District 4-4A preview

District 4-4A


Ed White Commanders

Head Coach: Terry Gilliam

2008 Record: 6-5

Last time in playoffs: 2008

Key losses: Leon Jackson (RB), Larry Smith (DB), Kevin Parker (OL/DL), Antwan Randall (DB/KR), Ryan Duggans (OL/DL), Jerrod Jackson (LB)

Key returners: Casey Turner (Sr., RB), Kenneth Bizier (Sr., OL), Kevin House (Sr., OL), Kaleb Johnson (Jr., OL), Patrick Adams (Sr., WR), Willie Ross (Sr., OL), Jamar Gilyard (Jr., DE), Shamai Bell (Sr., DB), Devonte Mable (Jr., RB)

News: Their many not be a better offense in the area than White’s explosive ground game. Gilliam returns most of the tools on offense, which should help his team get back to the playoffs. Losing Jackson (1,326 yards, 12 TD’s) hurts but White does return Turner (1950 yards, 20 TD’s), the most explosive back in the city along with two veteran lineman Bizier and House. There is no secret of how the Commanders are going to attack you, for nearly twenty years the scheme (wing-t, miss direction, counters) has been run it down your throat until you can stop them. White ran for 3,625 yards last season, while throwing for just 417, averaging 400 yards of offense per game. The combination of Turner and Mable, who showed out in the spring jamboree, gives White another 1-2 lethal combination. The downfall last season was a defense which gave up 316 yards per game. Gilliam must fix some holes including the loss of Smith (7 interceptions), Jackson and Randall.

Lake City Columbia Tigers

Head Coach: Craig Howard

2008 Record: 4-6

Last time in playoffs: 2007

Key losses: Marquis David (LB), Kam Fasnacht (QB), Jerry Thomas (WR), Matt Knowles (OL)

Key returners: Tiger Powell (Sr., RB), Timmy Jernigan (Jr., DT), Cameron Sweat (Sr., QB), Brach Bessant (Sr., LB), Chris Dickey (Jr., DB), Donovan Harrington (Sr., OT), Danny Ratliff (Jr., OG), Blaine Crews (Sr., OG), Quartez Pate (Sr., RB), Andre Caldwell (Jr., FS), Fontaine Woodbury (Sr., DE), Todd Steward (Sr., LB), Jaron Wilson (Jr., WR), Adrian Hill (Jr., WR), Jamal Montague (Sr., WR)

News: Howard’s first season at Columbia didn’t go as expected as he would have liked, as it took a while for the kids buy into a new system and work ethic. Year two promises to be a season filled with high expectations including many thinking state title. Howard’s spread offense returns seven starters led by four year starter Tiger Powell. After two years in a primary wing-t offense, Powell (a South Florida commitment) struggled to pick up the new offense and is looking for another breakout season this year. Sweat returns as the starter after having started every game his sophomore season and the final two games last season. Sweat, who returns three starting lineman Harrington, Ratliff and Crews, will have plenty of weapons to chose from including Powell, Pate, Wilson, Caldwell and Montague. Led by Bessant (Troy commitment), the defense returns five starters in the 3-4 scheme including Steward, Caldwell, Woodbury and Jernigan, the only sophomore invited to Florida’s Friday Night Lights camp this summer.

Lee Generals

Head Coach: Myrick Anderson (second season)

2008 Record: 7-4

Last time in playoffs: 2008

Key losses: James Perkins (RB), Ivan Nicholas (LB), Tiray Dove (FB/LB), Marcus Murphy (DB), Jonathan Wallace (TE), AJ Coleman (WB), Gerald Rogers (WB/WR/KR/DB), Brandon Sirmans (QB), Brian Sirmans (WR), Eddie Chance (ATH), Will Holloman (LB), Ben Criswell (DE)

Key returners: TramellWilliams (Sr., OL/DL), Tavarius Stringfield (Sr.,MLB), Troy Bacon (Sr.,TE/OLB), Jeremiah Cheesborough (Sr., OL/DL), Darius Darden (Jr., QB), Corey Lewis (Jr., DB/WR), Johnny Mitchell (Sr., DL), Raymond Brown (Sr., DB),Tyree Daniels (Sr., OL)

News: Making their first playoff appearance in four years was a big step especially under first year head coach Myrick Anderson. Now comes the hard part maintaining it, if Lee is going to do that, several underclassmen or inexperienced players will have to step up after losing 24 seniors. Lee is replacing nearly every single player in their wing-t offense, which ran for 2,108 yards and averaged 340 yards per game. The entire backfield of Sirmans, Perkins (950 yards, 11 TD’s), Dove, Coleman and Rogers in addition to wide outs Sirmans and Wallace are all gone. Williams (82 pancakes, 52 tackles, 18 sacks in his career), who committed to South Carolina, anchors the trenches while Stringfield (307 total tackles, 28 sacks, 6 interceptions in his career) and Bacon (172 total tackles, 17 sacks, 4 interceptions in his career) lock down the middle of a defense, which gave up an area third best 131.6 yards per game.

Ridgeview Panthers

Head Coach: Tom McPherson

2008 Record: 8-5

Last time in playoffs: 2008

Key losses: Derek Hatcher (QB), Jeff Hartung (OL), Tyler Bass (WR), Scott Williamson (LB), Brandon McGee (DB), JJ Adams (DE), Derek Johnson (LB), Larry Nilo (LB),

Key returners: Demario Kohn (Sr., WR/QB/DB), Chris Schamp (Sr., OL)

News: The area’s second best Cinderalla story behind Orange Park, ended with a surprising run to the third round of the Class 4A playoffs in a loss to Seabreeze. The bad news is Hatcher (1,594 yards, 13 TD’s, 8 INT’s), Bass (629 yards, 5 TD’s on 49 catches) and Hartung, who helped the Panthers average 304.5 yards a game, are all gone as is starting tailback junior Damon Kelly who transferred to Orange Park.

Wolfson Wolfpack

Head Coach: Frank Jenkins (second season)

2008 Record: 5-5

Last time in playoffs: 2006

Key losses: Dejon Elles (LB), Chris Waye (LB), Eric Watts (LB), Spencer Todd (K/P), Marcus White (DB), Corey Houston Taylor (DB), Harold Rogers (DL/OL), Rashaad Mayes (RB)

Key returners: Harlon Samuels (Sr., DB), CJ Bostic (Sr., WB/FL), Zach Balow (Sr., OL), Anthony Rose (Sr., S/LB), Ryan Jones (Sr., LB), Reggie Mitchell (Sr., CB), Deshun Martin (Sr., RB), Cameron Young (Sr., WB), Terrell Williams (Sr., DB), Jamilyn Long (Sr., WB), Kavorus Moses (Jr., DB)

News: Wolfson raced out to a surprising 5-2 run to start the season, before tailing at the end with district losses to First Coast (27-10) and Lee (21-7) to keep them out of the playoffs. If the Wolfpack hope to get back in the mix, Jenkins will have to find key replacements on both sides of the ball especially defense which loses its two best players Watts and Taylor. Special teams aren’t normally a vital weapon, but the loss of Todd might be the biggest blow on the team. Todd converted 9 of 13 field goals, including a longest of 43 yards and also averaged 40.6 yards per punt, including a long of 65 yards. Jenkins was also dealt a big blow when starting quarterback Sam Smiley (1,099 yards, 6 TDs, 6 INT’s on 73 of 119 passing) transferred to Raines during the summer. Developing a quarterback is a key to the offense, which will feature Division I-A standout CJ Bostic.

Predictions
1. Ed White
2. Columbia
3. Lee
4. Ridgeview
5. Wolfson