Sports Notebook: Both Carrollwood High Schools Have Emerging QB Tandems

For the last couple of years, it's been all Deuce Gruden and all Shug Oyegunle at the quarterback position for and . It looked like more of the same this year until simultaneous serendipitous events hit both squads this summer.

Now, neither quarterback is in danger of losing his starting job, but the new finds will open up the playbook for both teams. Check out an analysis here:

Carrollwood Day School Patriots

Rising senior Deuce Gruden threw for more than 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns last season. He's the undisputed leader of the offense and the team.

"Deuce is our guy, he knows the team, he knows the plays," said head coach lane McLaughlin.

However, like a superhero, Gruden has his special abilities and he has his foibles. Gruden is a wrecking ball when he tucks and runs; being short is a disadvantage at the position.

What happened two weeks ago was not so much that the superhero would be replaced, so much as supplemented by a side kick.

Rising junior Dominiq Sicardo filled in for Gruden during the Central Florida Shootout a couple weekends ago. Not only did they do well, they won the tournament, beating Lake Highland Prep 30-12 in the final. The Patriots went 7-0, and Sicardo was voted MVP.

The reason this is so exciting is that Sicardo is 6-foot-3 and would tower over his offensive line. This would open up the type of plays that could be run with Sicardo under center and it would allow Gruden to be used as a blocker in the run game, carrying the ball out of the backfield, even running out for short passes. 

Coach McLaughlin was pretty impressed with the short glimpse he got of his current tight end.

"He'll most likely be my quarterback for 2012," said McLaughlin.

There's really no reason why Sicardo would take over at the position this year. He's never taken a snap in a high school game.

However, just using Sicardo in a few formations will take some of the pressure off of Gruden and free him up to play other positions.

Gaither Cowboys

A similar situation is developing at Gaither High School. Rising sophomore Alex McGough is starting to develop during 7 on 7 competition. There's no doubt that rising junior Shug Oyegunle is going to start the season at quarterback.

However, the development of McGough will take some of the pressure off of Oyegunle and allow the Gaither coaches to use McGough under center.

"He's doing well, he's coming along, learning the plays," said head coach Jason Stokes.

Not only does this give Oyegunle a break from getting assaulted every down, it allows him to line up all over the field.

This is a very dangerous prospect considering he's one of the best, if not the best, athlete on the team. His speed and ability to make cuts in the open field can be devastating.

Just last Wednesday at Jesuit 7 on 7, Oyegunle lined up in the slot, caught a four yard pass, made one defender miss and sprinted for the end zone. Antonio Joseph of Wharton took an angle on him, only to find he had to flatten that angle out to even get close.

As Oyegunle reached the sideline, he stopped dead in his tracks and Joseph went flying past like a subway train. Oyegunle stepped into the endzone untouched.

Those are plays that you cannot make as a quarterback, unless you're lucky. 

The ability to use McGough at QB will allow Oyegunle to get his hands on the ball in the middle of the field. Anyone who's seen Oyegunle carry the ball knows that's a dangerous prospect.

The bottom line is, having two quarterbacks that you can trust and play is a huge advantage; one that no one thought either team had in the spring.

How will it shake out in the fall? Who knows. But both teams are looking just a little bit stronger as Sept. 2 creeps closer and closer.