Terriers outduel Dragons
By JEREMY RASMUSSEN
Published September 24, 2005
TAMPA - In a battle of two of the state's top quarterbacks, Hillsborough's Jarred Fayson topped Jefferson's Stephen Garcia 35-14 on Friday. The Terriers improved to 5-0.
Despite the lopsided final score, the Dragons (3-2) nearly tied it in the third quarter after driving 75 yards downfield.
With his team down 21-14, Garcia converted two long third-down plays to Tertavian Ingram and a fourth-down play to Byron McLeod to keep the drive alive. But on fourth and goal from the 5, Chris Kelley intercepted Garcia's pass in the end zone.
"Our kids played hard," Jefferson coach Mike Simmonds said. "We missed some opportunities, but I'm very proud of the way we played against a great football team."
Hillsborough's game plan was to get the ball to Jimmy Sapp. The 5-foot-8, 195 pound fullback delivered with eight rushes for 70 yards on the Terriers' opening drive. He finished with 23 carries for 159 yards and two touchdowns.
While Sapp did most of the work up the middle, Fayson had one amazing run after another.
Fayson scored on a 10-yard run in the second quarter after setting it up with 26-yard scamper and added a 9-yard touchdown run in the second. He gained 101 yards before halftime and finished with 14 carries for 183 yards, including a final dagger on a 27-yard touchdown run with 3:35 to play.
Despite missing offensive coordinator Mike Fenton, who was suspended after being ejected from last week's game against Armwood, the Dragons had plenty of firepower.
In the first quarter, Garcia kept it on an option and ran 76 yards for a touchdown to tie it at 7. In the second, he scrambled to find Trent Pupello on a 46-yard pass, continuing a drive capped by Ingram's diving catch in the corner of the end zone with 54 seconds remaining.
"I can't say enough about Stephen Garcia. He's a one-man show. He's fun to watch," Hillsborough coach Earl Garcia said. "But (Fayson) ain't all bad either. He and Jimmy Sapp played tough tonight. Our kids have a lot of character."