Preps

Football: Respecting a power

Nature Coast's coach and players admire Bushnell South Sumter but are eager to make a name for themselves.

By Izzy Gould
Published October 12, 2007

BROOKSVILLE - Jamie Joyner lovingly refers to Bushnell South Sumter as "The U."

The Nature Coast coach is only partly joking when he says the University of South Sumter, but it's out of respect.

In no particular order, Joyner rattles off South Sumter's significant achievements the way a kid would spit out statistics off a baseball card. He speaks with pride about Raiders coach Inman Sherman, an icon who has led South Sumter to 13 of 14 playoff appearances and the 2005 Class 2A state final.

Joyner's admiration should not be mistaken as a weakness. When he speaks of South Sumter, he's simply referring to the model program he one day envisions at Nature Coast.

If knocking off county power Springstead last season 15-10 was the biggest win in school history, a win tonight will rank a close second and give some true legitimacy to Joyner's program.

"As far as programs go, when you're building a program, that's what you aspire to be," Joyner said. "We're trying to make a statement. We're trying to make a name for ourselves. We're trying to earn respect, and those guys are the king of the hill."

None of Joyner's football teams has played at South Sumter 5-1, but he has tasted the stadium air and can describe the thick smoke coming off a grill, the stands stuffed with fans and the ominous splash of red an opponent might see a split second before taking a big hit.

Joyner took the 30-minute drive up Interstate 75 to watch South Sumter and Jacksonville Bolles in last year's Class 2A state semifinal. None of his Nature Coast games has come close to the magnitude of a state semifinal, but he wanted to see a great football game with talented athletes and smart coaching.

That brought back memories of big games he had coached as an assistant at East Lake against perennial powers such as Sarasota Riverview, Bradenton Manatee and Venice. As a player, Joyner banged heads for Tallahassee Godby and played in some big games but admits every game was big as a high school player.

"Those were some great experiences," Joyner said. "You see 10,000 people in the stands and it kind of gets you going."

The mystique of South Sumter is not lost on Joyner's players.

Sharks sophomore running back Tevin Drake once walked the South Sumter sidelines as a ball boy, and D.J. Williams still goes to church with a few Raiders players.

Williams, who returns from an ankle injury tonight after missing all but one play of the past three games, hasn't talked to his church buddies in two weeks.

But the rise of Nature Coast (4-1) - the Sharks won their first district title and earned their first playoff berth last season - simply fueled the talk last summer.

"We have a lot riding on this game," Williams said. "We've been talking about this since the summer. ... It's always a big deal to be the underdog against the bigger team. Everyone doubts you."

When Drake was about 6 years old, he spent a lot of Friday nights on the South Sumter sideline watching a pair of older cousins play for the Raiders. Sherman took a liking to him. And, yes, Drake was a fan.

"When I was younger, I wanted to play there," Drake said. "I just liked them and liked watching them play."

As a sophomore running back, when Drake hears the words South Sumter, he thinks of a good football team that's had success.

And when he thinks about beating the team he once cheered on, he can really only put in perspective from the world he knows.

"If we beat South Sumter, we're going to shock the world," Drake said. "Well, maybe not the world but a lot of people."

Izzy Gould can be reached at izzygould@gmail.com or (727) 580-5315.

[Last modified October 11, 2007, 21:29:56]