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Streaks Welcome Titans To Friday Night

Chris Hoffman/Highlands Today

Sebring's Kenny Daniels will be a key part of the Blue Streaks' defense this season as he starts his fourth varsity season tonight at Tenoroc.

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By BRIAN GJURGEVICH

Highlands Today

Published: August 29, 2008

SEBRING - The Tenoroc football team may not have played a game yet, but the Titans do have their own Web site.

On it, along with a team records page that simply reads "To be established by the 2008 Titans," there's a running countdown to tonight's preseason opener, when Tenoroc will take its first snaps as a football program against a young and hungry Sebring squad.

"A classic game is a chance to get your feet wet and get a full game under your belt," said Sebring coach Jared Hamlin. "I'll be looking at how prepared we are mentally. Physically, I'm not worried about us too much."

With underclassmen in key roles on both sides of the ball - including sophomores Matt Grubb at quarterback and Jesse Baker at center handing every snap - the fifth-year Blue Streak skipper is hoping Sebring uses the game as a chance to make and learn from its mistakes.

"Jumping off-sides, false starts, lining up wrong offensively or defensively," Hamlin said. "It will be important to see how mentally prepared we are for a game situation."

Hamlin said Grubb has been throwing well at practice this week and the offensive line is improving every day. That's helped running back Devin Clarke raise the level of his game, and give the Streaks another weapon alongside returning junior Daniel Burnett.

And establishing the run should open things up for the passing game.

"We'll be throwing the ball around a little bit," Hamlin said. "(Grubb's) improving every day."

Receiving threats Kevin Welborn and Javarius Sanders have also practiced well this week, a sign, perhaps, that the Blue Streak vertical passing game could be ready for launch.

The match-up with Tenoroc came about when Polk County schools sent out an email looking for opponents for the Titans' first-ever football game. With a one-year contract with Space Coast fulfilled last season and an open week on the schedule, Hamlin agreed to the meeting.

Tenoroc didn't play in a spring game, meaning Sebring knows very little about the team and its tendencies.

"We don't have any film of them," Hamlin said. "So we've had to rely on word of mouth. So we just know the basics on them."

One thing is for certain, however: The self-motivated Streaks are ready to play, whoever the opponent is.

"This is a fun group to be around, because they want it and they practice like they want it," Hamlin said. "We don't have to do a lot of 'rah-rah.'"

Blue Streaks vs. Titans

at Tenoroc High School

TONIGHT at 7:30

COST $5

Brian Gjurgevich can be reached at 863-386-5841 or bgjurgevich@highlandstoday.com

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