FEATURED ARTICLES
CONTENT
03 05 06 07
02
Boys’ District Tournament Schedule
EDGEWATER BASKETBALL out scoring the Wolverines
GIRLS BASKETBALL No. 1 vs. No. 2
OAK RIDGE BASKETBALL Still on Top
FHSAA New Football RPI Ranking System
08 09 10 11
SOCCER SCHEDULE
SOCCER SCHEDULE Girls’ District Tournament Schedule
FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN ATHLETES Honoring Legends
HURRICANES ARE COMING Orlando possible stop for Miami Hurricanes
NFL PRO BOWL 2020
zGoing to Miami
13
COWBOY CONTRACTS
14
APOLLOS FOOTBALL
Time to Renew
Coach Steve Spurrier
15
APOLLOS FOOTBALL
16
NICK SABEN VISITS
Coach Steve Spurrier
Local players get serious look
Edgewater outscored the Wolverines In a game of wild scoring swings, it took triple overtime to decide the regular-season champion of Class 8A, District 5 boys’ basketball on Wednesday night. Defending champ Edgewater showed its experience in big-game situations when it pulled out a nail-biting 95-89 triple-overtime home court win against Windermere, the second-ranked team in the Sentinel Super 16. In winning its sixth consecutive game, the No. 6 Eagles (17-5 overall, 7-0 in 8A-5) clinched the No. 1 seed for the upcoming district tournament, which will be played at Windermere (19-3, 6-1). Edgewater outscored the Wolverines 16-10 in the third overtime, sinking 8-of-10 free throws. It was a stunning ending for the Eagles, who trailed 15-1 in the first quarter and then blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter. “This was two very good teams,” Edgewater coach Jason Atherton said. “Everybody was looking forward to this one. We will probably do this again (in the district tournament). (Windermere) was very resilient.
Both teams showed mental toughness in the game.” Trevon Cason scored a game-high 25 points, including 11 in overtime, for Edgewater. Shakur Poteat added 21 for the Eagles, including going 6-for-6 from the free-throw line in the third OT. Josh Colon led Windermere with 21 points, including six 3-pointers. Dakota Rivers added 18 points for the Wolverines, who saw a 17-game win streak snapped. Edgewater played again without leading scorer Michael Eads Jr., who is recovering from a deep bone bruise on his right foot. Atherton said Eads will return to the floor this season.
No. 1 Lake Highland tops No. 2 Timber Creek in
girls’ basketball Lake Highland Prep girls’ basketball coach Al Honor will tell you that his team won’t run up big offensive numbers, but the Highlanders know how to get defensive. Engaged in a tight game with Timber Creek, ranked No. 2, No. 1 Lake Highland used some tenacious defensive play and a late 14-4 run to win 48-41 on Tuesday night at home. The Highlanders (18-4) won their seventh consecutive game in January and appear primed for another big postseason run. “They work hard on defense,” Honor said of his team, which is shooting for the program’s fourth state final four appearance in five seasons. “Our assistants really help us out on the defensive end. We know that we’re not going to score like we did last year, but we can play defense.” Lake Highland started cracking down defensively after Timber Creek (20-4) took a 35-31 lead on a basket by Savannah Henderson. The Highlanders responded with a 14-4 run to take a 45-39 lead early in the fourth quarter. The Wolves crept to within four, 45-41, on a layup by Zora Fray-Chinn, but Lake Highland then sank 3-of-4 free throws to clinch it. Lake Highland Prep was the Class 5A state runner-up last season and a 4A state champ in 2015 and 2016. It was only the second loss in the past 10 games for 9A Timber Creek, a young team that has its sights set on winning its school’s first girls basketball district title. The Wolves lost two key players to ankle injuries: Sarah Napoli early in the game, and Geovana Rios in the fourth quarter. “I think it changed things a bit,” said Timber Creek coach Freddy Cintron. “But (the Highlanders) fought hard.” Kayla Blackshear led Lake Highland with 12 points. Eleecia Carter added 10 points in the win. Bredlyann Caballero scored 10 points for Timber Creek, including eight in the second quarter that helped stake the Wolves to a 25-23 halftime lead. In the first half, Lake Highland Prep took a 16-9 lead behind a speedy transition game and some opportunistic defensive play. The schools battled closely for the first six minutes with Lake Highland holding a slim 9-7 lead following a 3-pointer by Timber Creek’s Fray-Chinn. But then the Highlanders went on 7-2 run to close out the quarter as Sierra Godbolt canned a three-pointer and made a bucket and Carter made a reverse layup for Lake Highland. But Timber Creek, which struggled with its shooting in the first quarter, started pushing the ball inside to Caballero, who scored eight points, including six straight at the start of the third quarter, in an 11-3 run to give the Wolves a 20-19 lead with 2:33 left in the first half. There were then four lead changes as Fray-Chinn drained
ta three-pointer as time expired to give Timber Creek a 25-23 halftime lead. Ridge [which moved up to 8A] makes no sense.” Lake Brantley and Lake Mary were part of a seven-team district in recent years that included Orange City University and six schools from Seminole County. That has been disbanded. Seminole and OCU join DeLand in 8A-2. The worry now for the Seminoles, who went 8-2 but missed the playoffs via the FHSAA power-rankings system (which awards points for wins and losses based on opponent’s strength of schedule), is how it can retain Seminole Athletic Conference rivalries. “Hopefully we can get the better SAC teams on our schedule so we can get [ticket sales] to help fund the program,” Seminole coach Don Stark said. In Osceola County, Liberty was dealt a similar hand. The Chargers, coming off a 9-2 bowl win season, go to 7A-6 with Poinciana, Bartow, Lakeland George Jenkins and Winter Haven. “I really didn’t expect the districts to change so dramatically,” Liberty coach Brandon Pennington said. “But with only four other teams in our district it gives us more control over whom we play and building that strength of schedule.” Pennington said he’s already reached an agreement with Osceola coach Doug Nichols to s chedule a game with the Kowboys, and that he’s also made similar inquiries with other in-county programs.
Oak Ridge is still on top, but on a slippery slope in ranking For the first time since coach Steve Reece took over and current LSU freshman standout Emmitt Williams landed in Orlando two summers ago to add muscle to a loaded Oak Ridge boys basketball lineup, we can debate the Pioneers’ position atop area rankings. That’s because Oak Ridge lost a bizarre 20-16 stall-ball game at unranked Boone, Jan. 10, and stumbled again last weekend with a 63-52 loss to a Centerville, Ohio, team that was 7-5 and not state ranked, at the Flyin’ to the Hoop event in Dayton, Ohio. The defeat dropped the Pioneers to 12-4 and to 2-3 in their past five games. And it opened a who’s No. 1 conversation. Apopka, 15-2 and winner of 15 of its past 16 games, is now rated No. 1 ahead of Oak Ridge in the computerized Florida Class 9A rankings. And Class 8A Windermere High (18-2), winner of 16 straight, is rated ahead of both of those teams by computer. Oak Ridge and Apopka won’t meet unless they both get to Lakeland for the March 8-9 Class 9A final four. Windermere will host Apopka on Feb. 7 in the final week of the regular season. Oak Ridge is still on top, but on a slippery slope. Apopka and Windermere are senior-heavy teams on a roll. But the Blue Darters do have losses to Seminole and Bishop Moore. Oak Ridge has just the one local loss. And it posted decisive wins against Edgewater, Osceola, Timber Creek, Jones, Dr. Phillips and Colonial — winning those matchups against quality teams by an average of 28.2 points per game. That’s an impressive body of work and the talent level, including 6-9 Oregon signee C.J. Walker, is through the roof. You can’t fault the Pioneers at all for their first two losses, to national No. 1 La LuMiere (21-1) of Indiana and top 20 Los Angeles Westchester (18-1), at the Iolani Classic in Hawaii. But the losses to Boone and Centerville showed a chink in the armor. Because a blizzard kept some teams from getting to the Flyin’ to the Hoop event, Oak Ridge didn’t find out until about four hours before game time that it would be playing Centerville, a team with 6-foot-10 junior Mo Njie and good guards. Knowing nothing about the opponent didn’t help, and then Oak Ridge’s dynamic senior scorer, Niven Glover, tweaked an injury in warmups and played limited minutes.
“Centerville didn’t miss a shot,” Reece said Thursday. “They ran their stuff like textbook. It was an exhibition out there. “I will say this. … if that Centerville team comes here, they’d be top three in the city.” Reece didn’t campaign to stay No. 1. “You can drop us,” he said with a laugh. “Put us at five. There’s a lot of good teams out there. We’re just waiting for the playoffs to start. Let’s put it all on the line.” Timber Creek tops Colonial, Poinciana beats Bishop Moore | Basketball Report Playoff time is approaching. Oak Ridge will be heavily favored in home games on Monday vs. Freedom and Tuesday vs. Lake Nona, but then will be tested again in a Saturday, Feb. 2, game against Huntington Prep of West Virginia at the ARS Rescue Rooter National Hoopfest in Tampa. That game is scheduled to tip off at 6 p.m., right behind a Montverde Academy vs. Oak Hill (Va.) national showdown, to conclude a two-day event at Berkeley Prep. The Pioneers wrap up their regular season with a Tuesday, Feb. 5, Senior Night home game vs. Winter Park. Reece said he’d like to add one more game, a tough road trip, to the schedule if possible.
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ inaugural Honoring Legends event New to the basketball scene is The Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ inaugural Honoring Legends event, which was staged at Boone High. Former Boone and Pine Castle Christian coach Mark Rickman, now the Orange County director for FCA, created an event that this year will recognize four coaches who combined for nearly 800 wins and made major contributions on and off the court for the four schools involved. The honorees are Ivan Repass (Boone), Steve Jucker (Lake Brantley), Bobby Marr (Winter Park) and John Boston (West Orange). Marr and Boston became athletic directors for their schools following their coaching days. Some of the area’s best teams headed to Tampa for this weekend’s ARS Rescue Rooter National Hoopfest Tampa event at Berkeley Prep School. Montverde Academy (15-2) vs. Oak Hill (20-2) of Virginia, followed by a nightcap pitting area No. 1 Oak Ridge (13-4) against Huntington Prep (14-3) of West Virginia, which has a lineup loaded with major college prospects — most of them young. Reigning 5A state champ University School of Fort Lauderdale, with 6-10, 275-pound elite Duke commit Vernon Carey Jr., plays host Berkeley. Oak Hill, led by five-star point guard Cole Anthony, won a Monday night home game against Orlando’s West Oaks 92-78. The Flame was down only 44-40 at the half but Oak Hill opened up the margin after the break. Fouls were a huge factor in that game as 32 were called on West Oaks, compared to 13 for the hosts. Oak Hill was 38-of-45 from the free throw line. West Oaks was 13-of-17. The First Academy Shootout has six games, starting at 12:15 p.m., and ending with a 7:45 game pitting the host Royals (12-10) against area No. 3 Apopka (16-2). TFA is growing up and has won five of its past six games — including a huge district win last week against Jones, which was No. 11 in the Super 16.
Regular-season dates: Area No. 2 Windermere (19-2), winner of 17 consecutive games, puts that streak on the line at No. 6 Edgewater (16-4) on Wednesday night at 7. Both teams are 6-0 in Class 8A, District 5. The winner will be top seed for the district tournament, which Windermere will host. Oak Ridge, which had an eight-day break between games before playing Monday, hosts Lake Nona on Tuesday night and is home for Senior Night on Friday against Winter Park. Apopka has four games this week. The Blue Darters play at West Orange on Tuesday, host Olympia on Wednesday, and go to Edgewater on Friday night before taking part in the TFA Shootout. No. 5 Orlando Christian Prep (15-3) is home against Palm Bay Bayside Tuesday and hosts a 17-2 Gainesville P.K. Yonge team on Thursday night. Top two tangle: The top two teams in the Sentinel Super Six girls’ basketball rankings square off Tuesday when No. 2 Timber Creek plays at Lake Highland Prep at 6 (note time change). That’s a rematch of a Florida Prospects Christmas Tournament game that Lake Highland (17-4) won 61-56 on its home court in December. The Highlanders are 6-0 in January and have lost only to teams outside the Super Six/Second Six region. Lake Highland’s lineup features prospects Zanoria Cruz (5-10, Jr.) and Kayla Blackshear (6-1, Soph.). Timber Creek’s leading scorers are sophomore Zora Fray Chinn (5-11) and ninth-grader Savannah Henderson (6-1). Timber Creek (20-3), which won Monday against Dr. Phillips, had a seven-game win streak snapped when they lost 62-56 at Daytona Beach Father Lopez on Saturday.
Orlando is one of several sites the Hurricanes are considering for their spring game
The Miami Hurricanes have long known they will open the 2019 football season in Orlando with a highly anticipated matchup against the rival Florida Gators. Now a possibility exists Miami might play its spring game there, too. UM athletic director Blake James confirmed to the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Wednesday that Orlando is one of several sites the Hurricanes are considering for their spring game because of a scheduling conflict at Hard Rock Stadium. Though Miami has not yet officially announced its spring football schedule, James said one of the potential dates UM is considering for its spring game is the same day Hard Rock is set to host another major event: a Rolling Stones concert. The stadium is also the new home of the Miami Open tennis tournament, which is set to run from March 18-31. “The belief is the spring game is April 20th and we are considering alternate sites because of the Rolling Stones concert,” James said. “Orlando is one of the sites that is being considered.” Orlando’s Camping World Stadium — which is set to host Miami and Florida on Aug. 31 — could be an option for the Hurricanes. The venue does not have a conflict on the date Miami is considering for its spring game. New UM signees ready to play for coach Manny Diaz and ‘The New Miami’
Florida Central Sports senior director of marketing and communications Matt Repchak said the group is always interested in hosting more events and is open to discussing the spring game with Miami. Last year, the Hurricanes played their spring game at Hard Rock on April 14, but past renovations at the stadium have forced the Hurricanes to be creative with scheduling in recent years. In 2017, the Hurricanes didn’t have a traditional spring game, the team instead wrapping up its spring workouts with a closed scrimmage at Boca Raton High — former coach Mark Richt’s alma mater. In 2016, the Hurricanes played their spring game at Lockhart Stadium. James said a final decision on this year’s game will be made in the near future. If the Hurricanes do choose an Orlando venue as the site for their spring game, Miami fans — and recruits — in the area would get the rare opportunity to see the Hurricanes in action in central Florida. The Orlando area has hosted the Hurricanes in the past, with Miami playing multiple bowl games at Camping World Stadium, including a 34-24 win over West Virginia in the 2016 Russell Athletic Bowl. Orlando also became an area of refuge for many in the Hurricanes athletic department in 2017, when several members of the football team and athletes from other sports evacuated to central Florida ahead of Hurricane Irma. Extended power outages and damage to Miami’s campus in Coral Gables after the storm forced the Hurricanes football team to spend several days practicing in Orlando ahead of its matchup with Toledo that season. If the Hurricanes opt to travel north for their spring game, they wouldn’t be the first of the state’s “Big Three” programs to play a spring game in Orlando ahead of a season opener there. Florida State, in 2016, played its spring game in what was then known as the Citrus Bowl while renovations were being done on the Seminoles’ home field at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee. Later that year, FSU opened the season in Orlando against Mississippi. FSU won that game 45-34.
The NFL Pro Bowl is going to Miami; Sorry Orlando!hips In case you missed the 2019 NFL Pro Bowl on Sunday afternoon, here are some of the exciting highlights you missed: Wink! Wink! An NFL insider said that Orlando will not get back the Pro Bowl next year. Quote: “The Super Bowl is in Miami and we are going to save money on logistics and have the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl both in Miami. We are going to see if this will work.” Defensive backs catching touchdown passes, wide receivers snagging interceptions, running backs trying their hand at pass rushing, Jason Witten breaking the Pro Bowl trophy, Amari Cooper’s epic drop, JuJu Smith-Schuster getting injured, and a lot, a lot of rain. During ESPN’s broadcast of the game, the announcers attempted to sell the contest as a “celebration of the sport”. Well, Tim Benz is not buying it. While the league would not stage the game if it was not making money off of it, Benz questions whether or not the NFL is earning enough to make the event worth the injury-risk presented to the players participating. Sunday’s scrum at Camping World Stadium was a little bit like WrestleMania, without the dropkicks and scripted melodrama. Another commonality: Both are good for business and the Chamber of Commerce marketing spin for Central Florida. The Pro Bowl has long been considered a laughable representation of the NFL game. It reached a new level of comedy Sunday as several players swapped positions during the annual all-star game. Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey caught a touchdown pass in the final minute, capping a dominant performance for the AFC defense in a 26-7 victory over the NFC in steady rain. It was the third consecutive victory for the AFC, all of them at Camping World Stadium. The last two were played in sloppy weather, with the latest one also coming amid temperatures in the mid-50s. It was far from ideal conditions, raising speculation about the game’s future in Orlando, but fairly fitting considering the effort players provided. It was two-hand touch most of the day, with officials blowing plays dead at the slightest hint of contact. “Who cares, man?” New York Jets safety Jamal Adams said. “At the end of the day, we’re like little kids out there just playing in the mud, playing in the rain.” Regardless of the elements, the AFC made the plays the NFC didn’t. Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes completed an 18-yard touchdown pass to Indianapolis’ Eric Ebron on the opening possession, helping Mahomes earn the offensive Most Valuable Player award. Mahomes pleaded with voters to give it to Chiefs fullback Anthony Sherman, who caught three passes for 92 yards and ran for a score. “Sherman had my vote. Sherman had my vote,” said Mahomes, who completed 7 of 14 passes for 156 yards. “I thought I told everybody on the camera. He made some plays out there. For a fullback, we have one of the best in the league so I’m always happy to try to get him a little vote like that.” Adams, who made headlines for sacking the New England Patriots mascot during a Pro Bowl skills competition, was named the defensive MVP thanks to an interception and a sack. “It’s a great achievement, but the main thing was to come out here and get the victory,” Adams said. “That was the main thing, just to get the money, man. That’s what we wanted.” Mahomes and Adams each got a luxury vehicle. AFC players will get $67,000 each for the victory, $8,000 more than the guys who lose the Super Bowl next week in Atlanta. The Pro Bowl losers will get $39,000 each. The AFC defenders earned their share of the pot. The conference allowed the NFC 148 total yards and 10 first downs while intercepting three passes and notching seven sacks. Ramsey got in on offense late, catching a 6-yard slant pass from Houston’s Deshaun Watson with 19 seconds remaining. Los Angeles Chargers rookie safety Derwin James failed to haul in the 2-point conversion. “Man, me and Deshaun, that’s my brother from another mother,” Ramsey said. “We’ve been plotting and scheming all week, manifesting, and it just came about.” New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley, Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott, Tampa Bay receiver Mike Evans and New Orleans’ Alvin Kamara all got in on defense for the NFC. Evans notched an interception. The AFC led 20-0 early in the fourth quarter, looking like it might record the first shutout in Pro Bowl history. But Dallas’ Dak Prescott found Atlanta’s Austin Hooper for a 20-yard score on fourth down with 9:09 remaining. The NFC had plenty of chances before that. The conference failed to score
Ramsey got in on offense late, catching a 6-yard slant pass from Houston’s Deshaun Watson with 19 seconds remaining. Los Angeles Chargers rookie safety Derwin James failed to haul in the 2-point conversion. “Man, me and Deshaun, that’s my brother from another mother,” Ramsey said. “We’ve been plotting and scheming all week, manifesting, and it just came about.” New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley, Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott, Tampa Bay receiver Mike Evans and New Orleans’ Alvin Kamara all got in on defense for the NFC. Evans notched an interception. The AFC led 20-0 early in the fourth quarter, looking like it might record the first shutout in Pro Bowl history. But Dallas’ Dak Prescott found Atlanta’s Austin Hooper for a 20-yard score on fourth down with 9:09 remaining. The NFC had plenty of chances before that. The conference failed to score on a fourth-and-goal run early. Chicago’s Mitchell Trubisky , Minnesota receiver Adam Thielen and Prescott threw interceptions. Trubisky was sacked by Adams on a flea flicker, and Dallas’ Amari Cooper had a wide-open touchdown pass bounce off his face mask. Seattle’s Russell Wilson also was sacked four times. MASCOT MADNESS Adams’ hit on the Pats mascot went viral, leading to false reports about the guy being hospitalized. “It’s dying down now,” Adams said. “He never went to the hospital. They blew it up. It was all for the fans. I gained some fans and I gained some enemies, put it like that.” Indianapolis Colts tight end Eric Ebron had his phone tucked into the pocket of his sweatshirt and used it between the third and fourth quarters. Ebron took pics with opposing players, working his way around the entire NFC defense. Adams hugged a line judge who didn’t throw a flag on an obvious pass interference play against Green Bay receiver Davonte Adams. Davonte Adams dropped to the ground in disbelief, and several NFC teammates protested. Players from both conferences spent the week lamenting a now-infamous no-call in the NFC title game. Pittsburgh Steelers receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and Los Angeles Chargers receiver Keenan Allen left the game with bruised knees. Neither was considered serious, although Smith-Schuster was limping on the way to the bus and declined comment. Allen caught four passes for 95 yards before sitting out.
Lawrence, Prescott, Cooper and Elliott are all looking for new Cowboy Contracts The Pro Bowl finally is over, to the delight of everyone, so the Dallas Cowboys can officially shift their focus to 2019. And while finalizing the coaching staff is the first item on the agenda possibly as soon as this week bigger offseason concerns are looming on the horizon. Vice president Stephen Jones has said that the Cowboys main priorities are getting a new deal for free agent defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and possible contract extensions for quarterback Dak Prescott, receiver Amari Cooper and running back Ezekiel Elliott. Neither negotiation will be easy. But there are two that could present bigger problems than their others as the longer the Cowboys wait, the more they chance themselves to holdouts with Lawrence and Elliott, per sources. Lawrence is out of contract but if the Cowboys don’t get a deal done with him and franchise him for a second straight season, they shouldn’t expect him to show up for any of the offseason activities or even training camp. As Lawrence said last week on Twitter from the Pro Bowl to the Cowboys: “Your move.” “The Cowboys already know what it is,” Lawrence said. “They know where I want to be. I got big goals, not just for me, but as a team and as an organization. I love being a Cowboy.” And the Cowboys say they love him and want him to stay. He made 10.5 sacks in 2018 after notching 14.5 in 2017. “Certainly a huge priority for us to get him signed. We want to sign him up long-term,” Jones said at Senior Bowl last week. “I think he’s going to play this season at 27 and still be a young player and it’s still in front of him in terms of him improving and getting better.” Of course, what’s also true is the Cowboys have not talked about a contract extension since last March when they were millions apart in negotiations, prompting them to place the $17.1 million franchise tag on him. A second tag would cost them $20.5 million and draw the line of Lawrence, who played nice and didn’t make waves following the tag in 2017 but has no intention of playing under the tag for a second straight year. Lawrence needs shoulder surgery. There is a good chance he will wait on having the surgery until after he gets a new deal. But a second tag is a legitimate option for the Cowboys if they can’t get a deal done with Lawrence before the March 5 deadline. Elliott is trickier because they have him under contract for two more years. But he wants and is deserving of a new deal now after his second NFL rushing title in three years in the league. The Rams set the stage with a four-year, $60 million contract extension for running back Todd Gurley after his third season. The deal included a $20 million signing bonus and $45 million in guaranteed money. Elliott is due $3.58 million in 2019, and the Cowboys will certainly exercise the fifth-year option in his contract, guaranteeing him more than $10 million in 2020. But it’s a law of diminishing returns for Elliott after that because of his high usage in the Cowboys offense. He has 1,003 touches since 2016, including career highs of 322 rushes and 177 catches in 2018. His importance to the Cowboys offense and usage is not going to go down. It’s important to him to maximize his earning potential now rather than two years from now when the carries could potentially start taking a toll and the Cowboys could also essentially lock up with franchise tags for two seasons. Elliott ran into a lot of stacked defenses in 2018 and still won the rushing title. If the Cowboys stack the contract leverage against him this offseason and don’t sign him to a new deal, he may be training again in Cabo San Lucas as he did during his 2017 suspension.
The Apollos Football lead by Spurrier is get� ting ready for the Seasonps
This is historic and Spurrier is euphoric. “I’m coaching the way I used to coach at Duke and Florida — and for most of my time at South Carolina,” says a giddy Spurrier on Thursday as he puts his new team, the Orlando Apollos, through another practice session during the month-long, league-wide training camp being held in San Antonio, Texas. Anybody who believes the legendary Head Ball Coach is just a big-name, do-nothing figurehead in the start-up Alliance of American Football couldn’t be more wrong. Spurrier might be 73, but he’s been born again deep in the heart of Texas. Isn’t it ironic that Spurrier’s last stand as a head coach begins at the Alamo? The Apollos have been staying in a historic downtown hotel right across the street from the mission where one of the most famous military battles in American history took place. “He’s up all day and all night drawing up new ball plays,” Spurrier’s wife Jerri says as she walks laps on a track that surrounds the football field where the Apollos are practicing. “He’s got ball plays drawn up all over his desk, all over the floor of our room — they’re everywhere! It’s wonderful to see him so excited again.” Those close to him will tell you this is a completely different Spurrier than the depressed, downtrodden coach who stepped down in the middle of the 2015 season at South Carolina. He didn’t step down because he was tired of coaching, he stepped down because he was disgusted with the type of coach he had become. He had morphed into one of those coaches he used to despise. Near the end of his tenure at South Carolina, Spurrier even ceded some of his play-calling duties to one of his assistants. “I had become a sorry coach,” Spurrier says now. “I’m not a CEO; I’m a ball coach. … Trying to become one of those head coaches who watches all of the assistants do the coaching, that doesn’t work for me.” Which is why Spurrier is all over the practice field during training camp on Thursday — coaching, teaching, critiquing, advising. He’s not only the Head Ball Coach; he’s the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, too. “‘Alright, men, you gotta get your eyes right down the middle of the field, hit that back step and — zip! — ball’s out, ball’s out. Now! Now! Now!’” Spurrier constantly drills into his quarterbacks “I hear him in my dreams saying, ‘Throw it! Throw it! Now! Now! Now!’” chuckles former Florida Gators quarterback Austin Appleby, who is in a four-way battle for the Apollos’ starting QB job. “Sometimes in college football and the NFL, the coaches are mostly administrators. Coach Spurrier is more involved than any coach on the staff. This is his offense. He’s calling the plays, he’s coaching the quarterbacks, he’s coaching everybody.” It seems only appropriate that the Apollos’ training facility in San Antonio is on the campus of a tiny Catholic school known as the University of the Incarnate Word. Listening to his quarterbacks
reverently talk about Spurrier, you’d think they are being coached by some divine gridiron god from above. “What an opportunity this is to learn from a man with his pedigree; a guy with a statue in front of a stadium that’s named after him,” Appleby says. “To have him be able to pour all of his quarterback knowledge into us and teach us the intricate parts of game — where to put your eyes, how to tempo your drop, how to get the ball out with the timing you need — is amazing. When the quarterbacks and receivers are in unison like Coach Spurrier wants us, it’s going to be poetry in motion.” Appleby’s admiration for the Head Ball Coach sounds much like Ben Bennett, Spurrier’s first quarterback when he was a young offensive coordinator at Duke. Bennett once told the famous story about how Spurrier saw him at breakfast one morning and was so excited about a new ball play that he drew it up in Bennett’s oatmeal. “Coach Spurrier’s passion for executing the perfect ball play was contagious,” Bennett once told me. Spurrier was in his mid-30s when he tutored Bennett, but here we are nearly 40 years later and he has discovered his coaching fountain of youth here in San Antonio. This is the Duke Spurrier all over again. Or the Spurrier whose first head-coaching job was with the Tampa Bay Bandits in the upstart USFL. In those early days, all he really worried about was drawing up and executing the perfect ball play. He didn’t have to concern himself with glad-handing millionaire boosters, sucking up to five-star recruits or kowtowing to a meddling NFL owner. “At this point in my life, this is the perfect job,” Spurrier says between bites of buttered cabbage during lunch at the team hotel. “It’s four or five months of just being a coach. In college football and the NFL, you have a lot of other stuff to worry about.”