Devils an added dimension while they await Barthelot's return.

"Bowens is a tremendous athlete who can do things besides catch the football," St. Louis said. "He's played just about every skill position. But his future will most likely be catching passes and we'll have him back to doing that in time."

[Last modified August 27, 2005, 01:15:14]