Friday spring football roundup: North Port wins in shutout, Riverview splits jamboree games

FRIDAY

NORTH PORT - There are two ways you can look at the spring football game between Island Coast and North Port on Friday. Both defenses were top notch and both teams have a lot of work to do on offense.

North Port scored on its first and last plays from scrimmage and let the defense do the rest to score a 12-0 victory at the Preserve.

Peter Kalphat had a touchdown and 78 yards of total offense, while the North Port defense kept the Gators on its end of the field for nearly the entire game, allowing just 57 yards of total offense.

North Port head coach Garon Belser said it was a nice win, especially since the defense rose to the occasion.

"We played great defensively, we had a lot of guys step up in the front seven. They were all over the place," Belser said. "We had a lot of new guys to varsity come in and make plays and things worked out the way they did."

The teams are expected to be predominantly running teams this upcoming season, with Gervaris Leaphart being the featured back at Island Coast while North Port will use more of a committee approach.

However, North Port had something up its sleeve to start the game.

On the first play of scrimmage for North Port, Bobcat quarterback Gino Dibene shocked everyone with a play fake and a long throw to Makai Barnard, who hauled it in one-handed and ran 78 yards for a touchdown for a 6-0 lead after a missed PAT.

The rest of the half was dominated by the defense, with both teams giving little quarter. Only Island Coast's Leaphart was able to do much, rushing for 42 yards.

North Port tried to get a last-minute drive together, but Sean Egloff-Vega's 58-yard field goal attempt before halftime was short, keeping the score at 6-0 at half.

It was pretty much the same for much of the second half, with only the Bobcats having a scoring opportunity that resulted in another missed field goal thanks largely to the ball being in Gator territory the entire second half.

Finally, Kalphat scored on a 6-yard run in the closing minute to put the game to bed.

"We were looking for ways to take advantage of how they were lining up. Once we made a formation adjustment, things started opening up a bit," Belser said.

Kalphat said Island Coast was prepared for what the Bobcats had to offer, and it showed.

"They had film on us and were really prepared. We need to work on our blocking assignments, but we did really well running inside and passing," Kalphat said. "That opening play was the best result we could have gotten."

Unfortunately, the game ended when skirmishes developed following the Kalphat touchdown, nearly causing the benches to clear before the coaches and refs were able to keep things from getting way out of hand.

Belser said there was a lot to fix for the Bobcats.

"Island Coast did a great job on defense. They had a game plan and we laid flat," Belser said. "We're still undisciplined and things we have to do right. But the effort is there. We need to clean up the little things."

Island Coast got much of its offense from Leaphart, who rushed for 50 yards. But with an entirely new assistant coaching crew, it's going to take a while for the Gators to find its identity, said coach Tyran Jones.

"North Port played a great game but the defense held it down really well. We're still finding our identity. We're going to be a running team and we're going to get better and make adjustments in the summer," Jones said. "The 35-yard net punt rule really put us back, but give credit to North Port."

― Chuck Ballaro

Riverview 24, Columbus 6; Bishop Verot 21, Riverview 10

Riverview head coach Josh Smithers got to see his team play halves against the two-time Class 4M defending state champion, and a team that finished last season with an 11-2 record.

"Both our offense and defense played well against (the Explorers)," Smithers said of the Rams' 24-6 victory. In Riverview's 21-10 loss to the Vikings of host Fort Myers Bishop Verot, the Rams gave Verot a short field via a quarterback strip/sack, which led to a touchdown.

"That was the difference in the second game," Smithers said. Still, he was impressed with the worked turned in by running backs DJ Johnson and Isaiah Belt. Wide receiver Yahshua Edwards had a good game, and linebacker Landon Marsters, who led the Rams in tackles last season with 108, was "all over the field," Smithers said.

TUESDAY

Venice 27, Naples 17

VENICE – Two of the best high school football teams in southwest Florida met at Powell-Davis Stadium on Tuesday evening in what wound up being a back-and-forth game.

Naples scored all of its points in a three-minute burst sandwiched around halftime, but otherwise played keep-up with Venice for most of the night on the way to a 27-17 Indians win.

Each team played true to character for much of the night.

Venice took some risky gambles – scoring its last two touchdowns on fourth-down passes – as new starting quarterback Jayce Nixon settled in after some mistakes in the first half.

Nixon lost a fumble inside the Naples 10-yard-line, threw an interception on his own side of the field and missed some wide-open receivers in the first two quarters.

But those jitters dissipated in the second half as he brought Venice back from a 17-7 deficit with touchdown passes of 12 and 22 yards.

He finished with 15-of-27 passing for 177 yards.

“We had a lot of first-half jitters,” Venice coach John Peacock said. “I’m glad we got that out of the way. Jayce had a much better second half than the first half. Macho (Dorian Irving-Jones) ran the ball extremely hard and ran behind his pads.

“(Naples) is a good football team, and I thought the defense played excellent besides that one run at the end of the second quarter. But other than that, we have a good base to build off of.”

Naples stuck to the ground on offense for the entirety of the night, and for good reason.

Not only did the Golden Eagles have returning 2,000-yard rusher Shawn Simeon to rely on, but they also had a quarterback who had never taken a varsity snap at the position before.

Simeon rushed the ball 22 times for 216 yards and two touchdowns – with runs of 71 and 65 yards – as he powered the offense.

“That’s what Shawn does,” Naples coach Rick Martin said. “We know Shawn’s a really special player for us. It’s hard even in games like this where you want to save him for the regular season, but he’s such a competitor, he won’t let you take him out.”

Quarterback Alijah Molina, a defensive back last season, rushed 15 times for 46 yards and did not attempt a pass.

The rising-junior had just 15 days of practice as a quarterback as Martin and his staff had to make a quick adjustment after starting quarterback Carter Quinn transferred to Lely High this spring.

“I thought his performance was pretty good for what we had,” Martin said of Molina. “We had a fraction of time with him, so I was pretty proud with the way he played. It was just an instinct (naming him starting QB), watching him play basketball and do some things on the football field. We thought he was a good athlete and pretty savvy. I liked what I saw, so we’re going to continue to work with him.”

Naples helped Venice to open the scoring with five defensive penalties for 35 yards on the Indians’ second drive of the game.

Venice finished off the penalty-ridden drive with a one-yard plunge from defensive end/running back Asharri Charles and held the 7-0 lead for much of the first half.

That lead stayed intact until Simeon found some space.

The three-star running back found a hole in the right side of the Venice defense and burst through it for a 71-yard touchdown.

One play later, Nixon threw an interception to Naples defensive back Eli Chery, and the Golden Eagles turned it into a 33-yard field goal from kicker Dariece Collins to go into halftime leading, 10-7.

Simeon and the Golden Eagles added to their lead one minute into the third quarter with a 65-yard rushing touchdown – going up, 17-7 – but that was all the offense could muster for the rest of the game.

A star-studded Venice defensive line featuring Charles, a four-star athlete, and Eli Jones, a three-star USF commit, held Simeon and Molina in check for most of the night.

Venice, meanwhile, kept its defense well-rested for much of the night as Dorien Irving-Jones racked up 26 rushes for 146 yards and a touchdown, along with two receptions for nine yards and another score.

Irving-Jones hardly played for Venice last year behind Alvin Johnson III (now graduated) and Jamarice Wilder (transferred to Booker), but he now is in line to be the featured back.

“He ran extremely hard behind his pads,” Peacock said of Irving-Jones. “He reminded me a lot of (Da’Marion Escort) and the way he ran.”

Though it looks like Venice has its offense relatively figured out heading into the summer, Naples might not be able to say the same.

The Golden Eagles should be able to rely on Simeon for much of this fall, but the quarterback position remains fluid.

“I am very happy with what I saw tonight,” Martin said. “Obviously we want to come out here and try to get a win, but to come out to Venice and play an opponent the way we did, I’m very happy with what I saw.”

- VINNIE PORTELL

SATURDAY

Out-of-Door Academy 38, Sarasota Christian 0

SARASOTA – A new beginning awaited Sarasota Christian School and the Out-of-Door Academy on a scorching hot Saturday morning at Thunder Stadium.

For ODA, it was time to get a first game-action look at the 2024 Thunder squad, minus the 12 graduating seniors who led them to a Sunshine State Athletic Association 4A state championship last season.

For the Blazers, it meant having three more players on the field than they did in their first two seasons of playing eight-man football. The outcome was onre-sided, as ODA won 38-0.

“It was a lot of fun,” Sarasota Christian junior quarterback Ben Milliken said, following the Blazers’ spring exhibition game against the Thunder. “I think having more linemen on the field helps me. I have a wider pocket and more time to work with.”

The Thunder put plenty of pressure on Milliken the first two quarters of play. Beau Tack and Heath DeRusso recovered fumbles for ODA.

The first two quarters were played mostly like a regular game, except there were no kickoffs. ODA led 20-0 at halftime.

The second half consisted of each team running 10 straight offensive plays and then lining up for four consecutive downs at the 10-yard line, simulating an overtime situation. The Thunder scored three more TDs following halftime for a 38-0 final.

The news wasn’t all bad for Sarasota Christian and its first taste of 11-man football. Milliken completed his first three passes for a total of 56 yards. He finished 7-of-17 for 112 yards.

“We’ve always been a pass-first team,” Milliken said. “We’ll be carrying the ball more often now, but we’ve got an awesome running back in (junior) Austin Kerle. I don’t have a problem giving it to him.”

Kerle logged 27 yards on four carries vs. ODA.

The Blazers went 15-8 in their first two seasons of playing the eight-man game, beginning in 2022.

“We’ve faced some great football players the past two years,” Blazers head coach Jacob Spenn said. “We’ve only had a total of 11 practices. But we’re super-excited.

“We’re not big up front. But we have some athletic players who can create some space.”

ODA junior quarterback Josey Rubinstein led all rushers with 115 yards on just six carries, including touchdown runs of 35 and 17 yards. Allen Clark also scored on runs of eight and six yards and finished with 49 yards on the ground.

Backup quarterback Jake Beasley also scored on a 27-yard run and Michael Garzia returned an interception 30 yards for a score. Eight players carried the ball for the Thunder, revealing some depth.

“Our numbers are high and our vibes are high,” ODA coach Robert Hollway said. “We’re defending a state championship. I think these young guys are ready to step into their roles.”

- Jim Brockman

FRIDAY

Lakewood Ranch 7, George Jenkins 0

SARASOTA - In finishing 4-7 last season, the Lakewood Ranch High football team allowed an average of 30 points a game. So it's safe to say head coach Scott Paravicini was pleased with his defense's performance Friday night in the Mustangs' 7-0 spring-game victory over host George Jenkins.

Ranch's lone touchdown came via the legs of running back CJ McRae, whose 60-yard scoring run was all the Mustang defense would need. An interception by cornerback Ka'marion Jones was just one play of many lauded by Paravicini. He also cited the "sideline-to-sideline" play of middle linebacker Richard DePaula.

"The defense flew around all night," he said. "They also held strong on a nice goal-line stand. Overall, our spring was productive, with the installation of new systems and seeing how the rising crop of athletes would perform."

Hollins High 30, Southeast 16

SARASOTA - In his first game as Southeast head coach, Curt Bradley saw some positive's in his team's 30-16 spring-game loss to host Hollins High on Friday night.

The Seminoles got down 16-10 in the first quarter, but rallied to be down only 23-16 midway through the fourth. But Hollins scored a late touchdown to account for the final score.

"I was proud of the effort of our players tonight," said Bradley, the former head coach at Braden River. "They laid a solid foundation for the future of this program. We are excited to get back to work this summer to build off of these last three weeks."

Braden River 10, Boca Ciega 6

SARASOTA - While the man he replaced, Curt Bradley, coached his first game as Southeast's top guy, Eric Sanders did likewise on the Braden River sideline in a 10-8 spring-game victory over host Boca Ciega on Friday night.

The Pirates got their points on a touchdown run by Marcus Galloway, and a 40-yard field goal by Brunno Reus. Braden River's defense, meanwhile, forced five turnovers and collected multiple quarterback sacks.

- Doug Fernandes

THURSDAY

Ocala Vanguard 35, Manatee 27

BRADENTON – Jacquez Green is fresh off his most successful season as the head coach of the Manatee High football team, finishing 9-3 with a trip to the regional semifinals.

Now, he’s embracing the challenge of sustaining that success after losing his first senior class.

Joe Kinnan Field at Hawkins Stadium was littered with rising sophomores and rising juniors for the Hurricanes in a 35-27 loss to Vanguard (Ocala) in the team’s spring game on Thursday night.

But even though Manatee lost, Green said he’s still encouraged by what he saw in a game where the final score didn’t matter.

“Last year was my first senior class,” Green said. “Those guys were sophomores when I first took over as head coach. They ended up being some good players. We ended up signing 10 out of 18 of them to colleges. It was a good group. They listened well, they never got in trouble, they made good grades.

“They had good leadership, too. That was the main thing. We’re trying to get this group to have that same type of leadership.”

Though many new faces were suiting up for Manatee, some familiar ones shined early and often.

Rising-senior quarterback Andrew Heidel, an Army commit, played the first three quarters and helped Manatee jump out to an early lead – throwing touchdown passes of 30 and 70 yards to rising-senior Jalen Bryant and rising-senior AJ Causey in the first quarter.

Heidel threw a pick-six to Vanguard athlete Nasir Allen in the closing minutes of the second quarter, but that was his only blemish on the night. He finished with 14-of-20 passing for 159 yards as he was often forced to make plays on the run behind an offensive line featuring three rising sophomores. He was sacked four times and lost 22 yards on a mistimed snap.

The run game suffered the most from the inexperience.

Rising sophomore running back Keith Smith shouldered the load in the backfield, rushing seven times for four yards while two other ball carriers – rising junior Malik Bryant and rising senior Jamari Parker – combined for five rushes for two yards.

“We’ll get (the run game) going,” Green said. “I really was working more on fundamentals in spring practice. We weren’t doing much scheme-wise. But we still have to run the ball better than we ran the ball tonight. I think in a real game, I probably would have thrown the ball more with Andrew and thrown more quick-game stuff. But I wanted to see what the lineman would do and get some stuff on film that we can work on in the summertime.”

Manatee also lost several players from a star-studded defense from last fall that included defensive linemen Tyreek’e Robinson (UCF) and Tristan Titus (Warner), middle linebackers Max Freeman (Ave Maria) and Elijah Perry (Warner), outside linebacker Damontez McDowell (Stetson), cornerback Daron Jean (USF) and safety Christian Johnson (Edward Waters).

Some mainstays, like tackle-leader Ean Johnson-Kelley, a three-star rising-senior defensive lineman, and tackle-for-loss leader Alvoid Kennon, another rising-senior defensive lineman, return this season.

Johnson-Kelley and Kennon were often in the backfield against Vanguard, each finishing with one sack apiece. Rising senior linebackers Kavion Smith and Khavion Williams were also in on the action, scooping up first-quarter fumbles.

“It’s hard to replace (the defense) because that was an experienced group,” Green said. “All of those guys started their junior year and came back their senior year. It’s hard to replace them, but some of the pieces we have are elite pieces with Ean and Alvoid up front. We changed up the scheme a little bit to match what kind of skill set we have on the back end. We’ll be alright.”

Though the lead was within reach for Manatee up until the final minute, Green opted to play backups for most of the fourth quarter.

Some late-game highlights were rising junior defensive back Jermiah Paterson scooping up a batted-down lateral pass for an 80-yard fumble-return touchdown and rising sophomore quarterback JP Suranto hitting rising sophomore Jok Harris for a 60-yard touchdown in the closing minutes.

Green is enthused about what his new players can do, but they’ll face a stiff test this coming fall against a schedule that includes Lake Minneola (9-4), Buccholz (13-1, 4S state semifinal finish), Palm Beach Gardens Benjamin (8-3) and a grudge match against Riverview (8-5, regional final finish), the team that ended Manatee’s season last year.

“We’ll be able to sustain it,” Green said. “We have good players. We just have to coach them up and get more experience for the guys on the field. We probably won’t be as good as (last year’s) class was early in the year, but I think this group is very coachable, so they’ll get better and better as the season goes along.”

- Vinnie Portell

Bradenton Christian 27, Bayshore 6

BRADENTON -  Bradenton Christian dominated the first half of its spring football matchup with Bayshore and rolled to a 27-6 victory over the Bruins Thursday night.

The Panthers needed only five plays on their opening drive to move the length of the field and score on a 35-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Caden Ott to Judah Galessiere. Then, after a fumble on Bayshore’s first offensive play gave BC possession at the Bruin 22, Colton Dempsey ran it in from 6 yards out and the Panthers had a 13-0 lead before three minutes had elapsed.

It took until the middle of the second quarter for the Bruins to record their first first down. BC was able to add another touchdown on a 37-yard pass from Ott o a wide-open Jackson McBride for a 20-0 halftime lead. The Panthers piled up 222 total yards in the first half while holding Bayshore to just 54.

“I’m very pleased with our effort, especially,” Bradenton Christian coach Phillip Spess said. "They played for each other, they did the right thing and they did their best.  This is a group of guys that love each other and that’s just what we’re trying to continue to do.”

Ott completed 8 of his first 10 passes before cooling off in the second half. The rising senior finished 10-of-22 for 160 yards, completing passes to six different receivers. “Caden is a leader,” Spess said. “I’m really looking forward to seeing him continue to grow this summer in that leadership role. I thought our receivers did well. I thought they blocked well on the edge. Especially the little things, like being able to get lined up and knowing what we’re supposed to be doing at all times. They did a phenomenal job.”

Bayshore alternated between Jamari Smith and Ace Luther at quarterback, and while the Bruins moved the ball better in the second half, fumbles and an interception by BC's Jordan Sanders kept the Bruins out of the Panther end zone until the final minute.

“I’m very thankful for how our guys have bought into our system on defense,” Spess said. “I’m very pleased with our attention to detail and how we focus on fundamental things. If we can’t get off blocks and make tackles and get the football back, we’re not going to be very good on defense. But these guys have focused in on those fundamentals and letting everything take care of itself.”

A 31-yard scramble by Ott set up the Panthers final touchdown, a 9-yard run by Dempsey, who led BC with 59 yards rushing on 17 carries.

Meanwhile, Bayshore coach Jamaal Sanders was unhappy with his team's effort.

“I thought they kicked our butt up and down the field,” he said. “And it will continue to be like that until our guys start taking things seriously. We’re never going to turn the curve on this program when you don’t have guys that commit to what their craft is. So, no offense to BCS, I’m not going to take anything away from them. They came out and did what they were supposed to do and we didn’t take care of what we were supposed to do and that’s the reality of it.”

Davion Johnson, who led the Bruins with 78 rushing yards, got Bayshore on the scoreboard with a 14-yard run with 13 seconds left in the game, but Sanders couldn't find any positives to take away from the 21-point loss.

“I guess we got a game in and we’ll be able to evaluate the film, but as far as our play, just looking at it from the naked eye, it was horrible,” he said. “And that’s being nice. BCS just came out and took us to the woodshed. They did what they were supposed to do, and we didn’t handle business, so that’s us, not them."

- Bruce Robins

Port Charlotte 43, Palmetto 7

PALMETTO - To say the Palmetto High School football team is in a period of turmoil is an understatement. They have yet to find a permanent head coach and were not able to put together a scrimmage that might have helped them immensely

On Thursday in its spring game against Port Charlotte, Palmetto showed it has a long way to go to catch up to a team that has aspirations of a deep playoff run.

The Pirates' defense gave the Tigers very little, and with the help of two Ike Perry touchdowns and 185 yards rushing, they coasted to a 43-7 victory Thursday in the annual spring game.

Interim coach Jim Webb, who spent five years as special teams coach, took into account that they were playing a potential state power and was pleased with the effort they gave and the signs of progress they made

"We played hard. We did some good things. I thought we would be a little more competitive. We had a lot of change of possessions on defense. We got off the field a lot, but we had to right back out there because we couldn't sustain any offensive drives," Webb said. "We were on the field a little longer than we wanted to be."

Port Charlotte took charge early and took advantage of a short field on its first possession, with Perry dashing 33 yards for a touchdown and a quick 7-0 lead.

Palmetto moved the football on its second drive, with Dylan Maclain hitting Dylan Wester on a 37-yard strike into the Pirates' red zone. However, an interception thwarted that drive.

That proved costly as the Pirates drove 80 yards on nine plays, with Perry scoring from the one to make it 14-0 late in the first quarter.

Karsyn Barhausen kicked two field goals in the second quarter to make it 20-0 at the half, and Logan Flaherty, the transfer from Charlotte, ran for a score and later found Jaylen Henry on a nine-yard touchdown pass to make it 34-0.

Maclain, who struggled much of the night while throwing for 141 yards, finally got the Tigers offense awakened, hitting Simeon Matt on a 12-yard touchdown pass to get the Tigers on the board, but Juluis Roach scored later for the Pirates and Barghausen kicked his third field goal late.

Webb said despite the flashes of offense, Palmetto is going to have to find an identity on offense.

"We need a philosophy and scheme we can hang our hats on. We put in some concepts during spring break. We need to find a way to be effective moving the ball and be more precise on defense," Webb said. "We were there. We hit Ike Perry, but we didn't bring him down."

― Chuck Ballaro

Clearwater 10, Cardinal Mooney 7

Cardinal Mooney 28, St. Petersburg 21

SARASOTA - Seeing his team in a game for the first time since winning a state title, Cardinal Mooney head coach Jared Clark was happy with what he saw on Thursday night during the spring jamboree involving his Cougars, Clearwater, and host St. Petersburg High.

"I'm very proud of the work we put in during the spring," he said. "We have a great group of young players and they were able to get a lot of reps and valuable game experience. We did some really good things, and we have some things we need to get better at. We had a short spring and we will continue to improve over the summer. I love our kids. We have great culture and it's because of them."

Parrish 21, Osceola 0

SARASOTA - Bulls head coach Dylan Clark, whose team went 7-4 last year in his first season in charge, couldn't find much to fault in a spring shutout victory over host Osceola.

"A great team win," he said. "Our defense played really well in all aspects, led by Ashton Springfield, Gage Cameron, John Keene, and Sean Crowley." The Bulls got rushing TDs from Cameron Houston and Mar-Keyon Maxwell, and a receiving score from Jermaine Edwards.

St. Petersburg Lakewood 58, Sarasota 0

SARASOTA - First-year head coach Amp Campbell didn't mince words after his Sailors were humbled by host Lakewood.

"It wasn't a good showing," the former Riverview Ram assistant said. "Got a lot of kids who have never played football before. Very disappointed. We have a lot of work to do. Today was day 14 for us. I've got to find a way to get these kids to understand the game of football and understand situations. Our summer program will be very important."

- Doug Fernandes

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota and Manatee County 2024 spring high school football results