Playoff Picture

Their journey together began four
years ago.

The Sarasota High seniors were freshman at the time, and Ed Volz had just returned home to Sarasota to tackle his new job as the Sailors’ head football coach.

The players didn’t quite know what to expect early on; but as time passed, Volz and his coaching staff tried to instill a philosophy centered on family and holding one another accountable.

The Sailors went through their fare share of growing pains, finishing 11-19 over the past three seasons.
But Volz believed if his players continued to buy into the program, eventually their time would come.
After winning its first two games of the season, Sarasota lost its next four games, including a district game versus Braden River.

Shortly thereafter, Volz announced he would be resigning at the end of the season to spend more time with his family — much to the shock of his players.

At that point, the players dedicated their season not only to one another, but also to their coach.

“Personally, for me, Volz said it’s his last year, so I’m trying to make it a special one for him,” senior Dominique Austin says. “I’m just playing my heart out right here, as is the rest of the team.”

Wide receiver Shawn Bane Jr. agrees.

“I’m kind of shocked about his decision, but I guess it kind of made us come together as one, actually,” Bane says. “It created a bond. And that’s been his goal.”

The Sailors won their next two district games, including a stunning victory at Palmetto Oct. 25. Sitting at 2-1 in the district standings, Sarasota controlled its own destiny heading into its final district game Nov. 1. A win and the Sailors were in the playoffs. A win and a Braden River loss and Sarasota would clinch its first district title since 2006.

Clinging to a 17-14 halftime lead, Austin intercepted the ball on the opening play of the second half and returned it 62 yards for a touchdown to give the Sailors a 24-14 lead.

“He’s unbelievable,” Volz says of Austin. “He makes plays all of the time. You can see what he does. He makes up for a lot of things. He’s a great player. We just can’t over coach him.”

It was the game-changing play the Sarasota needed. The Sailors picked the ball off three times and held Lakewood Ranch scoreless in the second half to walk away with a 41-14 victory and the Class 7A-District 10 title.

“It’s kind of hard to wrap your head around it,” Bane says. “We finally bought in. We just executed and played to the best of our abilities. That’s all we needed. The scoreboard says it all.”

“We’ve had some great kids along the way, so this is a celebration of all of those guys over the last four years,” Volz says. “Those early guys really had an impact on what we wanted the program to become, and these guys have just been (ingrained) in the program. So, it’s just great to see it come full circle and in four years we’ve been able to go from a 1-9 (record) to a district champion.

“I think that this senior class has left a legacy for the program to continue to grow,” Volz says. “It’s more about what they’ve done then about what we’ve done. And, for me, I think I’m going to leave it in a better situation than when we got here.”

Sarasota will conclude it’s regular season Nov. 8 at rival Riverview before playing host to Pinellas Park in the Class 7A-Region 3 quarterfinals Nov. 15.

“This is just amazing,” Austin says. “I’m just so excited. It’s overwhelming. The whole team played its heart out. Everyone did his job. Now we’re going to fix the mistakes that we made and get ready for the playoffs.”

CARDINAL MOONEY
The Cardinal Mooney High football team knew what it was up against — a feat that hadn’t been accomplished in seven years.

The last time it happened, the players on the Cougars’ varsity roster were still in elementary school.
But it hadn’t been for a lack of trying.

Over the past couple of years, Cardinal Mooney had been hampered by injuries and missed opportunities — something the Cougars hoped to avoid this season.

Well before the season began, the Cougars gathered to make sure everyone was on the same page. They were going to win the district title.

With only two district games on its schedule, Cardinal Mooney set out to take each game as it came, trying not to focus on the future or what could possibly be.

Cardinal Mooney opened its district season with a 62-0 victory over rival ODA Oct. 18. With the win, the Cougars secured a berth in the postseason for the first time since 2008.

But the Cougars weren’t done yet.

On Nov. 1, the Cougars traveled to Fort Myers for their final district game of the season against Bishop Verot. The winner would clinch the Class 3A-District 10 title.

Trailing 3-0, Cardinal Mooney scored 21 unanswered points to take a 21-3 lead into the fourth quarter. Bishop Verot opened the fourth quarter with a double pass for a touchdown to pull within 21-10.
It wasn’t until Cardinal Mooney responded with a pair of touchdowns later in the fourth quarter and the final minute wound down, that the Cougars could finally celebrate their accomplishment — a 35-10 victory and a district championship.

“It’s been our goal since day one,” junior left guard Kevin Barker says. “All spring this is what we looked forward to, so it feels good to get one big accomplishment down. We still have a lot to look forward to, but this is definitely the start of something.”

“It obviously feels good, but it’s more important for the kids,” says coach Josh Smithers. “It’s not just for the guys in 2013, but for the guys who were here the last couple of years and got us closer to getting over the hump. These kids deserve it.”

Running back Demardre Patterson carried the ball 36 times for 257 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Reese Vita and running back Vince Sellers each added a rushing touchdown. Alex Sobczak had a pair of interceptions and Sellers had an interception — all three of which resulted in touchdowns for the Cougars.

“The satisfaction of seeing my family succeed is what drives me,” Barker says. “It’s what we strive for. We’re the hogs, and we ground it out for our brothers.”

Following the win, Smithers received text messages from former players expressing how proud they were, not only of this year’s team, but to have been a Cougar.

Cardinal Mooney will close out its regular season at Booker Nov. 8 against a Class 5A Tornadoes team that is preparing to make its own playoff berth for the first time since 2007.

The Cougars plan to use the opportunity of going up against one of the area’s premier running backs — Marlon Mack — as a way to prepare for the rushing attack they’ll face in the first round of the playoffs.
Cardinal Mooney will begin its playoff run Nov. 15 versus St. Pete Catholic in the Class 3A-Region 3 semifinals.

The Cougars beat St. Pete Catholic 14-12 earlier this season on the road, but the players know that anything is possible in the playoffs. A win during the regular season doesn’t automatically mean a win in the postseason.

Cardinal Mooney is simply planning on taking each game as it comes.

But that doesn’t mean that the players aren’t aware of what happened the last time the Cougars won a district title — an eventual regional championship and berth in the Final Four.

“I think we have a state-worthy team,” Barker says. “On the field, it’s 11 guys versus 11 guys; and our 11 guys are so bonded, that I think we can make it to states.”

“They don’t look ahead and they don’t look behind,” Smithers says. “They just keep playing. It’s been a fun year.”

RIVERVIEW
There are no guarantees when it comes to the playoffs, especially when you land in a district alongside Manatee — a national powerhouse.

But with Manatee the likely district champion, the Riverview High football team focused on the other two district games on the schedule. Two games that would determine whether Riverview would finally return to the playoffs — a spot it hadn’t been in since 2008.

The Rams knocked off Palm Harbor Oct. 18 to set up a showdown with St. Petersburg for the runner-up spot in Class 8A-District 7.

Quarterback Richie James rushed for two touchdowns and threw for a score, as the host Rams defeated St. Petersburg 29-3 on homecoming.

After closing out the regular season Nov. 8 versus rival Sarasota, the Rams will travel to Fort Pierce Central for a regional quarterfinal game Nov. 15.

“The team has bought into what we are doing and stuck together as a team,” Riverview coach Todd Johnson says. “And when they have had the opportunity to make plays, they have been coming up with them.

“This group of guys has battled for a long time to get us back in the playoffs,” Johnson says. “They are very proud of this accomplishment but also looking forward to the challenge.”

BOOKER
Powered by senior standout Marlon Mack, the Booker High football team defeated Southeast 24-0 in Class 5A-District 13 action Nov. 1 to earn a berth in the playoffs for the first time since 2007.

Mack rushed for 183 yards and three touchdowns, and quarterback Jeremiah Henderson connected with Shamyren Waters for a 62-yard touchdown.

Booker will close out the regular season Nov. 8 versus Cardinal Mooney before traveling to Island Coast for a Class 5A-Region 3 quarterfinal Nov. 15.

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].