Prep Super Bowl IV: Chalkboard talk between Aquinas and Byrnes

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Like an expected dad in a waiting room, veteran football coach George Smith paced nervously around the busy St. Thomas Aquinas practice field Thursday afternoon.

Like a pitcher in the middle of a no-hitter, everyone stayed clear of Smith as he paced, observed and paced some more. He rarely said a word while a dozen or so assistants, including former NFL great Cris Carter, led crisp, efficient drills.

"There’s been so much intensity flying, so much emotion and adrenalin," Byrnes senior defensive end Corey Miller said. "All the talk is finally going to stop and whoever wants it more is going to take it."

Said Aquinas senior defensive end Matthew Stokes: "Everything has gone faster this week, more intense. Everything is crisp. Guys are yelling and moving around. Everyone is (guts) to the wall. Hopefully we’ll play like we practice so it will translate to the field."

Indeed, Thursday's practices were extremely crisp.

Byrnes flew in Thursday afternoon, had a quick lunch and practiced three hours later. It lasted about 90 minutes. Aquinas' workout at home was roughly the same. The only big news of the day was that Byrnes' highly-touted receiver and kick returner Nick Jones, a speedy, 5-foot-8, 170-pound senior out all season with a knee injury, proclaimed himself almost 100 percent. He'll be in uniform and will likely be a starter.

"I’m very excited," he said. "It’s been almost seven weeks since I’ve played and I’m ready to get out there and have some fun with my teammates."

The closest thing to that was each players' reluctance to gush over their opponents’ star running backs. Understandably, they chose to gush over their own star rusher.

Byrnes is blessed with the nation's third recruit overall, Marcus Lattimore, while the Warriors have the talented Division I duo of Giovanni Bernard and James White, who combined for 4,279 yards and 44 touchdowns heading into this season. This is their fourth season running together.

"They are two real good ones," said Byrnes defensive end Brandon Willis, who will join Miller at Tennessee next fall. "But it’s not something we haven’t seen. We practice every day against the best running back in the country."

Said Aquinas cornerback Cody Riggs: "I mean (Lattimore) is better than average, but when I look at his running style I didn’t see anything insane like you see with our man (Bernard). Gio changes directions like I've never seen before."

To get a pulse for just where the players were at 24 hours before kickoff, here are conversations with 10 of them and snap shots by super MaxPreps shooter Jim Redman.

BYRNES

Senior RB Marcus Lattimore (6-foot, 215 pounds)
College finalists: South Carolina, Auburn, Florida State, North Carolina, Oregon, Penn State, Georgia.

Mitch Stephens: How long has this game been on your mind?

Marcus Lattimore

Photo by Jim Redman

Lattimore: I've been thinking about it since they scheduled it.

They're a great team. They're No. 1 in the country and probably the best team we’ve ever played against. We’ll see tomorrow.

We’ve been preparing real hard and had a great week of practice. We’re focused and I think we’ll do great.

I mean, they're great. I've seen them on film and their two great backs. They have three great backs actually.

Oh yeah, incredibly special. Their whole secondary is fast. They've got two good linebackers, their defensive line is fast. They have no weakness. We just have to play hard.

You said last year that winning state again would be nice, but the true carrot was a national championship. You still feel that way?

Definitely. Dorman stopped us last year and St. Thomas is in our way this year. We just have to play hard and stay mentally focused.

Senior defensive end Corey Miller (6-4, 227)
College commitment: Tennessee

Can you describe the feeling now that this game is just 24 hours away?

Corey Miller

Photo by Jim Redman

Oh man, there's been so much intensity flying, so much emotion and adrenaline. All the talk is finally going to stop and whoever wants it more is going to take it. It’s been a great experience for us as a team and tomorrow we're going to try to prove to the world that South Carolina football is not a joke.

What have you seen on film that impresses you about Aquinas' offense?

Their offensive line is in one accord. Everyone is on one level. They have a great offense, a lot of speed and no weakness. I’m very impressed.

It's been a great week of practice. I mean, we've been really focused and sharp.

How long have you been watching game film on these guys?

Chas Dodd

Photo by Jim Redman

Honestly, probably the last two or three weeks, but not in depth until this week. I got a good feel for what they bring.

And what is that?

We just have to play mistake free. They have a lot of athletes everywhere, and if you make an error, they are going to take advantage. We've got to come out and do what we’ve done every other week.

We’ve played some good ones over the years, but they're at the top of the list. They're fast and speedy and make plays. I've got to just get the ball to our receivers and let them make plays.

You didn't play mistake free in one game last year, in a regular-season loss to Dorman. Is that a game that's stuck with you and helped inspire you?

Oh, yes. I didn't feel very good about that one. I put a bunch of the blame for that loss on me. I had a couple of picks (three interceptions, 20-of-34, 257 yards, one TD) and from that point forward I worked even harder to prove myself. I've tried to ever since. (He's thrown 28 touchdowns and three interceptions – 18 to 1 this season – since that loss.)

Senior defensive end Brandon Willis (6-4, 250)

College commitment: Tennessee

Brandon Willis

Photo by Jim Redman

Is it difficult to deflect the hype and concentrate on your assignments?

This is a big game for sure; I mean, it's No. 1 versus No. 2. You try to stay away from all the hype or the fact you're representing South Carolina and just come out and play the way you've been trained. It’s a challenge but I think we're up for it.

They are two real good ones, but it's not something we haven’t seen. We practice everyday against the best running back in the country. We need to simply put pressure on those guys and see what they can do.

I really don’t read the newspapers or Internet. Others love reading it. Like my dad.

Does this game feel different?

Giovanni Bernard

Photo by Jim Redman

No, not really at all. For others, yes. I guess it's different because we're playing a team from South Carolina. But we've had plenty of big games before. If you start treating it like it's different, then you start seeing the cameras and bright lights and mental breakdowns occur.

They definitely have a real good defensive line, especially (Willis and Miller). Cody and I went up to (University of) Tennessee and met those guys up there. We've met them at a couple other schools. It’s always been a good experience. Every time we've seen them we talk about the game. We saw them at Tennessee and they reminded us it was just three weeks away. We joked around. It was a fun experience. They're cool guys.

Definitely. We're definitely representing South Florida. I'm sure a lot of local coaches will be watching on TV and wanting us to win.

Never have, but he's definitely a hard and durable runner. He gets a bunch of carries. You have to hold your breath every time he touches the ball. He deserves every little piece of credit he gets because he works so hard. You can just tell.

Hey, people love it. As long as they do I think you'll see them more and more. It makes a player feel good and wanted and that's a good thing. You can't always get that feeling in other ways.

What's this buildup been like?

It's been quite a ride. The whole week everyone has been jacked up.

Have you got any sleep?

Vincent Mauro

Photo by Jim Redman

Not much. The nerves have been jittery. I'

He’s a great player. We know he's quick and big and fast, but he's not going to surprise anyone on our defense. We play against two of the best running backs in the country every day at practice so we’re prepared. We play against Giovanni Bernard and James White and I think they're the best of the best.

Our coaches do a great job of scheming so if we just do what we're coached to do we'll be fine.

How's practice been this week?

Feels exactly like our state title game last year. We've prepared much like we did last year so I think we're ready.

You going to pull off the same result as last year (56-7 over Lakeland in 5A state finals)?

No, I think Byrnes is a better team than Lakeland last year because Lakeland was so young. I think it will be a very good game tomorrow.

Cody Riggs

Photo by Jim Redman

What problems do they present offensively?

They pass much better than I expected. Based what I heard about them, I thought they could only run, but they are very well balanced.

Some believe you have the best secondary perhaps in high school history. Your response?

I'm proud people might think that and we're definitely a good group but we're a new group, we need to communicate more. We could live up to that but we need some more work.

What are your impressions of Lattimore?

He's a very hard runner to bring down. He runs north and south. I expect he'll make us really work on tackling. When looking at his running style I didn't see anything insane like you see with our man (Giovanni) Bernard. Gio changes directions like I've never seen before.

I've been able to sleep just fine. It's a game and I'm not going to lose sleep. I've definitely been thinking about it every night.

They sometimes bring pressure and sometimes they don't. They just have a real good game plan and mix it up constantly. They like to move around and confuse the line. We have to really focus on that.

Jacob Rudock

Photo by Jim Redman

They're big guys and they come up and try to make big plays. They're definitely going to test us. We'll do our best to block them and come out with the victory.

(Laughs) We go back and forth all the time. Our receivers go at them and they come back at us. We test them and they test us. It’s like a game every day.

Biggest game you’ve ever been associated with?

Everything has gone faster this week, more intense. Everything is crisp. Guys are yelling and moving around. Everyone is (guts) to the wall. Hopefully we’ll play like we practice so it will translate to the field.

What are your impressions of Byrnes?

Matthew Stokes

Photo by Jim Redman

They look very good, they're well coached; they have a good offensive line and skill players. They're a very good team.

They're not much bigger than us, but they have good feet and hands and work as a unit. They're good at setting screens and good at zone blocking and pass blocking. They know their stuff.

What's it mean for your defense to have corners like Riggs and Joyner?

To me, it’s a little overrated. It's just high school football. It's all made up and doesn’t matter if you win or lose. It's just a game and should be treated as such.

My brother (Chris Stokes) went here and I wanted to continue the tradition. There's a saying here that we all want to continue the tradition one game at a time and it's something we all truly believe in. That's why I came here.

Is this the biggest game you've ever played in?

It really does feel like a national championship game. But we have to play it like a normal game. Just play St. Thomas football and we'll come out with a victory.

How do you combat the hype?

James White

Photo by Jim Redman

If you try to focus on all the cameras and all the show-boaty stuff, you'll flat-out fail. You just need to go out and do your job.

I don't know. It’s getting us ready for the next level so in that regard I feel it's a real positive experience.

Never. But I've heard all about him.

What's the key to the game?