’22 slate brutal for Sanford Seminole
Sanford Seminole, which is 34-3 over the past three football seasons, displayed its depth, speed and skill while winning two jamboree halves at home to wrap up spring practice Thursday night.
But afterward ’Noles head coach Eric Lodge stressed to his team that more work has to be done before it faces a 2022 schedule that includes three recent state championship teams and several other perennial powers.
“We’ve got to be sharper mentally, we’ve got to be sharper physically, you’ve got to put the work in,” Lodge said to players gathered in one end zone after Seminole defeated Lake Brantley 14-0 and Flagler Palm Coast 21-7.
“We can’t continue to make some of the mistakes we made tonight.”
All-area receiver Darren “Goldie” Lawrence caught two touchdown passes on throws by rising senior quarterback Luke Rucker. Lawrence, who committed to FSU in late March, opened the night’s scoring when he got behind Lake Brantley defenders for a 68-yard TD reception.
Later, Lawrence was inches away from going 75 yards for another TD but was ruled to have stepped out of bounds as he broke away from Brantley defenders. He had another TD catch nullified by an illegal-formation penalty.
Against FPC Lawrence took a direct snap and scored the first TD of that half on a short run and then broke a 7-7 tie with a 10-yard TD reception with 6 minutes, 46 seconds to go.
Rucker threw his third TD pass to promising ninth grader Kenyon Holden.
Rucker also connected with current junior Marvin Brown and sophomore Justin Rosado for several big gains, including a 19-yard completion to Rosado that set up a short TD run by Rory Thomas.
Seminole relied mostly on Rucker’s arm but went to the ground game late and used consecutive 10-yard gains by running backs Thomas and Tyrone Williams to set up Lawrence’s second TD catch.
All that happened behind a hefty offensive line that included rising seniors Josiah Chenault (6-foot-3, 290 pounds), Khaleeq Stephens (5-10, 275) and Bobbie Anderson (5-8, 240), and junior-to-be Max Buchanan (6-5, 280). The ’Noles were missing returning starter Stephon Mango (6-3, 280).
“We brought back just about everybody on offense so we expect to do well,” Rucker said. “It’s my second year here, and the receivers and I have that connection now.
“I know the plays better. We can open up the playbook more this year.”
Seminole has more holes to fill on the other side of the ball, but its defense surrendered only only two first downs in four quarters of play.
FPC’s score against the ’Noles was a 96-yard pick-six by Gerod Tolbert.
Seminole’s defensive front includes rising seniors Conner Hopson (6-2, 230), Dallas Hudson (6-0, 245) and Charles Green (6-2, 250), along with rising junior Preston Watson (6-3, 275).
“We’ve got a lot of talent and young guys who are stepping up,” Lodge said after the jamboree concluded. “We’re where we want to be at this point.”
The one big negative for the ’Noles came after Lawrence’s third TD.
He was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct in the end zone and ejected from the game. Florida High School Athletic Association regulations state that players who are ejected will be ineligible for at least one game.
Barring a successful appeal, that would mean he misses an Aug. 26 regular-season opener at Sarasota Riverview.
Seminole, a state champion in 2008 and 2020, is scheduled to play Edgewater, which was 10-2 last fall and a state runner-up in 2019 and 2020, in a Kickoff Classic preseason game as a prelude to its schedule.
The Seminoles also have added games against Venice, last year’s 8A state champ; Cocoa, winner of four state titles since 2008; Apopka, a three-time state champion and runner-up in 2019 and 2021; and Kissimmee Osceola, a state runner-up three times since 2014. Holdover games include longtime rivals Lake Mary, Lake Brantley and DeLand, which was a state runner-up in 2009 and has legendary coach Rick Darlington now at the helm.
Patriots edge FPC
Lake Brantley held on downs in the late going after FPC had two touchdown plays nullified by penalties and beat the Bulldogs 7-0.
Andrew and Michael Harris, Lake Brantley’s twin tandem of highly recruited linebackers, were impressive after being cautious in the recent track and field season due to hamstring issues. Both appeared to be at full speed or close to that.
“We were ready,” said Michael, who blitzed and sacked Rucker on Seminole’s third play of the night. He had another tackle for a loss later. Andrew also had a sack and delivered a jarring hit on a run by Rosado in the second quarter.
New Lake Brantley head coach Skip Clayton said his team is very young, especially on offense, where option quarterback Braxton Woodson (6-3, 190) will be surrounded by a number of new starters.
“We’re not there yet. Summer is the next step,” Clayton told his team. “It starts on [June] the sixth, when everybody shows up every morning and we start getting after it in the weight room.”