High school football starts up

[E.T.]

High school football starts up

 

Published Sunday, July 30, 2006

By Mario Sarmento

Staff Writer

After a summer spent lifting weights, conditioning and developing team chemistry, it’s now time for high school football teams in the area to see if all of it paid off in that special laboratory known as fall practices.

For the next two weeks, coaches at Saint Andrew’s School, American Heritage-Delray, Boca Raton, West Boca, Spanish River, Pope John Paul II, Grandview Prep, Olympic Heights, Atlantic, Boca Christian and Boca Prep will preside over position battles and take the temperatures of their respective teams in preparation for the football season.

“I’m always excited about practicing,†Spanish River coach Bob Braunstein said.

And Braunstein has reason to be excited with an improved football team looking to build on its hurricane-shortened 4-3 record last year.

The Sharks started their summer program with a 12-6 victory over perennial playoff team Boca Raton High in the spring football game.

“It seems the kids over the summer as a result did well in their weight training and conditioning,†he said. “Their confidence got a real boost.â€Â

The task of qualifying as one of the top two teams in District 14-5A will be difficult, Braunstein acknowledged. But in football, maybe more than any other major sport in this country, emotion can take a team far.

The Sharks are set at the skill positions with senior quarterback Rob Lee, wide receiver Brandon Vita and running back Ricky McDermott.

McDermott, a senior, has particularly impressed Braunstein. He gained 20 pounds during the summer to get to 195, but he lost nothing in speed. McDermott proved that by emerging as the fastest runner at the Florida camp.

Then there’s David Casado, the cornerback who victimized Boca Raton for two interception returns for touchdowns, including the game-winning nine-yard score late in the fourth quarter.

“He’ll be a lot better,†Braunstein said.

“We didn’t even play him on offense (in that game). When we line up a 6-foot-8 tight end (Jovadi Napoleon) and we line him up on the same side (Casado is 6-foot-5), it’s going to cause some problems for the defense.â€Â

The only spots up for grabs are in the interior of the offensive line, where Braunstein is looking for someone to team with 6-foot-6, 320-pound left tackle Alex Gonzalez.

At American Heritage-Delray, Coach Willie Bueno is trying to get his team back to the playoffs for the second straight year.

“I think we should be better than last year,†he said. “We played a lot of young kids last year. If we can stay healthy, we should do well.â€Â

The Stallions went 5-4 in 2005 and qualified for the Class 1A playoffs as district runners-up.

Bueno’s main goals during the two weeks of fall practice are to sort out his quarterback and wide receiver battles.

Alex Gottleib, Cory Hines and Justin Fagan will all compete for the job that Dusty Johnson held last year. Johnson has been moved to the secondary this season.

“Either one of those guys at the quarterback position will be good,†Bueno said.

Last year’s leading receiver and kickoff returner Josh Pee will compete with Jean Pierre and Dominique Battle to determine the two starters at that position.

Bueno is also excited abut his running back tandem of James Walker and Jake Walker. “Both are juniors, each has a chance to be really good,†Bueno said.

At Atlantic High, Coach Andre Thaddies takes over for Chris Bean, who resigned to move to Atlanta. Thaddies has a talented core returning from last year’s district champions, including running back Cleveland Hankerson.

“We’re going to go back to the Atlantic of yesteryear,†Thaddies said. “We’re going to be aggressive, and I’m aggressive by nature.â€Â

Atlantic may have lost players like Preston Parker, but Thaddies said his team has more speed than it did last year.

Sophomore running back J. Ron Hosely will be a player to watch. Last year he played sparingly, but this year, he’ll be part of a 1-2 punch with Hankerson.

Cheevis Jones, a transfer from Tennessee, will run the offense this season.

“The one thing I can say is he’s a braniac,†Thaddies said. “We went up to USF for a tournament and he got used to that Florida speed. It’s about repetitions with him.â€Â

Boca Raton High is working on a streak of three straight playoff seasons, but the Bobcats have to work in some new players at the skill positions, most notably new quarterback John Garrish.

West Boca had a big win of its own in the spring game against Atlantic, and it might be the type of victory to vault the third-year school into the football spotlight.

The Bulls have a rebuilt offensive line with transfers A.J. Ganguzza (Pope John Paul) and Matt Thompson (American Heritage-Delray) to clear the way for their two-headed backfield of Myles Russ and Patrick Elder. Young quarterback Robert Powell will be counted on to mature quickly, but with talented receivers like Alexis Robinson and tight end Marvin McGowan, he could find the learning curve to be shorter than expected.

Pope John Paul has a new leader in Dirk Moran, who was an assistant at Coral Gables High last season. But Moran has experience, having coached at Gulliver Prep in Miami in the past.

His challenge is to rebuild a 4-5 team, but Moran has the benefit of some senior leadership at the skill positions.

“Hopefully that’ll carry us,†he said.

Running backs Avenor Jacquet and Lance Mitchell, wide receivers Josue Paul and Phil Bellino and quarterback Ryan Tufts are some of those talented skill players Moran will lean on.

But other than that he said, “Every day is a position battle. I don’t really have starters per se. I believe in competition, so whoever has a great week of practice will start in the games. I like to keep the players on their toes.â€Â

It’s all part of the build-up to Aug. 18 and 19, when the teams get their first look at players in game action in their various football kickoff classics.

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