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Pinellas prep football roundup

By Times staff writers and correspondents

© St. Petersburg Times, published November 25, 2000

Immokalee 43, St. Petersburg Catholic 7

IMMOKALEE -- It was the easiest game plan Immokalee coach John Weber ever devised: Do whatever it takes to stop St. Petersburg Catholic's scrambling quarterback wunderkind, Chris Davis.

Of course, it's the same plan 11 other coaches have tried and, to varying degrees, failed to execute this season.

The Indians, however, had the scheme and players to make it work. With fleet linebackers and defensive ends hounding Davis all over the field from start to finish, No. 2-ranked Immokalee dominated SPC, winning 43-7.

"We ran into a hurricane," SPC coach Dan Mancuso said of unbeaten, 12-0 Immokalee. "They just beat us on all fronts.

"They're the fastest team we've played this year. They've got all-around speed. Their defense was so fast."

"Someone else was going to have to beat us," Weber said of Davis. "The whole focus was on corralling him."

The loss concludes the best season in SPC (8-4) history. The Barons won their first playoff game ever last Friday.

"We got a taste (of playoff success) this year," Mancuso said. "This is a good building block for next year."

Davis, a junior who entered the game with more than 1,500 yards passing and rushing, was harassed throughout and wound up with just 29 yards on 16 carries, including seven sacks. He completed just one pass for eight yards.

With a linebacker always shadowing him and players such as speedy 6-foot-3, 215-pound defensive end Ovince St. Preux stalking him from the snap, the ultra-elusive Davis managed to shake free just once. In the second quarter, his 37-yard scamper on a draw play tied the game at 7 and gave the Barons hope.

However, Immokalee was as good on offense as it was on defense. Except for four lost fumbles, the Indian attack operated at near-perfect efficiency throughout. Quarterback Walner Belleus completed 9 of 13 passes for 211 yards and no interceptions, while a relentless ground game netted 309 yards on 48 carries.

Nonetheless, the score was tied at 7 with halftime approaching when things suddenly broke open. Immokalee drove 56 yards in five plays, capped by a 25-yard run by Sadrac Sainvilus (19 carries, 155 yards, two touchdowns), to go up 14-7 with 1:36 until intermission.

The Indians then forced SPC three-and-out and took over near midfield with 17.8 seconds remaining. After a 10-yard run got the ball to the SPC 38, Belleus lofted a Hail Mary. One Immokalee player out-fought another and put the Indians ahead 21-7 on the final play of the half.

Things got worse quickly for SPC at the start of the second half. An on-sides kick attempt failed, and Immokalee struck immediately, as Belleus lofted a perfect fade pass to Lagarian Houston, whose 50-yard score made it 28-7.

The dazzling Indians defense took it from there. SPC would finish with just four first downs, 31 rushing yards and 34 passing yards.

"They were the quickest defense we've played," Davis said. "The playoffs, everybody plays a little harder." -- PETE YOUNG

Seminole 21, King 14

SEMINOLE -- It looked like just another pitch play. Seminole's Dequrez Gulley took the ball from D'Qwell Jackson, ran toward the right sideline, then glanced to his left.

What Gulley saw was an open alley leading straight to the end zone. He made his cut, shed a few tackles and raced full steam for an 80-yard touchdown.

That simple play, run more than a hundred times in practice and in games, proved to be the biggest play in Seminole's 21-14 win over King.

At the time, the Class 4A, Region 3 playoff game was tied 14-14 late in the third quarter. Gulley's run deflated King and extended Seminole's trip through the playoffs for another week.

The Warhawks (12-0) host Bradenton Southeast on Friday. "The whole year, I've been telling myself, "Keep the faith, you're time will come,"' Gulley said. "I turned the corner and saw the hole and said, "Thank you, Jesus.' The blockers did a great job, and I just took off. I was trying so hard to make it all the way."

Just before Gulley's run, Seminole looked to be in trouble. The Warhawks, who trailed 14-7 at halftime, just mounted a 10-play drive that ended with a 1-yard run by Gulley.

But King came right back when quarterback Marquis McCullough hit Jevonta Lawson on a 70-yard bomb that moved the ball to the Seminole 9. The Warhawks' defense came up big when Ed Leverenz sacked McCullough for an 8-yard loss and Jackson and Bobby Fox tackled Lawson for a 4-yard loss.

Richard Chang's 37-yard field goal attempt came up short. Then Gulley broke through, and Seminole had the momentum it needed.

"That was a big momentum change," Leverenz said of stopping King. "We just kept pounding it at them, and eventually, they wore out. I think they quit after we scored. They couldn't keep up with us."

For most of the game, both teams kept up with each other. Seminole scored on its first possession when Eric Hunter broke free for a 26-yard touchdown run.

King came right back when McCullough hit Raymond Neal for a 75-yard touchdown pass. In the second quarter, Neal caught a 53-yard touchdown pass from McCullough that gave King a 14-7 lead.

But the second half, and especially the fourth quarter, was all Seminole. King had the ball only three times in the second half. It had a missed field goal, an interception and missed a pass play on fourth-and-15 from the Seminole 35-yard line.

"We've come from behind in a lot of games this year," Seminole coach Sam Roper said. "We know what it's like. Our defense has played this way all season. And our running game has been solid all season."

Gulley led the Warhawks with 99 yards rushing on seven carries. Hunter had 70 yards on 14 carries. McCullough, only a sophomore, threw for 243 yards in the losing effort. -- RODNEY PAGE

Belleview 28, Countryside 15

BELLEVIEW -- Using the two-way running of Nick D'Andrea and Tim Gehrsitz, Belleview's ground attack moved mostly one way against Countryside on Friday night: forward.

D'Andrea, a shifty tailback, had 163 yards on 20 carries. Gehrsitz, a bruising fullback, had 58 yards on 12 carries.

Together, they were too much for the Cougars, who lost 28-15 in a Class 4A regional quarterfinal game.

"They've got a big offensive line," Countryside coach Joe Ionata said. "They're running can make people miss, and it just wears on you." That started after the opening kickoff.

Belleview took the kick and returned it to its 46-yard line. Five plays later, the drive ended when Gehrsitz burst 15 yards through the middle for a touchdown. The extra point was blocked by Eddie Meyer.

Despite playing catch-up, the Cougars stayed in the game.

On the Rattlers' next possession, D'Andrea fumbled and Chris Alexander recovered for Countryside at the 43-yard line. The drive eventually stalled, and Jon Peattie kicked a 29-yard field goal to cut the lead to 6-3.

Then things turned for the worse.

Belleview drove and missed a 44-yard field goal. Countryside took over, and three plays later faced a fourth-and-1. Rather than go for it, the Cougars elected to punt.

The Rattlers took over on their 33-yard line. On their first play of the drive, D'Andrea went untouched and ran for a 67-yard touchdown. Gehrsitz ran in the 2-point conversion to give Belleview a 14-3 lead at the half.

"That hurt," Ionata said. "They caught us off on that long touchdown run and we weren't ready."

Still, Countryside bounced back.

The Cougars scored on their first possession of the second half as Tom Cantillo ran in 12 yards for a touchdown. His 2-point conversion run, however, failed, and Countryside trailed 14-9.

The Cougars' defense bent but didn't break on the Rattlers next possession.

Belleview faced fourth down inside the 30-yard line and elected to go for it. Jake Warren's pass was picked off by A.J. Williams. It was the fourth time the Rattlers were inside the 30-yard line and didn't score.

Countryside, though, couldn't convert and punted.

The Rattlers' running took over from there.

A 64-yard drive followed and ended with a 4-yard touchdown run by Warren, who kicked the extra point.

Warren then hit a squibber on the kickoff that bounced off a Countryside lineman and was recovered by Belleview. D'Andrea finished off that drive with a 21-yard touchdown.

"The difference in the end was our kicking game," Ionata said. "Our coverage has been poor the past couple of weeks, and we gave them a short field to work with all night. You can't do that against a team like this."

Countryside quarterback Kyle Wolfinbarger scored on a 3-yard run late in the fourth quarter, but it was too late. -- BOB PUTNAM

Clewiston 34, Clearwater CC 25

CLEARWATER -- Jay Davis took a knee as the reality began to set in. His eyes reddened and his voice crackled, before disappearing altogether.

He knew as he knelt, there would be no more Friday nights.

Despite a hard-fought, come-from-behind effort, Davis and Clearwater Central Catholic saw their season come to an end Friday night, losing 34-25 to Clewiston at home in a Class 2A, Region 3 semifinal.

The senior quarterback capped an outstanding season and prep career with a 302-yard, two-touchdown passing night but was outdone by the Tigers' running game, which collected 264 rushing yards on 42 carries to wear out the Marauders' front line.

Running back Zac Williams was the main bulldozer for Clewiston, rushing 31 times for 171 yards and three touchdowns.

"We did the best we could to stop it," said CCC coach John Davis. "They just beat us. They deserved to win."

CCC (10-2) took the lead for the first time off the second half kickoff, when Jay Davis scored his second 1-yard touchdown of the night to put the Marauders up 25-21. The score came on a fourth-and-goal play, capping a nine-play, 73-yard drive.

But Clewiston (7-5) had an answer, and with 8:05 left in the third quarter began a long, slow march down the field. Twelve of 14 plays were runs, 10 by Williams, taking the Tigers to the Marauders' 15.

Then, bucking their pattern, the Tigers pulled the perfect play. Quarterback Thomas Barnes play-faked, turned and hit wide-open tight end Stephen Easdale in the end zone to regain the lead for good at 28-25 with 20 seconds left in the third.

"It was just a little change of pace there, and it worked," said Clewiston coach Bo Morrell. "Sometimes you just pound it and you pound it and the next thing you know, you catch them a little off-balance."

CCC could not answer on its next possession, going three-and-out and handing the ball back to Clewiston at the CCC 48-yard line. The Tigers took advantage, staying on the ground for eight of nine plays and ending with a 1-yard burst from Williams to give them the comfortable nine-point advantage with 7:35 left in the game.

Clewiston also enjoyed a nine-point advantage just 1:45 into the game. After holding the Tigers to three-and-out, CCC started its first offensive series from its own 18.

In shotgun formation, Davis was just getting set for his first play as the snap prematurely flew by. All he could do was chase it and chuck it out of his own end zone for a safety.

"They were yelling some snap counts out, and the center heard that and snapped the ball early," John Davis said. "Those things are going to happen. Jay made a good play getting it out of there."

But the safety also immediately gave the Tigers the ball back, and they took advantage with a good return and then a 37-yard touchdown run from Williams on the first play from scrimmage to go up 9-0.

Still, CCC responded on its next possession with a 1-yard run from Jay Davis, and after a Williams 5-yard run for Clewiston in the second quarter, CCC's Marcus Edwards hauled in a 34-yard prayer to get the Marauders within two at halftime at 15-13 (a 2-point conversion failed).

"We played hard," Jay Davis said quietly afterward. "This team is the best team I'll ever play for."

Then, his voice faded away. -- JOHN SCHWARB

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