JENSEN BEACH FALCONS
FRIDAY NIGHT MEMORIES
2006
6-4
Why it was special: The Falcons used a fast start — six wins in seven games — to clinch the program’s first winning season in John Fey’s first year as coach. By the numbers: The Jaguars scored at least 30 points in a schoolrecord six consecutive games.
Playmakers: Running back Tevin Wilson finished with a school-record 1,951 yards and 24 touchdowns. Quarterback Connor Shaw passed for 665 yards and four touchdowns. Mikel Carter had six sacks and 14 tackles for loss on defense. Etc.: Wilson had two games with five touchdown runs (Titusville,
Eau Gallie). He had 42 carries for 353 yards — both school records — against Titusville. Bet you didn’t know: Jensen Beach’s seven-year wait for a first winning season tied St. Edward’s (1979) for longest among the area’s active programs.
SCHEDULE
August 31 Dakota Ridge, Colo.* September 7 Eau Gallie 14 at Port St. Lucie 21 Fort Pierce Westwood 28 at South Fork October 12 Astronaut 29 Boynton Beach 26 at Glades Central November 2 at Suncoast 9 Martin County
STRENGTHS TOUGHNESS
9
Coach John Fey has a tougher team with the ability to make plays. Alex Ogle settles in at quarterback this season after splitting time there last year. Jensen Beach never got comfortable with one quarterback last year, and it took a toll. Fey also is high on tailback Christian East, who rushed for 72 yards on 19 carries in his only varsity game last year. Veterans Matt Curivan and Mikel Carter will anchor the defense at linebacker and in the secondary. Carter likely will see time on offense as well.
7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
*at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista
DEPTH CHART OFFENSE Pos Name TE Chris Favorosa T Aaron Hoover T Mike Howard G Chris Justice G Al Robinson C Nick Castoro SE Sean Ritz FL Josh Abel FB Drew Hughes TB Christian East QB Alex Ogle
No 5 79 63 69 55 70 88 32 34 33 18
Cl So. Jr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr. So. Jr. Jr. Jr.
Ht 6-2 6-3 5-10 5-11 6-0 5-10 5-11 5-8 5-9 5-8 6-2
Wt 190 305 290 210 206 230 161 155 175 155 175
Cl Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. So. Jr. So.
Ht 6-1 5-11 5-10 6-2 5-11 6-1 5-10 6-2 5-8 5-9 5-9
Wt 230 210 230 210 165 215 162 175 130 170 165
WEAKNESSES OFFENSIVE LINE
DEFENSE Pos Name NT Cody Merrill DT Chris Justice DT Nick Castoro LB Xavier Preston LB Kegan Crawford LB Matt Curivan LB John Russo CB Mikel Carter CB Jacob Miller SS Derek Provencher FS Wyatt Weisman
No 44 69 70 6 87 51 40 9 15 35 21
SPECIAL TEAMS Pos Name P-K Shane Laychur
No Cl 4 Sr.
Ht Wt 6-0 160
RESERVES Kade Glenn (2, So., QB/DB), Derek Nails (3, Jr., WR/DB), Corey Preston (7, Sr., WR/DB), Jun Hu (10, Jr., WR/DB), Nico Sawtelle (11, So., TE/LB), Jared Welsh (12, So., QB), Ulises Hernandez (17, Sr., TE/DL), Phillip Pizzaro (24, Jr., FB/LB), Chase Pellet (42, Jr., FB/DB), Joey Ponte (47, Jr., FB/ LB), Christian Skiperdene (52, Sr., OL/DL), Ben Colter (54, Jr., OL/DL), Tristan Sanders (57, Jr., OL/DL), Kevin Cryderman (64, Jr., OL/DL), Jarrad Buncy (72, Jr., OL/DL), Anthony Marrone (77, Sr., OL/DL), Austin Hedgepeth (85, Jr., OL/DL), Billy Brewster (94, Jr., OL/DL)
COACHING STAFF
Coach: John Fey (third year) Record: 8-12 with Jensen Beach; 8-12 overall 2011: 2-8, 1-3 District 14-5A Assistant coaches: Aaron Gilbert (assistant head coach/ head JV coach); Tim Caffey, Sr. (offensive coordinator/ quarterbacks), Brian Green (offensive/defensive line), Aaron Gluff (running backs/linebackers), Jared Woodruff (JV), James Cannata (JV), Jake Long (JV).
STADIUM
FALCON STADIUM (4,500)
Playing surface: Grass Address: 2875 NW Goldenrod Rd., Jensen Beach Directions: Take U.S. 1 to Jensen Beach Blvd., and go east. Turn right onto Goldenrod at first light. Stadium is on the left. Main office: 772-232-3500 On the Web:jbhs.martinschools. org/
RIVALS
■■ South Fork ■■ Martin County ■■ Port St. Lucie
THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
DEBORAH SILVER/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS
Defensive back Mikel Carter is a returning starter and will be a key leader as the Falcons switch from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense this season to take better advantage of the players on hand.
Right now, we’re getting down to the nuts and bolts. Our expectations are to be pretty good this year. We’re a lot closer as a team than we’ve ever been.” Matt Curivan, senior linebacker
Jensen Beach hopes to rebound after last season’s surprising fall
Special to Treasure Coast Newspapers
JENSEN BEACH — A year ago, the Jensen Beach football team was coming off the first winning season in school history and confidence was high that trend would continue. Instead, the team fell apart. Multiple suspensions for academics gutted the roster, so much so it was never a given who would be in uniform on game day. A promising 2-2 start gave way to six consecutive losses — as the team averaged only 5.2 points per game during the final five — and Jensen Beach finished with its worst record in five years. The team is eager to bury that experience. “Right now, we’re getting down to the nuts and bolts,” senior linebacker Matt Curivan said. “Our expectations are to be pretty good this year. We’re a lot closer as a team than we’ve ever been. “Last year was really hard for me. It’s hard to lose. I feel a lot better about this year, because we are a lot closer.” Team-building was the watchword of the summer, through regular conditioning sessions, a team camp and two 7-on-7 competitions. The effect will be best measured as the season lengthens, or perhaps at its end, but there are
MIKEL CARTER
on-the-field changes, as well. The defense had moved from a four-man front to a three-man, to best utilize personnel, according to third-year coach John Fey. Fey officially has been coach longer than anyone else in program history. “It just suits us better,” Fey said of the three-man front. “I’m a defensive-minded coach. The biggest concern is whether we’re a physical team or not. We have to start there and be fundamentally sound.” Curivan and safety Mikel Carter, both returning starters, will be keys to the performance of the defense, along with linebacker Kegan Crawford, the only other player with substantial defensive experience. Curivan is the top returning tackler; he was second on the team last year with 43. “He’s the leader on defense,” Carter said. “We follow his lead. Everybody looks up to him. “He talks a lot.” Carter had 18 tackles and three sacks. He also is the team’s top returning rusher with 185 yards on 26 carries last year. Although he will play both ways, he is vested in defense. “If Mikel says something, the defense will listen to him,” Curivan said. “He knows what is right. He just plays extremely well. You just can’t argue with that.” On offense, Christian East has
Senior defensive back 2011 stats: 18 tackles, three sacks Coach Fey: “His athletic ability makes him a player to watch. He’s rangy and he can make plays. He’s coming into his own as a young man.”
emerged as the go-to ball carrier. Twelve different backs ran the ball last year, not counting three quarterbacks, leading to an offense by committee. It was ineffective, as the Falcons averaged 197.9 yards per game, including 126 on the ground. “Talk about the elephant in the room,” Fey said. “We averaged five points in the last five games. The biggest thing for me is realizing that these kids can make the plays. We have guys that can. We have to find the best, quickest and most efficient ways to get them the ball.” Junior Alex Ogle is firm at quarterback, which should give the team the stability under center it lacked last year. East will be spelled by Josh Abel, who played some at the end of the year. Drew Hughes and Cody Merrill are the fullbacks. Sean Ritz, Xavier Preston, Corey Preston and Abel will line up at receiver. Nick Castoro is the lone returning starter on the offensive line. “I think we have the ability to make plays and that will be a big strength,” Fey said. “We’re more hard-nosed and that’s a good thing. It goes with our practice effort, our mentality and how we perceive the game. “We don’t have a lot of kids, but the ones we do have we can count on every day.”
MATT CURIVAN
Senior linebacker 2011 stats: Second on team with 43 tackles Coach Fey: “He brings his lunch pail every day. We moved him to linebacker and it changed everything for him and our defense.”
KEY GAME SEPT. 21: FORT PIERCE WESTWOOD
Learning from mistakes By Aimee Ford Foster
The offensive line is inexperienced. Center Nick Castoro is the only returning starter. How that unit comes together will dictate the success of the offense, which has to improve. The Falcons averaged 5.2 points per game during the last five games last season. Overall, Jensen Beach is young across the field with only 14 seniors and most of them without much experience. Only two players competed in all 10 games last year and both graduated.
This was the second of Jensen Beach’s two wins last year. It is the Falcons’ first District 14-5A game of the year and winning is crucial for a team hoping to regroup after stumbling to six consecutive losses at the end of last season. After Westwood, the Falcons don’t play another district game until Oct. 19.
PREDICTION 3-7, 1-3 DISTRICT 14-5A
The Falcons could break even in their first four games, much like they did last year. After that, wins could be hard to find. Anecdotal stories abound about how these are different Falcons, how the team is closer, and how much work is going into the product that will take the field. All that might be true, but Jensen Beach took a big tumble at the end of last year and not many starters return. With 18 juniors and seven sophomores on varsity, it is a rebuilding year. Or, for a program that has had only one winning season and has never made the playoffs, maybe another year to try and build a foundation.
SEAN RITZ
Senior receiver/safety 2011 stats: 13 catches, 180 yards, 1 touchdown Coach Fey: “He is Steady Eddie. He works his tail off. He is really, really disciplined in regards to technique and craft. He runs great routes.”