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East Bay Indians turn into a class (5A) act

After 19 starters graduated, not much was expected this season. But the team steadily improved and tonight it faces a powerhouse in the playoffs.

By BRYAN BURNS
Published November 11, 2005

GIBSONTON - The East Bay Indians football team finished the 2005 season with a 5-5 record, good for second place in Class 5A, District 7 and the school's fourth playoff appearance in the past five years.

For that, the Indians were rewarded by drawing defending state champion and undefeated Lakeland, the No. 1 team in Florida Class 5A that's ranked by USA Today as the No. 1 team in the country.

The teams meet in the Region 2 quarterfinal playoff action tonight a t Lakeland.

"They bring everything to the table that a high school team could possibly bring," East Bay head coach Brian Thornton said. "That's why they have that No. 1 national ranking."

He added:

"I've never played the No. 1 team in the country before, so this is kind of new waters for me."

The coach prepared his team for tonight's game by following the same routine he has used all season long. Players said they have not given up hope of winning.

"We're not going to give up, no matter who we play," senior lineback Josh Herman said. "(Lakeland) might be the No. 1 team in the nation, but we're going to show them what East Bay is made of."

Not much was expected of East Bay this season after the team graduated 19 starters from last year's team. But this is a team that is reloading, not rebuilding.

"We seemed to improve all year long," Thornton said. "That's usually what happens when you're young because you don't have experience."

Probably the biggest hole that Thornton had to fill was at the quarterback position. Indians sophomore Rex Ballenger got his first start at quarterback in the fifth game of the season against Bloomingdale, a game East Bay dominated throughout in a 24-0 victory. That victory was a turning point in the season.

"That was a big win for us," Thornton said. "They were one of the favorites to win the district, and to beat them on the road was the biggest victory for us."

Leading into the Bloomingdale game, East Bay had been 2-2. The Indians had been unable to string together two consecutive victories, sandwiching wins over Leto and Newsome between losses at Riverview and Chamberlain.

With Ballenger at quarterback, East Bay was able to reel off three straight victories (24-0 against Bloomingdale, 49-14 at King and 30-22 at Plant City) and clinch a spot in the 5A playoffs.

The defense has also been a key element in leading East Bay to another playoff appearance. Herman, the senior lineback, explains that the defense has stuck to a common theme all season.

"We have a slogan, which is 9-5-9," Herman said. "That means nine players within 5 yards of the ball carrier 90 percent of the time."

Despite losing their last three games of the regular season, Thornton thinks his young squad has more confidence now because of the nature of the losses. A three-point loss to Durant, a five-point loss to Brandon in which the Indians found themselves down big early and battled back to make a close game of it, and a hard-fought loss to traditional power Armwood give Thornton hope heading into the Lakeland game.

"We played three of our toughest opponents the last three games," Thornton said. "We lost last week to Armwood, but we played them as tough as anybody has played them in the past two years besides Hillsborough. You do that and you feel good about yourself."

[Last modified November 10, 2005, 09:34:06]