Defensive deadlock

Gaither's ability to keep opponents in check this season has surprised quite a teams and fans.

By JOEY KNIGHT
Published October 12, 2006

TAMPA - In a sense, Gaither inside linebacker Mike Whitescarver is the diminutive embodiment of the defense he leads - young and unassuming, yet quite the overachiever.

"I try (to gain weight), you know," said Whitescarver, a 5-foot-10 junior whose 170 pounds include a closely-trimmed mohawk protruding from an otherwise shaved head. "I eat a lot of red meat and everything. I eat protein, but it's just the small frame. I can't really put the weight on."

Similarly, the Cowboys' defensive potential didn't carry a lot of weight with local pundits at the season's outset. Only four starters, including Whitescarver, returned from a 5-5 team that narrowly missed the 2005 playoffs.

"We were concerned," fifth-year coach Mark Kantor said.

"Plus, we were concerned on the offensive side of the ball because we were putting in a pretty much new offense from what we were doing. ... So we were going through and saying to ourselves, 'Can we be good?' "

Through six games, the answer has been a stunning nod in the affirmative. The Cowboys (5-1), who insist their 50-base scheme is minimal on flair, have shut out three opponents and held five scoreless in the second half. They enter Friday night's Class 5A, District 5 showdown at Wharton (7-0) allowing 7.7 points a game - the county's third-lowest total.

"We just wait for them to come to us, and we're there to stop'em," said Whitescarver, who leads Gaither with 59 tackles (including 32 solos). "There's not too many blitzes, not really that many stunts, either. We're just playing football."

Skeptics will discredit Gaither's numbers by pointing to last season. At this time in 2005, the Cowboys had blanked the same opponents - Sickles, Mitchell and Alonso - and entered the Wharton game with the same record, only to lose their final four against sturdier competition.

While no one's denying the Cowboys remain susceptible to the same fate this year, there are some noticeable differences. Through six games last season, Gaither had allowed 69 points - 23 more than this year. Additionally, last season's 21-0 victory over Alonso was less substantial because the Ravens, who finished 4-7, were struggling.

This year, Alonso's veteran team entered the Gaither contest with a 4-1 record that included a win against Jesuit. The Cowboys won 31-0.

"All of them have been just a great unit, a great unit," Kantor said. "They've all just been working hard. Not one guy stands out."

If anyone does, it may be 215-pound defensive end Norberto DaVila (5.5 sacks), linebacker Eddie Farias (55 tackles) or shutdown corner Robert Harvey, who heads a secondary allowing fewer than 100 passing yards a game.

Then there's Whitescarver, who was raised in North Tampa and began playing for the Northside Dolphins at age 8. As a grammar schooler, Whitescarver said he tried a handful of sports, but came to embrace football because of its contact.

"He's just an athlete," senior defensive tackle Trey Thrailkill said. "You may look at him and he's not the biggest guy on the field, but he'll surprise you. He makes plays."

Tonight at Wharton, he wants to make a statement.

"Oh definitely," he said. "This is our key to the playoffs."

[Last modified October 12, 2006, 01:07:41]