TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Highlands Today

Palmetto Sends AP Out With A Loss

Chris Hoffman/Highlands Today

Avon Park junior Teddy Allen tries to zip to the outside of the Palmetto defense on Friday during the Tigers 31-0 victory over the Red Devils at Joe Franza Stadium.

ADVERTISEMENT

By CHRIS HOFFMAN

Highlands Today

Published: November 15, 2008

AVON PARK - Junior defensive tackle Cleveland Nobles walked over to senior James Bland and offered a hug as the seconds ticked off the clock in Avon Park's 31-0 season-ending loss to Class 3A-District 11 champion Palmetto Tigers at Joe Franza Stadium.

"We may not have won a lot of games this year, but we really came together as a team," Nobles said as he walked off the field. "We formed a brotherhood in that locker room and it's something we're going to carry with us into next season."

Avon Park freshman JD Hardy got an early Christmas gift on Friday afternoon, when Red Devil head coach Andy Bonjokian informed the quarterback during fifth period that he'd be the varsity starting quarterback in the season finale.

"His eyes lit up when I told him," Bonjokian said. "Some kids may have run from that kind of a challenge, but JD got excited and couldn't wait to get on the field."

When asked about Bonjokian's surprise announcement, Hardy was honest when he mentioned a hint of nerves crept in.

"I was a little nervous," Hardy said. "But I didn't want anyone to know."

The speed of the varsity game compared to the junior varsity, where Hardy, who went 6 for 11 for 43 yards and three interceptions, was the starting quarterback for the Red Devils JV squad, was something the freshman had to get use to in a hurry.

"They are a lot faster than in JV and a lot bigger, too," Hardy said. "That front line of Palmetto was bigger than I imagined and I had a few passes batted down. But I thought I did pretty good in my first game and I hope this won't be my last at varsity."

Hardy got the start after injuries to seniors Albert Moses and Terrill Conner forced Bonjokian to look elsewhere for his signal caller.

"JD had some success at the JV level and I gave him an opportunity to come in and run a varsity offense," Bonjokian said. "I thought he did a good job with only 30 minutes prep time to get ready for a district championship team like Palmetto."

Palmetto wasn't easy on Hardy, as the Tigers intercepted three passes - running one back for a touchdown - and sacked the young quarterback three times in the shutout.

The Tigers are the Class 3A-District 12 champions and came into the game with an undefeated record on the road, but the offense wasn't clicking in the early going and the defense had to come up with the big plays.

Palmetto linebacker Brian Ackerman recovered an Avon Park fumble and ran it back 30 yards for the game's opening score with less than two minutes in the first quarter, while Avon Park fumbled on back-to-back possessions that led to the Tigers 14-0 lead on Marva Carley's six-yard touchdown run moments into the second quarter.

The defensive front of Palmetto towered over Avon Park and used it's size to bat down several balls from Hardy, before Rodney Mitchell came down with one of the batted balls and ran it back 45 yards for the score and a 21-0 lead with 10:21 left before the half.

A Brandon Tarpley 35-yard field goal made it 24-0 before half time in what was an extremely sloppy performance by both teams.

Palmetto gained just 74 total yards of offense in the first half, while Avon Park had 73 yards, but a pair of fumbles and an interception was the opening the Tigers needed to pounce.

But the real story of the night for the home team was the gutsy effort by junior tailback Teddy Allen, who was the unquestioned workhorse for Avon Park, as he carried the ball 30 times for 134 yards (4.46 yards per carry) to take the pressure off the new quarterback.

"I was told I was going to get a lot of carries tonight," Allen said. "I don't mind going out and getting hit. I just keep getting up and coming back for more."

Allen has rushed for 821 yards this season for the Red Devils, who finish the season with a 2-8 record.

The Avon Park defense played a solid game, as they forced four fumbles and Nobles recovered one that gave the Red Devils the ball on the Tigers 40. But AP could manage just six yards and an incomplete pass and turned the ball over on downs to end AP's best shot at the end zone.

Missing from the backfield was Allen's counterpart, Virgil Cooper, who was sideline for the season finale with an injured knee. Many of Cooper's teammates wished to have seen him carry the ball one last time for the Red Devils.

"It was tough to watch him on the sideline and not out on the field," Noble said. "You always expect to see Virgil ready to make a play and tonight he had to sit and watch, but JD is his cousin and I know he was proud to watch him play."

Bonjokian said it was tough to watch the seniors, including Moses and Cooper, as the season and their last days of playing football for the Red Devils came to a close.

"You never want it to end," Bonjokian said. "I'm glad somebody refered to this team as a brotherhood. We are a real family that cares about one another. I'm sorry I couldn't give them a victory, but I hope that the coaches and I have made a little bit of an impact on these kids that'll help them later in life."

Palmetto 31, Avon Park 0

Friday at Avon Park

Palmetto 7 17 7 0 - 31

Avon Park 0 0 0 0 - 0

SCORING SUMMARY

First Quarter

PAL - Ackerman 30 fumble recovery, (Tarpley kick), 1:36

Second Quarter

PAL - Carley 6 run, (Tarpley kick), 11:29

PAL - Mitchell 45 interception return, (Tarpley kick), 10:21

PAL - Tarpley 35 field goal, 2:53

Third Quarter

PAL - Gilbert 27 pass to Copeland, (Tarpley kick), 5:47

INDIVIDUAL STATS

RUSHING Palmetto; Williams 11-27, Carley 4-32-1, Gilbert 2-minus-12. Avon Park; Allen - 30-134. Hardy 7-(-13), Nobles 1-9, Jones 2-0, Perez 4-27.

PASSING Palmetto; Gilbert 8-15-127-1. Avon Park; Hardy 6-11-43-0-3, Allen 0-1.

RECEIVING Palmetto; Campbell 1-57, Lowe 1-0, Sanders 2-4, Copeland 2-36-1, Carley 2-30. Avon Park; Robertson 4-34, McKenzie 1-2, Allen 1-7.

Chris Hoffman can be reached at 863-386-5837 or choffman@highlandstoday.com

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT