Sports

Pinellas preps poll: Who has the best hands?

By Times Staff
Published September 20, 2006

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THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: Which county receiver has the best hands?

RESULTS

• Matt Mooney, Countryside 36
• Eric Terrell, Northeast 19
• Brett Anderson, Northside Chr. 18
• Kevin Keesee, Seminole 16
• A'Darrius Anderson, Clearwater 14
• Tony Anderson, Keswick Chr. 12
• Justin Hart, Osceola 10
• Mario Goshay, Largo 8
• Lewis Price, Northside Chr. 7
• Sabith Malaickel, Northside Chr. 6
• Ronnie Lane, Lakewood 5
• Matt Gilghrest, Dunedin 5
• Kevin Carozza, Countryside 5
• Cody Sirgey, Northside Chr. 5
• Chris Campbell, CCC 3
• Kyle Sadler, Seminole 3
• John Lancaster, Canterbury 3

MATT MOONEY, COUNTRYSIDE

The Cougars often use Mooney as a possession receiver, exploiting his sure-handedness with short passes designed to earn first downs.

"Matt is a great athlete and can play just about any position," coach John Davis said. "As a receiver, he's pretty much been our go-to guy and that has a lot to do with his hands."

Last year, defenses knew Mooney was going to be thrown the ball, and he still defied them. He finished the season with more than 500 yards receiving.

He also showed his versatility, stepping in at quarterback when L.D. Crow was injured in the final two games of 2005.

"I had great stats, but it didn't matter because we lost in the first round of the playoffs," Mooney said.

This year, Countryside has made a concerted effort to spread the ball around. But in the clutch, the Cougars still rely on Mooney, who doesn't have blazing speed, but runs precise routes and grabs everything that comes his way.

Well, almost everything.

Last week, Mooney mishandled a pass. By all accounts, it was his first dropped pass in two seasons.

"That hurt because I take pride in catching passes," said Mooney, a senior who has 12 receptions for 128 yards and two touchdowns this season. "I won't let that happen again."

NEXT WEEK'S QUESTION: Who is the county's best tight end?

To vote, log on to our high school sports blog at http://blogs.tampabay.com/preps/ .

[Last modified September 20, 2006, 06:31:34]

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