This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Sports

Central Tampa Football Season Previewed with Jamborees

High school football is just around the corner and this week's students and parents get a glimpse at what their teams will look like in the fall.

The 2011 high school football season is just a few months from its inception, but on Friday night, Spring Jamborees will provide a prospective look at next year's glory men on the gridiron.

Spring games are worrisome times for coaches whose only wish is that his team can work on their game time chemistry while staying healthy. Injuries are the biggest fear as players could miss key summer time workouts if they fall victim to a dirty tackle or patch of bad turf.

Tampa Catholic Crusaders

Find out what's happening in Seminole Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"All we want is for everyone to come through the game healthy," Tampa Catholic High School coach Bob Henriquez said. "Of course we want our guys to go out there and put together a solid performance but the biggest thing is to be healthy and prepare for the season over the summer."

Last year, the Crusaders went 5-6 for the season with freshman quarterback Chivarsky Corbett taking the helm. The season was labelled a rebuilding year after the team graduated 26 players the year before but that didn't mean a lack of success. With a largely inexperienced squad, Henriquez was pleased with their playoff appearance.

Find out what's happening in Seminole Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"After the way we started to reel off five wins in a row and make the playoffs was pretty good," Henriquez said. "This year, a lot of our guys have grown and become stronger physically as well as matured. We're miles ahead of where we were this time last spring. I feel like we're a lot more solid throughout."

For Corbett, the year under his belt served as a valuable experience that could help him avoid a sophomore slump this season.

"To get that type of experience when you're young is big," Henriquez said. "We didn't just throw him to the wolves but he had to learn fast. He did a good job of managing the game and taking care of the football and we expect to see more of that from him this year."

Hillsborough Terriers

Hillsborough High School comes off an 8-5 season in which their running game was dominant. Last season the Terriers averaged 137 yards per game on the ground while only 75 through the passing game.

Last year's leading running back Tim Randolph graduated, leaving a job opening to anyone willing to grab it up. The lead candidate is Anthony Brown, one of the state's best sprinters on the track. At Friday night's game against Middleton, the rest of the Terrier backs will have their first chance to impress coach Earl Garcia in the hopes of steeling some of Brown's time.

Despite the loss of last year's leading tackler as well as key losses at defensive line and linebacker to graduation, Garcia is confidence in the ability of his returning group to step up and lead the way for a defensive unit that gave up a respectable average of 18 points per game last season.

"We're a young team so we just have to focus on fundamentals," Garcia said. "We've actually returned quite a few of our key defensive players, several of which are being recruited by colleges. We've got some real good athletes at the core of our defense so we're going to be good."

Garcia will face his former assistant on Friday night in Alonzo Ashwood. Like several other former Hillsborough players, Ashwood came up under Garcia in the coaching ranks following his playing days. Now, he has departed the Terriers to build a program of his own with Middleton, something Garcia is always happy to see.

"It's like a proud dad putting his kid on the bus to go to college," Garcia said. "We've had it with several other players who began coaching and followed that same path to their own programs. It's a product of what we've been doing here for years and we're always very proud."

Middleton Tigers

Former Hillsborough assistant turned head coach at MiddletonHigh School Alonzo Ashwood will get a shot at his old squad right out of the gate on Friday night. It's a game that Ashwood is looking forward to since making the switch, saying earlier this year that he feels his familiarity with coach Garcia could serve as an advantage.

"You spend that much time with somebody you know their tendencies,” Ashwood said. “They aren’t going to change anything for me just because I came over here. On the other hand, I’m not the first assistant to go somewhere else and play them. In the grand scheme of things, I think we got a little advantage but it still comes down to our guys stopping them and making plays."

The Tigers went 5-5 last season missing the playoffs in a year that spelled the end for Jason Stokes. Ashwood made the switch to take the job at Middleton in December and has only gotten to know his team during offseason workouts. This Spring game will be his first game in charge of the Tigers while fully suited up.

The Tigers lost their two leading rushers from last season to graduation as well as several key figures from last year's defense. One thing Ashwood is not worried about however, is a lack of talent at Middleton.

“I’ve always said that there is some of the best talent in Tampa right here,” Ashwood said. “Everybody knows Middleton has got it, but if you take that talent and combine it with structure and discipline, we’re going to win. It’s not going to take as long as people think either.”

Chamberlain Chiefs

Coming off a 2-8 season, Chamberlain High School's Chiefs are looking to rebuild a program that saw its quarterback and leading receiver from last year graduate. The Chiefs were a team that turned the ball over almost as much as they scored last year, so taking care of the football and team discipline are most likely high on coach Joseph Severino's list of expectations this year.

The amount time spent on defense last year meant the Chiefs gave up 20 points five times last year, but considering how much the team struggled to put points on the board, their defense showed scrappiness to average 26 points allowed per game.

Chamberlain will host the jamboree involving Hillsborough and Middleton play in the night cap against Blake. The first round of games will begin at 6:30 p.m. with the late game taking place immediately after. 

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Seminole Heights