Lightning strikes down spring football game

Avon Park football coach Andy Bonjokian liked what he saw in the opening three minutes of a spring football game between Lake Placid and AP on Thursday at Roger Scarborough Memorial Field.

Unfortunately, three minutes was all he'd see.

Fans of Lake Placid and Avon Park football didn't have much time to settle into their seats before lightning struck down the spring football game between the two cross-county rivals.

"It was only the first drive," grinned Bonjokian, who watched his Red Devils move down the field and score on a three-yard run by Teddy Allen before thunderstorms rolled in and postponed the game. "We can't complain. We're pretty happy - the kids did their assignments and played hard.

"And there were some real shots out there from both sides."

The Dragons and Devils will try it again at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, while Sebring's Blue/White game - originally set for Friday night - was postponed indefinitely due to thunderstorms.

Lake Placid coach Jason Holden said three minutes on defense is hardly enough time to gauge a team's progression, but any time on the field is valuable from a coaching standpoint.

"It was a great experience for us, because going in, you're not quite sure what's clicking," Holden said. "When you're scrimmaging yourself all the time, players kind of have a feel for what's going on and they know the guy across from him and his strengths and weaknesses.

"From that defensive series, we have a lot of great coaching points we can go over with them."

Bonjokian said the Devils' pistol formation looked good on the opening drive, and that it will continue to be a work-in-progress.

"It's definitely something you can't learn overnight," he said. "The kids have done everything we've asked them to do. We came out with big numbers, and they may not be as big now, but the guys who really want to be here are here. And they're doing everything they can to get better. We have a lot to do, and I'm proud of them."

Holden, who joked he "broke his team's hearts" by adding Friday and Monday practices in preparation for the make-up game, said the camaraderie in the Green Dragon huddle is the team's biggest strength as spring camp winds down.

"We've really come together as a team," he said. "They're a great group of guys and they all seem to care about each other. We just need to focus on playing a little more disciplined on assignment. We get out there and we want to chase the ball-carrier and try to make every play instead of playing team football on the field."

And although they'll wait until Tuesday to play again, the Red Devils will be busy tonight: APHS will host a Florida Championship Wrestling event as a benefit for the football team (see 2-minute drill on Page 2 for details).

"I haven't been to a wrestling event since the last one I wrestled in," Bonjokian said. "It's exciting because it's WWE talent, guys who are going to be on TV in a year or two. It's a great opportunity for us to give them a good show and raise some money for the football team."