Sports
Cowboys and Patriots Hit the USF Sling and Shoot
Both Carrollwood Schools had good showings at the tournament, but it was cut short due to bad weather.
Gaither:
The Cowboys, a 2011 tournament finalist, had a bumpy start.
They lost their first two games to Winter Park and Liberty. Then, they bounced back with win a critical win over Lakewood 21-6, then beat East Lake2 and Jesuit1 only to fall to Mainland to end the day, 3-3.
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They finished pool play at 5-3 and drew Lee in the first round of elimination. The Cowboys got past Lee and faced rival Tampa Bay Tech in Round 2 of elimination. They fell behind by two scores, early as frustration began to set it. They rallied, tied the game but fell on a last second touchdown.
The new-look Cowboys secondary held up well against a host of talented receivers they could not jam at the line or tackle.
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"We're just getting better," said junior defensive back Amani Oruwariye. "Going against competition like this is going to pay off."
"I'm super-proud of our guys," said Stokes. "The defensive staff has done a great job running 1on1 drills and preparing the guys for this."
The Cowboys are the picture of balance. A bevy of talented backs and receivers make Gaither a terriffic 7-on-7 team. If it translates to the regular season. The Cowboys should be right back in the mix for the Class 7A District 7 championship again.
CDS:
The Patriots exploded out of the gates and won their first five games against South Sumter, Jesuit2, a big win over Countryside's 1 team.
The Cougars coaches were livid. The Patriots then beat Palm Beach Central and North Broward before hitting the wall and running out of gas in time to fall to Armwood. They ended the day at an impressive 5-1, and finished pool play at 6-2. The Patriots upset South Plantation in Round 1 of elimination. No big-name school likes to lose to fledling CDS. The South Plantation and Countryside coaches were livid after dropping games to the Patriots.
The Pats have a different look as of a couple weeks ago. Former Robinson quarterback and senior Vidal Woodruff, who threw 10 touchdowns for the Knights in 2011, is now the starting quarterback. Woodruff was granted eligibility based on his home-schooling status for his senior year. The move is a huge surprise for Patriot fans who expected senior Dominiq Sicardo to start at quarterback in 2012.
"Missouri is looking at Dominiq as a tight end," said head coach lane McLaughlin.
No doubt, the long road of molding Sicardo into a quarterback weighed in with Woodruff's expereience at the position led McLaughlin to make the switch. Plus, taking a big body like Sicardo off the offensive line was not a favorable option.
As it was, Woodruff looked very comfortable distributing the ball to his backs and receivers.
"I like this offense much better," said Woodruff. "Robinson's passing game is short and they like to run."
"This offense is built more to pass, to go vertical," said Woodruff.
The CDS mainstays, seniors Robert Davis and Andy Embody performed very well at the tournament. Their contributions on defense were far from overshadowed by their contributions on offense.
"When Robert is back there at safety, people have to respect his speed," said defensive coordinator Sal Cuono. "He can get to the sidelines and cover anything deep; it's important we have him back there."
Conditioning, an ubiquitous hang-up for small programs that have to play kids both ways, doesn't seem to be an issue at this point.
"I'm really not that bad(tired)," said Davis. "We prepare for that all year."
Davis cites post-weight-room sprints and that the continuity of practices gives CDS and edge.
"We have 22 guys on the roster," Davis said. "There are 22 guys at every practice."