Hillsborough scouting report

By JOE SMITH and KEITH NIEBUHR, Times Staff Writers
Published September 21, 2007

Cornelius Gallon

Sr., Plant

The 5-foot-10, 185-pound playmaker is the Panthers' Mr. Versatility; their second-leading receiver (11 catches, 230 yards, five touchdowns), Gallon also plays tailback, cornerback and is Aaron Murray's backup at quarterback.

On Armwood (three things to watch)

1. They're not flashy. "They play a straight up Cover 2. But their line is so good, they don't really have to blitz a lot. They put so much pressure on the QB."

2. Running back Eric Smith is a load. "Eric Smith is a tough back. You've got to bring it if you want to take him down. And it'll always take more than one guy to do it."

3. They've got a real "home-field advantage." "At Armwood, you're always dealing with a great crowd - they'll try to get into your head. Other than our fans, their fans are crazy."e_SClBJeremy Fussell

Sr., Durant

The 5-foot-8, 165-pound signal caller comes from an athletic family. His father, Ron, is Durant's baseball coach. His brother, Josh, plays fullback at New Mexico .

On Newsome (three things to watch)

1: Medium-sized bodies; extra large hearts. "Man for man, we were bigger. We watched film all week and we weren't expecting as much intensity as they brought. They come ready to play and they're tough."

2: The DBs have exceptional speed. "They have fast corners. They're not real big, but they're quick and they cover well."

3: They tackle as a group. "They wrap up well. And when they tackle, they do a good job of getting all 11 guys to the ball."

Scouting report

To help break down each week's biggest game, the Times will poll two opposing players from around the county. This week, for Newsome-Armwood, we asked Durant quarterback Jeremy Fussell to share his insight on the Wolves and Plant receiver/cornerback Cornelius Gallon to dish on the nationally-ranked Hawks.

[Last modified September 20, 2007, 21:22:39]