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Slow start, big finish for Harris

By DAVID MURPHY
Published December 24, 2006

Quarterback Josh Ortiz, Sr., Nature Coast Hernando County's second-best offensive player, he rushed for 909 yards, passed for 659 and carried the Sharks for much of the season.

Running back Antoin Scriven, So., Citrus Rushed for 1,021 yards and scored nine touchdowns despite missing two games.

Running back Tevin Drake, Fr., Nature Coast Had 857 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns in just six games after getting called up from JV.

Running back Justin Rolph, Sr., Crystal River An elusive back who was a workhorse for the Pirates, he had 900 yards rushing, including 115 and three TDs against Lecanto.

Wide receiver Jeff Haynes, Sr., Springstead Caught 27 passes for 348 yards and four touchdowns.

Wide receiver Ronnie Baldner, Jr., Crystal River A true athlete who amassed 785 yards and had a hand in 12 touchdowns, two on his 680 return yards.

Offensive line Aaron Bourguignon, Sr., Central After sitting out his junior season, returned to the Bears and helped anchor a veteran offensive line.

Offensive line Anthony Scarantino, Sr., Springstead Helped three Eagles running backs average at least 4.9 yards per carry.

Offensive line Tim LaRose, Jr., Nature Coast The 6-foot-3, 306-pound junior was the anchor of a big line.

Offensive line David Kriner, Sr., Nature Coast Gritty, experienced leader who did a lot of the dirty work.

Utility Shay Newcomer, Jr., Crystal River Broke the Pirates' record for most passing yards in a season, completing 118-of-222 for 1,686 yards with nine TDs. He also rushed for 333 yards and three TDs.

Kicker Brian Tobin, Sr., Citrus Scored 38 points for the 'Canes this season, including a 46-yard field goal against Crystal River.

Defensive line Patrick Kruis, Sr., Citrus A versatile player who had 34 sacks in three years.

Defenseive line Mike Cole, Sr., Nature Coast Did not rack up huge numbers, but gap-filling defensive linemen aren't supposed to.

Defensive line Kyle Roddenberry, Jr., Crystal River Three-year starter, with 78 tackles, 14 sacks, five forced fumbles.

Defenseive line Carlos Becaria, Sr., Central A leader on offense and defense, his performance was crucial to the team's success.

Linebacker Nick Pauliott, Jr., Hernando Has a nose for the ball like few players in the county.

Linebacker Jessie Hartman, Sr., Central The leader of a defense that was, at times, dominant.

Linebacker Cody Fritsch, Sr., Nature Coast County's leading tackler was the best defensive player in the area.

Linebacker Duane Marks, Jr., Central One of the best athletes on the team, Marks was a nice change of pace back on offense and was more impressive on defense.

Defensive back David Green, So., Citrus Quick cornerback had eight interceptions.

Defensive back Heath Heroux, Jr., Central Perhaps the most ferocious hitter in the county, the Armwood transfer brought flash and attitude to the Central defense.

Defensive back Tyler Horton, Sr., Citrus Led 'Canes into playoffs with 104 tackles.

Utility Stephen Palaez, Jr., Nature Coast He was among the Sharks' leading tacklers and their go-to receiver, and next year likely will start at quarterback.

Punter Casey Jones, Sr., Nature Coast Averaged 41.6 yards per punt; his performance was crucial for a conservative, defensive-minded team.

Central Jeremy Baldwin, John Guggino, Walter Linton, Nathan Brazeau

Citrus Doug Connors, Harlen Kelly, Jeremy Creel, Jeremy Welfel, Bryan Thompson, Derek Paquette, Major Bellamy

Crystal River Torrion Smith, Brett Gronendyke, James Cardnell, Matt Zarek, Steven D'Amico

Hernando Taylor Rotunda, Chris Doran, George Fribley, Robert Smith

Hernando Christian Academy Corey Drummond, Stephen Johnson

Lecanto Nick Kaufman, Jon Klabacka, Kevin Pass, Kevin Power, Jimmy Hamrick, Denver Carpenter

Nature Coast Jason Joens, Mike Dorsey, Brandon Nuby, Mike Haslam

Springstead Vick Schick, John Hogeland, Ben Noury

The month was September, and the sun was broiling, and everything about DuJuan Harris and his Central football team was different.

The Bears had lost their first two games, and Harris had failed to come close to breaking 100 yards in either one.

But there was no panic on Ken Austin Parkway. Not from coach Cliff Lohrey, who was looking for his first career win as a varsity coach. And not from Harris, who stood outside the Bears locker room and shrugged off his slow start.

"Everyone keeps coming up to me and asking me, 'How many yards are you gonna get?,' " Harris said. "But I don't worry about my numbers."

It turns out, he didn't have any reason to.

A few days later, Harris exploded out of his slump against Crystal River, rushing for an unofficial county-record 363 yards while leading Central to its first victory of the year.

What ensued was one of the most impressive nine-game stretches in county history. Despite averaging fewer than 60 yards in his first two contests, Harris finished the season with 1,685 rushing yards and 19 rushing touchdowns. He rushed for at least 100 yards in each of the Bears' final nine games, including a 212-yard performance in a heartbreaking loss to Daytona Beach Seabreeze in the first round of the playoffs.

Though Harris' rushing total unofficially places him sixth all time on the single-season chart, he easily could have climbed higher.

Against South Lake, he rushed for 137 yards, including a 48-yard touchdown, in three quarters before sitting out the final frame of a blowout win.

In a win over Lecanto, he carried the ball just six times, rushing for 156 yards.

Then, of course, there was a season-opening loss to Hernando in which Harris had just eight carries three resulting in fumbles.

More important than Harris' numbers, though, was the way he put them up. One of the running back's most impressive games was also one of his least prolific: a 100-yard, 30-carry effort in a huge win over Tarpon Springs in which he almost literally carried the Bears to the victory (he also had a crucial interception on defense).

At some point in time, Harris will have to figure out where he is going to play in college. Thus far, he has only received serious interest from a few smaller Division I-A programs.

But if this season was any indication, we haven't heard the last from him.

David Murphy can be reached at dmurphy@sptimes.com or (352) 848-1407.

[Last modified December 23, 2006, 22:07:20]