Boone sees playmakers emerge in spring game
Quarterback Casey St. John and the Boone High School football team knew the Braves had a two-way star in Jacorey Thomas.
Friday night’s spring game against Bishop Moore showed St. John has a new weapon he can call on.
Sophomore-to-be tight end Harrison White caught two touchdown passes to help the Braves defeat Bishop Moore 28-21 to close their spring football session. The junior varsities fought to a 7-7 tie in the first quarter before Boone outlasted the Hornets in the second half.
White caught three passes for just 19 yards, but two of them went for 2- and 10-yard touchdowns. On both scores, White went through the line and found an open spot near the goalpost. The second one came with 3:53 left in the game and broke a 21-21 tie.
White said it was a challenge trying to overcome not playing a fall junior-varsity season last year due to the COVID-19 outbreak. But he credits the work he put in to get caught up. He also lauded the Braves’ run attack for setting up the play-action pass.
“Right now, I’m a pretty good receiving tight end,” White said. “I really need to get bigger and stronger in the summer so I can be a better blocker. That’s my weak point right now.”
St. John completed his first five passes and went 8 of 9 for 63 yards for the game. He said White was able to find the gaps but also knew when to run.
St. John also said Thomas, a Division I recruit, is a “different animal. Every college is after him. It’s great to have him. Both our running backs like to pound it downhill. That’s what we need our running backs to do.”
Thomas caught two passes for 26 yards to set up a third-quarter touchdown. And he also made his presence known on defense. In the second quarter alone at defensive back, he broke up a pass, got a sack and generated a quarterback pressure.
He said that he just needed to add strength and speed to prepare for college football. He also said that he’s been a two-way player most of his life, so he’s built the stamina to succeed.
Boone coach Andy Johnson said that’s to be expected from a player he calls the best in Central Florida, one of the best in the state and among the best in the nation.
“He’s highly recruited because he can do so many things and play many positions on an elite level,” Johnson said. “He works hard. He’s a great student. It all comes together, and that’s why he is what he is.”
D’Markus Mathis and Anthony Blount proved they can run the ball well enough to set up the play-action attack. Mathis, a senior-to-be, ran for two touchdowns while running for 69 yards on 12 carries. Blount, a sophomore-to-be, ran for 74 yards on eight carries.
Mathis said the run game benefits from the passing attack.
“It helps us because we come together as a team,” Mathis said. “We can move the ball fast with Jacorey. I feel like we can come together as a team and turn first downs into touchdowns.”
Bishop Moore enters the offseason with a quarterback competition. Senior-to-be Brandon Trenta completed 4 of 10 passes for 19 yards. Junior-to-be Quinn Niemann completed 3 of 5 passes for 73 yards. That included a 53-yard touchdown pass to Dylan Fitzgibbon.
Bishop Moore coach Matt Hedrick said his quarterbacks tried to force some passes.
“We certainly have a senior that comes back. Brandon’s doing a great job and is working toward being a starting quarterback. Quinn did a good job tonight. We have two great freshmen that we couldn’t play enough because there weren’t enough snaps in a game. It’s a healthy competition.”
Hedrick also challenged his offensive line to block for the team’s run attack. The Hornets ran for 82 yards, led by Jeremy Ruiz’s 36 yards on five carries. His 7-yard run with 7:25 left in the game brought the Hornets into a 21-21 tie.
“I was encouraged,” Hedrick said. “We’ll watch the film, and we’ll see a lot of mistakes. I thought they did a good job being physical. I thought Boone had a goodsized team. They were definitely a physical team. We held our own.”