State Title Class 5A-8A All-Tourney Team
This past weekend in Orlando marked the end of the 2015 FHSAA Football Season. The Class 5A-8A Championship games were played and we crowned four more teams for 2015. Once again South Florida dominated the headlines as three of the four title games played were won by teams from the South. Saint Thomas went out and won back to back state championships. Miami Central earned another state title as they have now won 4 straight. Flanagan took down Osceola High School and won their first ever state title. In the Class 5A State Title Game it was Bishop Moore High School that beat Wakulla in a closely fought battle. After the games are played and the medals are handed out, ESS gives you the All-Tourney Team from this past weekend.
QB-Kato Nelson-(Flanagan-Class of 2016)-Nelson has now won state titles with two different teams. The difference between winning a state title this year and coming up short once again was Nelson. He threw for over 200 yards and had 2 touchdowns. His 71 yards on the ground were also very important.
RB-James Cook-(Miami Central-Class of 2019) – One of the top performances in this weekend’s game is a name opposing teams better get used to hearing and that is James Cook. The talented freshman back ran 15 times for 179 yards and 3 touchdowns. His 11.9 average per carry was quite impressive. Cook will get three more shots at winning state titles and we sure are not going to bet against him.
RB-Erin Collins-(Arm wood–Class of 2017) Collins went out and did the most with his carries. He only got five carries, but Erin had over 140 yards. His 28.2 yards per carry are quite impressive. He also had a run of 90 yards which went for touchdowns. Collins will team next year with Brian Snead to give Armwood one of the best backfields in Florida.
WR-Samuel Bruce-(Saint Thomas-Class of 2016) The University of Miami commit made his presence felt early. He had 5 catches for over 60 yards and a touchdown. Bruce is one of the best players in Florida and he once again showed why. Bruce is an impact player every time he touches the football.
WR-Keith Gavin-(Wakulla-Class of 2016)-Gavin caught 5 balls for over 70 yards, two of which went for touchdowns. If Wakulla had thrown the ball to Gavin more, they probably win the game. Gavin showed everyone that he may just be the number 1 receiver in Florida.
WR-Rayshad Lewis-(Bishop Moore-Class of 2016)-Lewis put on quite an impressive performance. He caught 7 passes for 94 yards and two touchdowns. He also returned three kickoffs for over 110 yards. He was one of the MVP of Bishop Moore football team.
OL-Marcus Etienne-(Flanagan-Class of 2017) While Etienne was not one of the biggest linemen on Flanagan football team, don’t tell Osceola that. He was very impressive in the win over the Kowboys. He comes back for another season and should be one of the best linemen in South Florida next year.
OL-Nick Welch-(Bishop Moore-Class of 2016)-Welch was a big reason why Bishop Moore offense was able to be successful on Friday Night. We expected some of the highly regarded lineman on Bishop Moore line to perform well but it was Welch that came through.
OL-Jason Swann-(Saint Thomas-Class of 2018)-Swann is the next in line at Saint Thomas. They have had some great offensive lineman over the years. Swann has a chance to be one of the better ones to come through Saint Thomas and that is saying something.
OL-Cody Bowes-(Saint Thomas-Class of 2017) Bowes was part of an offensive line that dominated Viera defensive line on Friday Night. The scary thing for opponents is both will be back next year.
OL-Parker Boudreax-(Bishop Moore-Class of 2016) –The Notre Dame Commitment helped anchor the Bishop Moore offensive line. He played well for the Yellow Jackets and helped lead an impressive offense against Wakulla.
DL-Kivon Bennett-(Saint Thomas-Class of 2017)-Bennett put on quite a performance on Friday Night. He lived in Viera backfield all night long. The talented junior lineman put his name on the recruiting radar. We expect Bennett to be one of the more heavily recruited players next season.
DL-Zander Zimmer-(Bishop Moore-Class of 2016)-Double Z went out and posted an impressive stat line this past weekend. He recorded 7 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and 2 quarterback sacks. He was constantly living in the opposition’s backfield.
DL-Colin Nace-(Saint Thomas-Class of 2016)-Turn on the state title game and you will see Nace in the backfield plenty on Friday Night. He had 8 tackles and 2 sacks. He also had 2 tackles for loss. Viera did not have an answer to his play on the field.
DL-Jordan Eubanks-(Flanagan-Class of 2016)-Every-time we looked up it was Eubanks in on a tackle. He had 10 tackles, 1.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss. He was part of a defense that was among the very best in Florida this year.
LB-Darrell Shelton-(Saint Thomas-Class of 2018)-Shelton had 7 tackles, 1 sack and 2 tackles for loss in Saint Thomas dominating performance against Viera. To think that with Drew White back next year along with players like Shelton is there any question that will most likely have the best linebacker corps in Florida next season. Shelton was all over the field and put on a performance that you rarely see at this level.
LB-Donavan Thompson-(Miami Central-Class of 2016)-Thompson once again showed up big for Miami Central. Thompson led the Rockets in tackles with 8. He also had two tackles for loss. The Central Linebacker is very active and makes plays all over the field.
LB-Devin Gil-(Flanagan-Class of 2016) The University of Michigan commit did not disappoint last night. Every-time we looked up it was number 9 making a play. He is often overlooked by his peers but Gil more than showed why on Saturday Night why Michigan offered him a scholarship. Gill has gotten much bigger and his ability to play the run or drop back into coverage makes him one of the more versatile linebackers in South Florida.
DB-Carlos Becker-(Osceola-Class of 2016)-Becker showed why on Saturday Night why he is quickly becoming one of the top defensive back recruits in Florida. He has the size, speed and versatility to play multiple positions in college. He had some real impressive plays last night.
DB-Stanford Samuels-(Flanagan-Class of 2017) Samuels was not tested much last night. When Osceola was forced to pass and went his way, Samuels intercepted a ball and took it all the way back for a touchdown. He is one of the premier defensive backs in the class of 2017.
DB-Tyler Scott-(Armwood-Class of 2016)-Scott had over 18 tackles against Miami Central. It is never a good thing when your safety has to make that many plays but that should not take away from his impressive performance. He is one of the more underrated defensive backs in Florida this season.
DB-Trevor Merritt-(Viera-Class of 2016)-Viera struggled on both sides of the football. One player that did play well was Trevor Merritt. He ended up with 7 tackles and 2 for loss. He is an under the radar defensive back that should start to draw interest over the next couple of months.
Honorable Mention:
Jaxson Kincaide-(Saint Thomas)-RB-Class of 2016-(12 carries for 119 yards and two touchdowns)
Jake Allen-(Saint Thomas)-QB-Class of 2017-(11-14 -152 yards and 1 touchdown)
Ladderien Wilson-(Osceola)-RB-Class of 2016-(22 rushes for 104 yards).
Trey Shine-(Osceola)-LB-Class of 2018-(15 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a quarterback sack)
Jahcour Pearson-(Flanagan)-WR-Class of 2016-(7 receptions for 80 yards and two touchdowns)