KEN LANE

Palmetto Ridge head coach Tim Speakman heads into his fourth year leading the Bears as he addresses his team during a recent practice.

KEN LANE

Barron Collier sophomore Kegan Leon eyes practice defender, fellow Cougar Joey Lohmann, during drills at a recent Barron practice.

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Local high school teams have a lot of new fresh names on the roster this season and tonight will be the first chance for head coaches to see them under the heat of the lights of Friday night.

Ferguson at Gulf Coast

Last meeting: 8/24/07;

41-19 (GC)

The Sharks will look to once again start their preseason off on a strong note at the expense of the Ferguson Falcons, as they host the preseason match-up, Friday night. The Sharks are hot off their best season ever with seven wins and a state playoff berth.

In their last meeting, a 41-19 Gulf Coast victory, Shark quarterback Jeff Schmidt completed 14 passes on 20 attempts for 118 yards.

Ferguson finished 2007, 4-6 overall and fourth in class 6A District 15, with a 2-3 record.

While Falcons head coach Gene Chew has 31 returning lettermen, only six were starters on the varsity roster last year, including four on offense and two on defense.

Areas where the Sharks had focused during practices this week leading up to their game against Ferguson included route execution, something head coach Frank Tudryn says is not where he had expected it to be at this point. Defensively, missed tackles have been a sore spot for the coach and he has been giving that issue increased levels of attention as well.

Frank Tudryn: “We have a lot of competition in all areas and in all positions. We have a lot more depth than we have had in the past and we will be looking at how those kids perform on Friday night. We will look at who we have and make the best choices we can.”

St. John Neumann at Golden Gate

Last Meeting: NA

St. John Neumann and Golden Gate high schools share a hometown and as the crow flies, aren’t much farther than a deep “Hail Mary” pass. Friday night they will share a football field in a preseason kick-off classic.

Golden Gate finished the 2007 season 5-5 overall and 2-2 in 3A District 14. Neumann once again made it to the state playoffs with their 8-1 record and 2-1 in 1A District 6. After the runner-up finish, they lost to Ft. Meade in the regional semi-finals.

The Titans have been trying to fill holes left by the graduation of 22 seniors a year ago. Many of the departed Titans were four-year players who helped build the Golden Gate program when the school opened in 2004.

With Titans stalwarts like Division I recruits J.D. Woods and Anthony Mains gone, head coach Dave Tanner said he’s still searching for the next great leader for his team.

Much of that leadership would have fallen by default on senior quarterback Mike Spano. Spano has opted not to play football this season to focus on baseball, however, leaving freshman Kenneth Mouton to start under center.

The Titan offensive tackle position is still up for grabs with Stephan Ortiz and Johnathan Santiago locked in battle for the post. Tanner will also be taking a close look at the needs of the kicking game.

Dave Tanner: “Kenneth (Mouton) has a great attitude and he is picking things up really well. He looks all right and is very easy to coach. We will see how he does. He will have some tough times but he will have his share of good times as well. We just have to go easy.

“Against Neumann we are looking to see who wants to play more than anything; who is going to step up and do a good job. We have a few spots we are still trying to shore up.

“This past week we placed our focus on getting into the game week mode. We need to quit playing against ourselves and start preparing for the other team.”

Neumann Head Coach Steve Howey: “The kids are excited about playing against Golden Gate. This is a bright group. We’re probably ahead of where we were this time last year. We have more stuff in than we did probably around week two or week three last year.”

S. Fort Myers @ Barron

Last Meeting: 8/24/07

14-6 (BC)

It’s back to business as usual for the Cougar football team; at least that’s the plan. The Cougars host South Ft. Myers for their kick-off classic Friday night. The Cougars finished the 2007 season 6-4 overall and took 4A District 15 following a three-way playoff with Gulf Coast and Palmetto Ridge all at 4-1 in the district. The Cougars lost to Hallandale in the regional quarterfinals.

The Wolfpack also finished their 2007 season in the regional quarterfinals of the state playoffs with a loss to Immokalee. They were 8-2 overall and 3-1 in 3A District 13.

Head Coach Mark Ivey, entering his second year at the Cougar helm, will be looking closely at his offensive line. The offensive tackle spot has not been locked down.

Two seniors starting at linebacker will be Nick Lynch and John Valez. The core will be joined by sophomores Julio Gomez and Curt Norris who will line up at either safety or corner.

Wolfpack quarterback Dallas Crawford passed for 1792 yards and 14 touchdowns as a freshman last year and promises to be a big part of their offense this season.

Mark Ivey: “It is going to be good to see some of these kids in a game situation and see how they perform and respond. This game will tell us where we will need to focus in preparing for the following week against Lely. It is a blessing being able to go up against South in this kick-off game. I don’t know if we will see a more athletic team this year; we might not even see their equal. Their quarterback, Crawford, is the best athlete we will see all year long. He has a cannon for an arm and runs like nobody’s business. He is just one of six or eight big-time athletes for South.”

Gulliver Prep (Miami) @ Palmetto Ridge

Last meeting: 8/24/07

34-34 (tie)

The Palmetto Ridge Bears are anxious for the lights this Friday night when they will host Gulliver Prep for a rematch of last year’s preseason kick-off. It was then that the two sides called a truce at 34 points each.

The Bears finished the 2007 season 7-3 overall and 4-1 in 4A District 15.

Gulliver Prep is part of a three-team 2A District 8 with Archbishop Carroll and LaSalle. They finished 2007 8-1 overall and 1-1 in the district; which was good enough for a runner-up finish, but quickly fell to American Heritage in the regional quarterfinals.

For the Bears, Mike Pinter will get the start at quarterback but the big new look will come on the defensive side where only one starter, Matt Eckhardt, returns.

Gulliver Prep boasts some of the top recruits in the state including Frankie Telfort at middle linebacker and running back, senior receiver Connor Vernon, with 25 receptions for 484 yards last season, and senior running back, Darian Mallary, who last year carried the ball 66 times for 601 yards and five touchdowns. Safety Artice Kellem, defensive back Frank Crawford and wide receiver Daniel Rodriguez are also players to watch. Six-foot 3-inch and 200-pound Michael Strauss will take over behind center for last years senior Doug Papy.

Palmetto Ridge Head Coach Tim Speakman: “We will be taking a very close look at how the boys perform this Friday night. We want them to go out there and play hard and get ready for the season.”

Lely @ Tampa Catholic

Last meeting: NA

Lely Trojan head coach Steve Pricer enters his second year at the helm and says that while he has the talent on his team, many of his players are not game tested. They will have a solid preseason test when they visit Tampa Catholic Friday night.

In 2007, the Trojans went 5-5 overall and 2-2 in 3A District 14, finding themselves in a three-way tie for second with Immokalee and Golden Gate.

Conversly, the Crusaders under coach Bob Henriquez, had a successful 2007 season going 8-2 overall and an undefeated 5-0 in 2A District 5. They went all the way to the state championship where they lost to Madison County. The Crusaders graduated 15 seniors from the 2007 roster.

As for the Trojans, runningbacks Frankie Pugh, Darien Hall and Johny Faustin are gearing up to give Lely three solid runners. The new quarterback, Dennis Marcelin, ran some plays behind center last season, including the special playoff game against Immokalee. In that game he threw an interception that led to an Indians win. Pricer says Marcelin is coming along, learning offensive keys.

Pricer said conditioning drills that were aimed at specific types of players has gotten his team into better shape than 2007.

Steve Pricer: “Playing well is important to our team to start the season. We are solid in a lot of positions, but actual varsity game experience isn’t there. While the offensive backfield is new, it has great potential. They are working very hard. We put Faustin in the backfield recently and he doesn’t back down from anybody. Marcelin is working on recognizing defensive schemes and getting rid of the ball quicker on pass plays.”

3411

Barron Collier sophomore Kegan Leon eyes practice defender, fellow Cougar Joey Lohmann, during drills at a recent Barron practice. / KEN LANE

2533

Palmetto Ridge head coach Tim Speakman heads into his fourth year leading the Bears as he addresses his team during a recent practice. / KEN LANE