Trip worthwhile forSarasota-Booker

By DEREK LaRIVIERE
Published September 2, 2006

BROOKSVILLE - One year removed from decimating Central on its way to becoming state runnersup, Sarasota-Booker made the trip up to Central to capture a 41-0 victory.

Coming off a loss last week that coach Fred Gilmore called disappointing, the Tornadoes looked primed against an overmatched Central team under first-year coach Cliff Lohrey.

The Bears came out pretty well, limiting Booker to only seven points in the first quarter. Central's defensive front held strong against the running attack early. However, when Gilmore decided to pass the ball, the Bears seemed to have no answer.

Quarterback David Grant threw for 130 yards on 7-of-11 passing in a little more than half of playing time. He threw for two touchdowns, one to tight end Anthony Whitfield and another to wideout John Jones. Jones added another in the fourth quarter from backup quarterback Broderick Waters (4-of-5 for 45 yards).

Despite the overwhelming victory, Gilmore refused to compare this season with last.

"We can't get caught up in that," Gilmore said. "There are too many things we need to work on as a team before we are going to have that in our sights again."

The Tornadoes dominated despite being assessed a plethora of penalties. Booker had 12 penalties for 105 yards, compared with Central's five for 33 yards. The Bears suffered three turnovers, the biggest key in Booker's win.

Central's top running back Dujuan Harris gained 66 yards on 15 carries in the loss, but fumbled away a crucial scoring opportunity in the first half.

[Last modified September 2, 2006, 02:27:33]