TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Hernando Today

Black Feels Blue, 14-12

ADVERTISEMENT

By MARTY MILLER

Hernando Today correspondent

Published: May 17, 2008

BROOKSVILLE - Last year in the final game of the regular season against Central High, the Nature Coast Technical football team got into a scuffle with the Bears following the game.

As a result, the Florida High School Activities Association banned the Sharks from playing a spring football game.

So Friday afternoon on a perfect sunny day in front of the Shark student body, NCT Head Coach Jamie Joyner split his squad into two teams and played a practice football game to conclude spring drills.

And Joyner, whose team finished last year with a 7-4 record and a district runner-up spot, showed they have more than enough weapons coming back to battle once again for a district title.

With most of the first-team offense on the Blue team and most of the first-team defense on the Black team, the Blue squad got two touchdown runs from Andrew Stellpflug and a two-point conversion run from D. J. Williams to help the Blue team edge the Black team, 14-12.

After the game, Joyner was asked who impressed him during the game, but the fifth- year NCT mentor was a little reluctant to single anyone out.

"It's hard to tell about one person until you get a chance to look at the film," said Joyner. "I guess the fact that our kids are going to be physical. I was really excited about that."

What happened?

On the day, Blue team running back Eric Williams led all rushers with 111 yards on 16 carries while Blue team quarterback Stellpflug had 83 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns on runs (6,8 yards).

Fullback Tadd Govedich helped the Blue team by getting 41 yards on six carriers as Stellpflug was 4-of-9 passing for 29 yards and two interceptions.

For the White team, quarterback C. J. Baker was the leading rusher with 51 yards on 11 carries while Tevin Drake, who ran for over 1,600 yards and scored 22 touchdowns last year, had 45 yards Friday afternoon including TD runs of eight and 10 yards.

On the day, Baker finished 5-of-13 passing for 38 yards and one interception.

The two teams combined 389 rushing yards while the two quarterbacks were a combined 9-of-22 through the air with three interceptions for 67 yards and no touchdowns.

But with NCT losing its entire starting offensive line from last year, Joyner was fairly happy with the way both offenses moved the ball.

"We're a running football team," said Joyner. "We preach that along with playing good defense.

"I think both QBs did all right," he added. "They both did some good things and some bad things and I still think we have a decision to make about who the starter will be."

On the board

The Blue team scored first Friday, going 55 yards in seven plays with Stellpflug going the final six yards for the score. D. J. Williams attempted the two-point conversion, but was stopped short.

Later in the first half, Drake capped a 15-play, 75-yard drive by going off right tackle for the touchdown from eight yards out. But Drake's run for the conversion was stopped.

In the third quarter after Michael Fields' second interception of the game, the Black squad scored again as Drake scored on a 10-yard run. This time Baker was stopped on the two-point try.

On their next possession, Stellpflug led the Blue team on an 11-play, 75-yard drive, as he scored a TD on an eight-yard keeper. This time, D.J.Williams ran it into the end zone on the two-point try to give the Blues the win.

"I feel good about the fact that the first-team offense moved the ball on the first-team defense," Joyner said. "But I also think it was good that for anyone to gain 100 yards rushing today like Eric (Williams) did, he had to have some good offensive line blocking."

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT