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Unbeatens to face off in Independence Bowl

By PETE YOUNG

© St. Petersburg Times, published October 6, 2000

It's a midseason battle of unbeatens between two teams that have been destroying their opponents.

That's a strong statement. So strong that except for Admiral Farragut coach Mike Jalazo and Temple Heights coach Steve Lewis, there is not a single person who, before the season, thought those words would accurately summarize tonight's game between the two schools.

But it's true. The Blue Jackets and Eagles, who play at 4 p.m. today at AFA, have hammered three opponents this season in compiling perfect records. Granted, neither is playing a district schedule and their competition has been, well, not spectacular, but both schools are putting lackluster legacies behind them.

"All I know is that winning makes everything feel better," Lewis said. "Practices have been more fun. Games have been a lot more fun, and the aches and pains afterward don't feel so bad."

Tiny Temple Heights (3-0; enrollment 94) has made the state playoffs just once in the past 24 years, but it already has matched last season's victory total. Two weeks ago, the Eagles beat Lakeland Santa Fe 37-13. Last season, they lost to Santa Fe 42-0. They have outscored their opponents 127-50 while averaging more than 300 offensive yards a game.

"They're tough. They're coached real well, and they've got some good seniors," Jalazo said of Temple Heights. "They play hard, and they play hard every play of the game. The moment you let your guard down, they're right there."

Farragut isn't too bad either.

"We're executing well, and we're a pretty good football team," said Jalazo, whose team will return to district play next season. "There's a different attitude about football here now. We've got so many more guys out for the team. I had 26 last year, and that was a lot. This year, we've got 33 on the varsity and 25 on JV. We're capable now of doing much more."

Farragut (4-0, one win by forfeit) has outscored its opponents 173-9. A year ago, the teams met twice in the regular season, each winning on the other's field. Farragut won the first meeting 40-32, Temple Heights the rematch 28-21.

On offense, the Blue Jackets' backfield of seniors Jon Hunt (36 carries, 316 yards, 8 touchdowns), Wes Erbe (22-216-5) and Josh Twiselton (16-196-4) has been piling up enormous statistics, combining for 74 carries, 728 yards (9.8 average) and 17 touchdowns in three games.

On defense, 6-foot-6, 235-pound defensive end Andres "The Condor" Kirchman, a second-year Farragut student and first-year football player from the Cayman Islands, has 10 sacks.

Temple Heights counters with a four-back rushing attack: Federico Blychanton (34 carries, 316 yards), Ryan Edmonds (28-214), Daniel Sayne (23-164) and Nathan Lewis (21-150).

"That's a lot of running backs for a Class A school," Lewis said. "This way, we can keep some fairly fresh legs in there."

From an overall perspective, Lewis said, "The last few years, we really couldn't stop too many people. But this year, we just happen to have some guys who can run a little and tackle a little better.

"No matter what, though, we realize that Admiral Farragut is the more talented team. We know we're the underdog, and we'll have to play well to win. But that still doesn't mean we can't do it."

- Staff Writer Scott Purks contributed to this report.

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