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The Promise Of Spring: Bartow Beats Sebring In Football Classic

BARTOW 14 • SEBRING 7

Chris Hoffman/Highlands Today

Sebring’s JC Howard tries to shake Bartow’s Eric Rookard (3) on Friday during a kickoff return in the third quarter in the Spring Football Classic at Yellow Jacket Stadium.

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By Christopher  Hoffman | Highlands Today

Published: May 31, 2008

BARTOW — Respect and confidence are key elements for any quarterback's success, and in one play, Sebring's Matt Grubb got a little bit of both.

Down 14-7 with less than a minute to play, the sophomore connected on a 46-yard pass with JC Howard that had his team erupting on the sideline in a position to tie the game.

But three plays later, Bartow's defense pressured Grubb and picked off his final pass of the night to seal the win, as the Yellow Jackets defeated the Streaks 14-7 in the Spring Football Classic at Yellow Jacket Stadium on Friday.

Despite the outcome, Sebring defensive captain Kenny Daniels gained a lot of respect for his young QB.

"He impressed me a lot with his poise under that much pressure from Bartow," Daniels said. "He showed me that he has the tools to get the job done and lead this team, just like a Peyton Manning. He just needs the experience to go with that talent."

Grubb completed 9 of 14 passes for 88 yards and two interceptions against a heavy Yellow Jacket pass rush, which sacked the quarterback three times and hurried numerous other pass attempts.

"He'll be all right," said Howard, whose 25-yard interception return for a touchdown accounted for Sebring's lone score. "He's got a good touch on the ball, and he'll be the one to lead us next season."

Bartow found the seems in the Sebring defense to the tune of 155 total yards in the first half.

With 3:30 left in the opening quarter, the Yellow Jackets recovered a Sebring fumble and stormed nine plays for the touchdown, highlighted by Bartow's Jamal Lawson connecting with Eric Rookard for a 65-yard scoring strike.

After Sebring went three-and-out in their next possession, Bartow tailback Tyree Brooks ran up the gut and into the heart of the Streaks' defensive front for a 39-yard touchdown run to put the Jackets up by 14-0 early in the second quarter.

"Our youth and inexperience showed on those two plays," said Sebring head coach Jared Hamlin. "I thought our defense played really well. We just have to cut down on giving up the big plays."

The Streaks had a pair of opportunities before the half to get on the scoreboard.

Bartow was called for two pass interference penalties and a face mask with 2:27 left in the second to set Sebring up with a first-and-goal on the 10-yard line. But the Yelllow Jackets sacked Grubb for a seven-yard loss and a 25-yard field goal attempt went wide right to keep the Streaks scoreless at the half.

Hoping to catch Sebring once more before the break, Lawson went to the air with 15 seconds left, but the pass went right into the arms of Howard to give the Streaks the ball at the Yellow Jacket 17-yard line with one last chance to score.

Grubb came out throwing and hit Devin Clarke for a 12-yard gain, but time expired as the Streaks drive stalled at the five-yard line.

"We had our chances right before the half," Hamlin said. "I thought Matt made some good plays, but we just couldn't punch it in."

Sebring tailback Daniel Burnett showed glimpses of his potential, as he broke runs of 25 and 16 yards in the second half against Bartow's pressure defense.

Sebring's offense put up a pair of long drives to start the second half, but ran out of gas and wilted under the constant pressure from the Yellow Jackets, who were regularly in the backfield to disrupt the Streaks offensive plays before they even began.

After the Streaks punted on their first drive, Grubb threw his first interception on a 4th-and-goal at the Yellow Jacket 11-yard line as he tried to throw the ball away while being pulled to the ground by Bartow's Kabakas Clark to nullify another Sebring scoring chance.

But Howard turned the tables on Bartow, stepping in front of a Bartow receiver and picking off Lawson's pass and for a 25-yard touchdown. Howard's his teammates mobbed him as he pumped his fist in the air and cut the Yellow Jacket lead to seven with 8:23 left in the game.

"I read [Lawson's] eyes the whole way and made my move," Howard said. "I knew that we were struggling as a team, and I had to pick up my game to give us a boost. I just wanted to come out and make a big play and give us a chance to win."

Howard's determination didn't end in the end zone: The senior came right back on the ensuing kickoff to tackle Bartow's Rod Smith at the Yellow Jacket 2-yard line when it seemed that Sebring finally got a break.

Bartow shrugged off the bad field position and Brooks broke a 12-yard run to give the Yellow Jackets breathing room and they managed to put together a 13-play drive that didn't result in points, but took more than five minutes off the clock.

"Adversity strikes every body," Hamlin said. "I really wanted to see how this team reacts to adversity and they played great in the second half. You take away those two big plays, and we hung in there with one of the top teams in the area.

"I wish the season started now."

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