By Ron White
MaxPreps.com
The high school football season kicks off in Central Florida tonight with a few season-openers and a host of preseason classics.
Chief among them is Orlando Boone’s first game since last season’s highly successful 14-1 run, which ended only when powerhouse Miami Northwestern defeated it for the Class 6A state championship.
Led by junior quarterback San Hutsell and senior wide receiver Danny Williams, Boone tips tonight at Winter Springs, a team looking to build on last year’s 7-3 record. Al-Terek McBurse leads the offense once again for the Bears, who missed the playoffs last season after going 2-2 in crucial late-season games.
Orlando Evans also opens the season tonight. The Trojans, 5-5 a year ago, host West Orange. The visiting Warriors are trying to rebound from a 2-8 season in 2007.
One of the area’s best teams heads north to play South Gwinnett, Ga., in a game that has many people talking. Daytona Mainland, a perennial Class 5A power, has almost all of its starters back from last year’s 8-4 team, and the Bucs added highly-regarded running back Marlin Lane Jr., who transferred in after posting back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons at Class 1B Lighthouse Christian.
The Bucs, known for producing some of the state’s top linebackers, have a pair of monsters this year in seniors Phillip Bailey and Terrance Wiley; the offense is expected to be nearly as strong. South Gwinnett returns to the field after posting a 6-5 mark in 2007.
Osceola looks to prove that 2007 was only the beginning. Despite losing powerful running back Bubba Brown, the Kowboys will look to repeat last year’s impressive 14-1 season when they kick off tonight at Palm Bay. The host Pirates are back after posting a 9-4 mark last season, but they are without star linebacker Ramon Buchanan, who now plays at the University of Miami.
Ridge Community opens against Winter Haven tonight. In just its fourth year, Ridge posted a 7-3 mark last season and missed the playoffs due primarily to a late-season loss to rival Lake Wales.
Winter Haven is attempting to rebound from last year’s 1-9 season. District rival Lake Wales heads to Avon Park to open its season. The expectations are high in Lake Wales, where the team finished 9-2 last season. A wealth of talent returns in 2008, and chief among them is senior running back James Norwood, a Division I college football prospect.
Other key games tonight pit Wekiva at host Hagerty, Jones at University and Daytona Beach Father Lopez at Deltona Trinity Christian.
On Thursday night, DeLand played its preseason classic on the road at Leesburg. Bulldogs senior Michael Gillislee carried DeLand to a 28-7 win behind 136 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Ron White covers central Florida for MaxPreps. He may be reached at rwhite3135@cfl.rr.com.