By Ron White
MaxPreps.com
Clermont East Ridge running back Jeremy Wright grabbed headlines when he ran for 485 yards in a recent win and followed it with 188 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns in the team’s 22-13 upset win at Apopka.
It’s tough to compete with Wright, who has now rushed for 2,038 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Central Florida, though, is loaded with offensive stars this season, and Orlando Dr. Phillips supernova Nico Ranieri snagged the headlines last Friday.
For the third time this season, Ranieri broke the school’s single-game passing yardage record en route to leading the Panthers to a mammoth 42-27 win against Orlando Boone and a District 6A-5 championship.
DP (8-1, 4-0) was the first team to defeat Boone in regular-season play since the 2006 season. Boone (8-1, 3-1) failed to contain Ranieri, who threw for a school-record 372 yards. Talented receiver Kenny Shaw caught six passes for 106 and two of Ranieri’s five touchdown strikes.
Sophomore star Demetrius Hart and junior Ricardo Miller also helped Ranieri pad the stats. Hart, a running back, raced downfield for a pair of touchdowns that came on short dumps by Ranieri. Miller also scored a touchdown.
Dr. Phillips took a 14-0 lead on a pair of Ranieri touchdown tosses, but Boone rebounded with a pair of second-quarter scores, including a 27-yard interception return of a Ranieri throw, to make it 14-14.
Ranieri responded with two more touchdown passes to give DP a 27-14 halftime lead, and he ran one in early in the third quarter to make it 35-14, a lead too large even for a Boone team that had coasted through its first eight games.
Ranieri now has thrown for 1,988 yards with 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
With the win, DP earned a home game in the first round of the 6A playoffs against the winner of Monday’s three-way playoff tiebreaker for the runner-up spot in 6A-6. The three teams are Durant, Riverview and Sarasota. DP’s only loss this season was at home against Niceville on Sept. 19. Niceville (8-1 in 5A) won the game 29-26.
Boone is forced to travel to Sarasota Riverview, the District 6 champs. Sarasota Riverview finished the regular season with a 7-3 mark. Riverview’s primary job will be to stop James Washington, who’s as solid as almost any of the many great running backs in Central Florida. Washington has 1,383 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns in eight games. He averages 172 yards per game.
Most of Central Florida’s offensive stars are moving on to the playoffs, and Wright tops the list for obvious reasons. East Ridge is the champion of District 6A-4. The team will host Winter Park, the runner-up in District 6A-3. Winter Park (5-4, 3-1) defeated Edgewater 14-11 last Friday to decide the runner-up spot.
Orlando Timber Creek (7-2, 4-0) is the 6A-3 champ, and TC hosts Apopka in the first round of the playoffs. The Blue Darters feature Jeremy Gallon, who has run for 1,163 yards and 15 touchdowns. Apopka (8-2, 4-1) has struggled defensively this season, and face a big challenge with Timber Creek running back Rahfee McClee. He has rushed for 1,151 yards and 12 touchdowns this season.
Another 6A juggernaut, Altamonte Springs Lake Brantley, features running back Antonio Miles. All he’s done is rush for 1,412 yards and 13 touchdowns on 196 carries. Lake Brantley (6-3, 3-1) finished as the runner-up in District 6A-2 and will play the 6A-1 champs on the road.
The winner of 6A-1 is yet to be decided. A Monday tiebreaker will sort it out. In any case, the district promises to send at least one of two offensive stars into the playoffs. DeLand senior Mike Gillislee has shared the running back duties this season, but the University of Florida recruit already has more than 1,000 rushing yards for the third straight season. Meanwhile, Port Orange Spruce Creek quarterback Shane Peludat has thrown for more than 1,000 yards for the second straight season.
Deltona Pine Ridge senior Ben De La Cruz also isn’t ready to let his big senior year come to an end. The Panthers’ quarterback led the team to a big win against Lyman last Friday to notch a playoff spot as the 5A-4 runner-up. Pine Ridge (8-1, 3-1) will travel to Orange Park (7-2, 2-1). De La Cruz now has 1,220 passing yards with 11 touchdowns and just two interceptions through nine games. Unlike Ranieri and the other signal-callers, though, De La Cruz is equally adept on the run. He has 928 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 113 carries. In a playoff tune-up this Friday, De La Cruz has a chance to become the only quarterback in Central Florida with more than 1,000 passing and 1,000 rushing yards.
Sanford Seminole quarterback Andre Debose is also ready for the postseason. Seminole (7-2, 4-0) won the title in District 6A-2 and will face the runner-up in District 6A-1.
Debose has dazzled as a mobile passer who also can run pass routes and return kicks. He’s a highly-recruited prospect whose short list of schools includes Florida and LSU.
One star who isn’t going to be on the field in the playoffs is Winter Springs senior Al-Terek McBurse. ATM cashed in this season with lots of highlight reel runs, but Winter Springs (6-3, 1-3) was upset 35-34 to Oviedo on Oct. 23.
Still, McBurse is set to go over the 2,000-yard plateau this week when the team faces a winless Lake Howell squad. He already has 1,981 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns.
Oviedo quarterback Blake Bortles also will be on the sidelines for the playoffs. The Lions’ single-caller threw for 1,862 yards and 17 touchdowns with seven interceptions, but it wasn’t enough to push Oviedo (3-6, 2-2) into the playoffs. Still, he could reach the 2,000-yard mark this Friday in a home game against Kissimmee Osceola. The same goes for Olympia’s Trevor Siemian, who threw for 1,780 yards and 17 touchdowns with only four interceptions. Olympia (6-3, 3-2) finished third in District 6A-5. The Titans play Colonial Friday.