SEBASTIAN RIVER SHARKS
FRIDAY NIGHT MEMORIES
2006
8-3
Why it was special: Sebastian River started 7-0 for the only time since the program began in 1994 and reached the playoffs for a school-record fifth straight season. By the numbers: Sebastian River scored a school-record 304 points, including 20 or more nine times.
Playmakers: Quarterback Sean Heath was named Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers Offensive Player of the Year after completing 110 of 193 passes for 1,419 yards and seven touchdowns. Wide receiver Chris Taylor, who had 32 catches for 431 yards and four touchdowns, and defensive end Kendrick
Washington, who had 11½ sacks, were first-team all-area picks. Kicker Chris Easlick made all five field goals and 27 of 30 extra points. Etc.: Only a 25-22 overtime loss to Martin County kept Sebastian River from its first district title.
SCHEDULE
August 31 at Vero Beach September 7 at SW Centennial-x 14 at Fort Pierce Central-y 21 Okeechobee October 5 Olympic Heights 12 Port St. Lucie 19 at Palm Beach Lakes 26 at Forest Hill November 2 South Fork 9 East Ridge
STRENGTHS OFFENSIVE LINE
7
Sebastian River has some experience and depth on the offensive line, though it is horizontal depth, rather than vertical. The Sharks have moved some players around to put guys in more natural positions and also help make them a little bigger up front, which will be key for the running game that lost 1,500-yard rusher Nikko Finnegan to graduation. They also are athletic in the receiver positions with some big targets for Hakeem Rainey to throw to, so that could open up the pass a little more this season.
7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
x-at South County Stadium, y-at Lawnwood Stadium
DEPTH CHART OFFENSE Pos Name QB Hakeem Rainey RB Ricky Stinson RB Nicholas Cooper RB Octavia Jefferson WR Chris Supplee TE Patrick Bethel OT Matt Lightle RG Phillip Norman C Zach Finnegan LG Jordan Taylor LT Brad DiMarco
No 15 1 32 28 17 93 81 72 53 50 75
Cl Ht Wt Sr. 5-10 175 Jr. 5-7 160 Jr. 5-9 172 Sr. 6-0 205 Sr. 5-9 165 Fr. 6-2 237 Sr. 6-3 230 Sr. 6-3 260 Jr. 5-11 225 Sr. 5-9 218 Sr. 6-2 255
WEAKNESSES RUNNING BACK
DEFENSE Pos Name NG Alex Stewart DE Gage Moak DE Curtis Crenshaw LB Jovante King LB Raul Martinez LB Mason Wilborn LB Jaefous Taylor CB Jose Vallejo S Shelvick Henry S Deion Jones CB Ricky Stinson
No 96 92 74 22 70 61 20 26 11 10 1
Cl Sr. Sr, Sr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Jr.
Ht 5-8 6-2 5-11 6-0 5-10 5-9 5-9 5-10 6-1 5-10 5-7
Wt 285 225 200 180 190 210 160 170 170 160 160
SPECIAL TEAMS Pos Name K Aaron Roberson P Chris Supplee
No Cl 8 Sr. 17 Sr.
Ht Wt 6-0 180 5-9 165
RESERVES Trey Gardiner (2, So., WR), Jan Claude Bance (3, So., RB), Justin Peabody (4, Jr., TE), Austin Hatch (5, Sr., QB), Mike Pastor (6, So., WR), Dondre Cypress (7, Jr., WR), Christopher Harper (9, So., RB), Alberto Vallejo (12, So., WR), Ashton Terry (23, Sr., WR), Vincent Harris (24, Sr., RB), Christopher Graves (25, So., DB), Sean Mulhern (27, Jr., WR), Christopher Putnam (29, Jr., DB), Ryan Worthen (30, So., LB), Trevor Payne (31, Jr., RB), Baltazar Camerena (33, Jr., RB), Reed Wooldridge (34, So., RB), Charles Sammons (40, Sr., LB), Dylan Permenter (41, So., LB), James Clark (42, Sr., LB), Ramiro Magana (43, So., DB), Alex Artega (44, Jr., LB), Nick Day (45, Jr., DB), Jontavious Steplin (52, So., WR), Clinton Brock (54, Sr., LB), Cody Spaulding (60, So., OL), Zack Perkins (62, Sr., OL), Andrew Magrane (63, So., OL), Christopher Curran (64, Jr., OL), Desmond Burton (73, So., OL), Marcus Norman (77, So., OL), Brad Newman (79, Sr., OL), Clay Chambliss (80, Jr., TE), Matthew Fling (82, Fr., TE/LB), Tyrell Washington (83, Fr., TE/DE), Brandon Jones (90, Sr., DL), Josh Mahaven (91, Jr., TE), Manuel Juarez (94, Jr., DL), Deion Swalis (95, Sr., DL), Justin Eidem (97, So., PK), Chris Rua (99, Jr., DL), Thurston Burris (N/A, So., DB)
COACHING STAFF
Coach: Randy Bethel (16th year) Record: 76-75 2011: 5-6, 4-1 District 14-6A Assistants: Tony Perry (co-defensive coordinator, DBs), Billy Miller (co-defensive coordinator, LBs), Bill Wilson (RBs), Anthony Simmons (RBs), Charles Washington (OL), Kendrick Willis (OL), George Zulueke (QBs), Chris Jefferson (DL), Joe Nathaniel (JV head coach), Tony Brown (assistant), Raul Martinez (assistant), Tony Flemming (assistant), Keith Matthews (assistant), Brad Butler (volunteer).
STADIUM SHARKS STADIUM (3,200) Playing surface: Grass Address: 9001 Sharks Blvd., Sebastian Directions: From U.S. 1, head west on County Road 510. Continue past Treasure Coast Elementary and follow as the road curves. Sebastian River High School will be on the left just ahead. Main office: 772-564-4170 On the Web: www. indianriverschools.org/SRHS
THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
DEBORAH SILVER/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS
Sebastian River High School linebacker Jaefous Taylor and his defensive teammates will be looked on to carry the Sharks, especially early in the season, as the team breaks in new offensive playmakers.
They’ve been playing well throughout camp. They are running around, being aggressive. They are a very athletic group, and we are looking forward to them stepping up to the plate. It was just simplifying things, defensively, to allow them to play faster.”
KEY GAME
Randy Bethel, Sebastian River head coach about his defense
A simple solution
Athletic and aggressive defense impresses coaches By Laurel Pfahler laurel.pfahler@scripps.com 772-978-2282
SEBASTIAN — Defense was the biggest area of concern for the Sebastian River football team heading into the offseason. Now, it’s one of the things Sharks coach Randy Bethel is most excited about heading into the 2012 season. Sebastian River struggled with consistency on defense last year during a 5-6 campaign that included just one non-district win. The Sharks posted two shutouts, yet still gave up 23 points a game, so the coaching staff got together in the offseason and decided the problem wasn’t talent — the answer was to simplify things. The result was a strong showing on defense in a spring game victory over Treasure Coast and, after a good summer and preseason, Bethel likes what he’s seen. “They’ve been playing well throughout camp,” Bethel said. “They are running around, being aggressive. They are a very athletic group, and we are looking forward to them stepping up to the plate. It was just simplifying things defensively to allow them to play faster.”
HAKEEM RAINEY
“I’m excited about the entire defense,” he added. “There’s not one spot (on defense) that excites me more, and that’s what we’re excited about.” Though the Sharks return some athletes on defense, they will be missing Division I college prospect James Clark early on, as the outside linebacker/defensive end missed the first couple weeks of practice with a knee injury related to a growth plate. Despite, his absence, Bethel said the defense has been playing with high intensity in practices and jelling well. Sebastian River just can’t afford more injuries. “Our depth is not where it needs to be,” Bethel said. “But the coaching staff is working hard to get guys reps, so we can continue to improve our depth.” The Sharks won’t have it easy early on, either. They face two of the area’s top teams from last year on the road in the first three weeks, as they head to Vero Beach in Week 1 and Fort Pierce Central in Week 3. Sandwiched in the middle of that schedule is a physical St. Lucie West Centennial team that always plays a competitive game against Sebastian River. “We’ll know what kind of team
Senior quarterback 2011 stats: 6-of-14 for 174 yards and a touchdown as a backup Coach Bethel: “He’s a pretty heady kid, and he’s very athletic. He has great feet, and he’s a strong kid.”
we have after the first month,” Bethel said. The Sharks will be displaying several changes on offense. A running back-by-committee will attempt to replace 1,500yard rusher Nikko Finnegan, and last year’s backup quarterback, Hakeem Rainey, takes over under center for Norris Rogers in the Wing-T. Bethel said experience on the offensive line should help ease the transition with new players in the skill positions, but the Sharks will have to improve their blocking overall to remain as effective on offense as they were at times in 2011, when they produced 364.5 yards per game. Sebastian River has replaced talented running backs in the past, and if the defense can be more consistent, Bethel likes his chances at another playoff run and maybe even the program’s first district title. “We definitely feel we can be in the hunt for the district title, and we feel it’s time for us to step up,” Bethel said. “It’s a mature enough team, and I think they want it bad enough. It’s just going to come down to us staying healthy and doing the little things on and off the field.”
PHILLIP NORMAN
Senior offensive lineman 2011 stats: Helped the offense produce 364.5 yards per game Coach Bethel: “He’s really doing an outstanding job of leadership across the line. He can play three (line) positions.”
The loss of Finnegan hurts the running game, and there’s no proven leader in the backfield. Octavia Jefferson and Ricky Stinson both gained some experience last year, but neither had half the carries Finnegan did. The Sharks will need to improve their secondand third-level blocking to give the running backs a chance to gain ground. Defensively, Sebastian River lacks depth, especially at the inside linebacker position, and will be missing outside linebacker/defensive end James Clark early in the season as he rehabs a knee injury.
SEPT. 21: OKEECHOBEE
Sebastian River beat Okeechobee 34-14 last year on the road, but the Brahmans brought back former coach Chris Branham during the offseason and look to be much improved after a strong summer in 7-on-7 competitions. This is a game the Sharks can’t afford to lose if they want to remain in the hunt for their first district title.
PREDICTION 5-5, 4-1 DISTRICT 14-6A
The Sharks play their first three games on the road against tough opponents. Vero Beach and Fort Pierce Central both are coming off one-loss regular seasons in 2011, and Week 2 opponent St. Lucie West Centennial always makes for a good game — the two seem to go back and forth between wins each year. It’s the Sharks’ turn for a win, though, so if they pull that out and can repeat their district success from last year, they could break .500. The South Fork game could once again determine the district champion.
RIVALS
■■ Vero Beach ■■ South Fork ■■ Okeechobee
JOVANTE KING
senior linebacker/defensive back 2011 stats: 64 tackles,1 sack, 2 fumble recoveries and 2 INTs. Coach Bethel: “He has a great football IQ. He puts people in the right positions.”