5 Questions Entering Spring Football
Call this our spring two-minute drill -- a quick look at what we consider five of the most burning questions entering May:
(Pictured: Right - Armwood's Matt Patchan. Times photo - Ken Helle. Below - Berkeley Prep coach Dominick Ciao. Times photo - Fraser Hale. Click to enlarge.)
1) Who will be the 'air' apparent to Robert Marve at Plant?
Amid a wicked game of phone tag Monday with Bob Weiner, the Panthers fourth-year coach confirmed 6-foot-1 junior Aaron Murray steps into what now ranks as one of South Tampa's most high-profile jobs.
Clearly, no one's expecting Murray to be Marve, and considering the talent of his supporting cast and strength of Plant's district, Murray may not have to be a replicate of the reigning Florida Mr. Football to guide Plant to an eight- or nine-win season.
Remember, the Panthers return glue-handed senior wideout Derek Winter, fleet tailback Lovell Jackson, safety/receiver cornelius Gallon and defensive stalwarts Chris Breit and Patrick Carter, among others. What's more, their new district -- which also includes Jefferson, Blake and Leto -- is pretty forgiving.
Murray "started for us at strong safety at the beginning of the year last year before he injured his arm," Weiner said via voice mail. "He will be a tremendous, tremendous player and he's an outstanding kid."
2) Is the Armwood dynasty fading?
The convenient answer may be yes, but we're not certain. Consider: Last year the Hawks returned only two defensive starters, had a brand-new starting offensive line, lost tailback Eric Smith for most of the year to an elbow injury, and still finished 11-2.
This year, Smith is healthy, six starters (including the best linebacker you'll see all year) return on defense, and Freedom transfer Matt Patchan brings an injection of major Division I talent to a far more seasoned offensive line.
Patchan and fellow senior Juan Gorostiaga will line up at left tackle and left guard, respectively, giving Smith a chance to run at will on that side. The trademark power running game also should ease pressure from junior Mywan Jackson, the new quarterback.
A converted receiver, Jackson's versatility has convinced Callahan to modify his triple-option attack to include the shotgun. If there's a major question mark on offense, it's the absence of a proven fullback.
"We think (Jackson) runs like Jameel Williams and throws the ball like Justin Hickman, so we're going to open our offense up a little bit more," Callahan said.
If that added dimension works even modestly, look out, because Armwood may not need many points to win each Friday. Among the defensive stars: junior middle linebacker Petey Smith, who could be playing for some Division I programs today.
3) Of the county's four new coaches, which will find success the soonest?
Without question, Berkeley Prep's Dominick Ciao. The Buccaneers pulled off the coup of the offseason when they lured Ciao out of semi-retirement to replace Frank Sullivan, and could reap the benefits of that move by as early as 2008.
Ciao's success (132 wins, a state runner-up finish) in 17 seasons at Jesuit will attract the type of high-caliber players who previously wouldn't have considered Berkeley. What's more, his ball-control style of play, which reeks of lunchboxes and leather helmets, is foolproof.
The other three newcomers -- King's Earl Garcia III, Freedom's Marquel Blackwell and Tampa Bay Tech's Cornelius Culpepper -- could struggle mightily out of the box. We'll reserve further judgment until each can establish their identities, not to mention some depth.
4) How will Jefferson respond to the shooting death of standout linebacker C.J. Mills?
If we knew the answer to that, we'd be in a far more lucrative line of work. The loss of Mills' strength and playmaking skills are probably the least of Coach Mike Fenton's worries. Suddenly, Fenton has several dozen tattered psyches on his hands, and time will be needed to mend them.
Our guess is, the Dragons will honor Mills' memory by playing harder than ever, which could prove a greater triumph than any district championship.
5) While we're on the subject of Jefferson, who replaces Stephen Garcia at quarterback?
Rangy senior Zach Grossi, who started 10 games for Sickles as a sophomore and threw five touchdown passes in relief of Garcia last season. Grossi will be pushed by sophomore Doug williams Jr., whose upside includes an obvious NFL bloodline. Conventional thinking is, Grossi will lead the Dragons this year, with Williams taking over for 2008 and '09.
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