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SEBASTIAN RIVER SHARKS
FRIDAY NIGHT MOMENT
2006
SHOWDOWN OF UNBEATENS
What happened: In the first meeting of two area 6-0 teams, Sebastian River dominated South Fork in a 19-7 win.
Why it mattered: Neither team had started 7-0 in a combined 38 seasons. Key players: Quarterback Sean Heath completed all nine passes for 131 yards and directed three scoring drives. The defense limited South Fork to 193 total yards, 70 under its season average.
He said it: “We wanted to show we could play with the best teams,” Heath said afterward. “We played 48 minutes of sharp football on both sides of the ball.”
SCHEDULE
STRENGTHS
September 2 at Evans 9 Centennial 16 FP Central 23 at Okeechobee October 7 at Olympic Heights 14 Vero Beach 21 Palm Beach Lakes 28 Forest Hill November 4 at South Fork 10 at Space Coast
The 2011 Sharks are an experienced group. The roster is void of freshmen and features 26 sophomores, but is loaded with 39 upperclassmen. Many of these players logged game time because of the number of injuries the team suffered in 2010. At quarterback, Norris Rogers has considerable experience — the senior threw for 564 yards in 2010 in backing up Wesley Wilson. Nikko Finnegan returns as the best backfield threat and scored seven touchdowns last season. Coach Randy Bethel has made sure his team is well prepared for a long season ahead, with summer workouts attracting virtually every team member in hopes of cutting down on injuries.
7:30 7 7:30 7 7 7 7 7 7 7:30
ROSTER OFFENSE Pos Name QB Norris Rogers RB Tay Brown RB Nikko Finnegan RB Octavia Jefferson WR Deion Roundtree RT Jerome Lester RG Jeremy Quinn C Vaughn Wooldridge LG Marc Kagan LT Raul Martinez TE Jack Flanary K William Hoelke
No 7 1 41 28 9 73 52 54 60 70 80 11
Cl Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. So. Sr. Sr.
Ht 6-1 5-8 5-10 6-0 6-3 6-1 5-10 5-11 5-11 6-1 6-2 5-8
Wt 180 175 178 181 188 228 252 221 223 206 198 145
Cl Sr. Jr. Jr. So. So. Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Sr.
Ht Wt 6-2 198 5-11 199 5-9 303 5-11 238 6-0 185 5-11 191 5-10 178 5-8 175 5-11 178 5-5 130 5-8 139 6-2 198
WEAKNESSES
DEFENSE Pos Name DE Jack Flanary DE Curtis Crenshaw DT Alexander Stewart DT Zachary Finnegan LB Joe Rey LB Kendall Gibson LB Nikko Finnegan DB Tay Brown DB Javonte King DB Tyler King DB Jeafous Taylor P Jack Flanary
No 80 90 96 53 34 45 41 1 22 25 20 80
RESERVES Cody Herl (4, So., RB), Justin Nathaniel (5, Sr., WR), Anthony Smith (6, Sr., RB), Aaron Robertson (8, Jr., K), Deion Jones (10, Jr., QB), Mathew Vespi (12, Sr., WR), Hakeem Rainey (15, Jr., QB), Chris Supplee (17, Jr., CB), Alex Gore (23, So., LB), Vincent Harris (24, Jr., WR), Jose Vallejo (26, So., DB), Scott Smith (29, So., DL), Louis Agudelo (30, So. DE), Devonzia Paschal (31, Jr., RB), Nick Cooper (32, So., RB), Baltazar Camerena (33, So., DE/RB), Manuel Juarez (40, So., DE), James Clark (42, Jr., DE/OLB), Spencer Thompson (43, So,, OLB), Alex Arteaga (44, So., LB), Jordan Taylor (50, Jr., OL), John Stumpp (53, Sr., LB), Mason Wilborn (61, So., LB), Zachary Perkins (62, Jr., OL), Guillermo Cortez (63, So., DL), Chris Curran (64, So., OL), Chris Rua (72, So., OL), Josh Stillman (74, Jr., DL), Bradly DiMarco (75, Jr., OL), Guillerody Garcia (76, Sr., DL), Daniel Perez (77, Jr., OL), Matthew Lightle (78, So., OL), Brad Newman (79, Jr., OL), Justin Peabody (81, So., DL/TE), Chris Putnam (82, So., DL), Cristian Severino (83, So., WR), Gage Moak (92, Jr., DL), Nick DiMarco (93, So., TE/DE), Kris Mauser (94, Jr., DL), Ryan Colvin (95, Jr., OL), John Stumpp (97, Sr., DE), Phillip Norman (99, Jr., TE), Charles Kost (So., DL)
COACHING STAFF
Coach: Randy Bethel (15th year) Record: 71-69 with Sebastian River; 71-69 overall 2010: 4-6, 1-2 District 14-4A Assistant coaches: Tony Perry (defensive coordinator, secondary), Bill Wilson Jr. (running backs), Tony Brown (defensive line), Chris Jefferson (defensive line), Joe Nathaniel (offensive line), Kendrick Willis (offensive line), Charles Washington (wide receivers), Billy Miller (linebackers), George Zulueke (quarterbacks), Zach Sanford (linebackers), Tommy Harrington (running backs), Keith Matthews (receivers/defensive backs). Tony Flemming (defensive line), Hector Hertado (kicking coach)
STADIUM SHARKS STADIUM (3,200) Playing surface: Grass Address: 9001 Shark Blvd., Sebastian Directions: Take U.S. 1 north to County Road 510. Turn left and follow as the road curves past Treasure Coast Elementary. Sebastian River High School will be on the left. Main office: 772-564-4170 On the Web: www. indianriverschools.org/SRHS
THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
SAM WOLFE/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS
Senior quarterbck Norris Rogerswill bring speed and arm strength to the Sharks’ multiple set Wing-T offense in 2011.
Keeping healthy Bethel is confident that, with conditioning, Sebastian River will be competitive By Alex Butler Special to Treasure Coast Newspapers
SEBASTIAN — In the summer, if football players aren’t working, they aren’t getting better. That is what Sebastian River coach Randy Bethel preached to his team this offseason. The 2011 Sharks are in great shape — with almost everyone reporting to Bethel’s workouts — and out to improve on a 4-6 season and make the playoffs for the first time in five years. “We haven’t played a game yet, so we won’t know until we get on the field and turn on the lights, but they work just as hard as last year,” Bethel said. “I think they have a very good understanding of what we are going to do offensively and defensively.” Offensively, Sebastian River will need to fill the void left by losing two of its top rushers, top receiving threat and quarterback Wesley Wilson. In 2010, Wilson split time with senior returnee Norris Rogers. Rogers will bring speed and arm strength to the multiple set WingT offense in 2011. Although the Sharks lose Lamarcus Johnson and Javonte Pierce from the backfield, they
return Nikko Finnegan — who led the team with 668 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in 2010 — along with Octavia Jefferson. Bethel will implement a running back by committee system if everyone can stay healthy and replace the magnificent hands of Stephan Clark with several good receiving threats. Last year’s squad started 13 seniors, and this year’s group features 16. Still, Bethel said those seniors must prove themselves on the field. “We feel like we will be OK, but we have to get those kids in game-type situations to see how they will do,” Bethel said. “We have some coming back with experience, but they still have to lace it up and play on Friday night.” The biggest shoes to fill will be those of linebacker Daniel Lee. In 2010, Lee led the team with 141 total tackles and 19 tackles for a loss en route to being named Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers AllArea Defensive Player of the Year. Kendall Gibson is the top tackler back from the linebacking corps. In order to free up running room for the unit, Bethel has built the defensive tackles into a team strength. Defensive end Jack Flanary
NORRIS ROGERS
Senior quarterback 2010 stats: Threw for 564 yards and four touchdowns. Completed 52 percent of his passes. Coach Randy Bethel: “He has a very good understanding of our offense. Norris excels at putting people in the right positions. He has a strong arm.”
will be assigned to bring the heat on opposing quarterbacks as he heads up a slim pool of edge rushers. In 2010, Flanary led the team with 10 sacks. “We don’t have as much size as we have had in the past, but it’s a pretty good group of kids,” Bethel said. Bethel hopes his Wing-T offense will play into the team’s talent “We are not the most talented or most athletic group in the world,” he said. “(The Wing-T) gives us the best chance to get decent angles on blocks and get our backs decent creases.” Overall, Bethel said, a strict conditioning regimen should help this year’s team stay healthy. “No one has that much depth in high school. Other than my defensive tackles, the positions are by committee once you get past that first guy,” he said. “The biggest thing for us is, we entered the last two seasons with guys that were hurt at the beginning of the season. A team that’s not very deep, someone else is going to have to play two positions. If we can avoid that, which, thank God, thus far we have, we will be competitive and have a good enough shot in games.”
JACK FLANARY
Senior defensive end/ tight end 2010 stats: 5.5 tackles per game, 10 sacks Coach Randy Bethel: “Jack is a two-way player and a twoway starter. We are looking for big things for him.”
The offensive receivers feature three seniors in Justin Nathaniel, Deion Roundtree and Mathew Vespi, who will need to gel quickly to be a threat with Rogers under center. Sebastian River also will try to replace the production of Daniel Lee at linebacker and defensive signal caller. The team also will need to help Jack Flanary when pressuring the quarterback. Curtis Crenshaw finished second in sacks last season with four, while Kendal Gibson recorded two sacks for third best for a returning player.
KEY GAME SEPT. 16: FP CENTRAL
Sebastian River enters District 14-4A play with a home match-up against Fort Pierce Central. In 2010, Sebastian River lost a tight game at Lawnood Stadium, 14-9, a good showing considering Central started the season 8-0. The loss put Sebastian River below .500 at 2-3, as Central went on to win the district. Sebastian River starts off the season with a road game at OrlandoEvans, before warming up Sharks Stadium in its first home game against St. Lucie West Centennial. Then comes Central — the district favorite — but this time Sebastian River will have home-field advantage.
PREDICTION 5-5, 1-1 DISTRICT 14-6A
Sebastian River enters with a healthy team. With depth at defensive line, a talented group of linebackers will have time to make the correct calls when reading offensive sets and should be able to gel when making adjustments against traditional offenses. The Week 3 match-up against Fort Pierce Central will tell a lot about this Sebastian River team, if the Sharks are going to have their first winning season since 2008’s 6-4 campaign. Bethel’s team will benefit from a better schedule in 2011 that features five home games compared to the three games at Sharks Stadium last year.
TAY BROWN
Senior running back/ defensive back 2010 stats: 2 rushing attempts for 84 yards and one touchdown, 11 tackles and one interception. Coach Randy Bethel: “Tay is athletic and does some good things when he gets the ball in his hands. He is very elusive.”
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