High School Football in May?

[Grok]

May 23, 2004
The stars come out for Madison-Mainland matchup
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Gene Williams (Dot Com)
Warchant.com Publisher


You couldn't ask for a better high school football game in the month of May, or any month for that matter. Daytona Beach Mainland, the defending 5A champions, made their way west on I-10 to take on 2A powerhouse Madison County at Boot Hill. Both programs are loaded with Division 1A prospects as evidenced by the nearly dozen college coaches on the sidelines.

The matchup certainly lived up to the hype.

There were big plays for both teams on both sides of the ball but in the end the Cowboys stormed back to bring home the 33-21 win.


Hayes' 43-yard interception return had the college recruiters buzzing.

After the junior varsity played the first quarter to a 0-0 tie, the varsity hit the field and Madison County came out on fire putting up 13 quick points. The big play of the game, and one of the best highlights you will ever see, happened when linebacker Geno Hayes stepped in front of a pass, fought off a player hanging on his face-mask, then proceeded to break four more tackles on way to a 42-yard interception return. The play had the Cowboy faithful going wild, and the college coaches in awe.

If that wasn't enough, the Florida50 member racked up two sacks, another tackle for loss, and nine total tackles in three quarters of play. As icing on the cake, he laid a devastating hit on a Mainland defender that allowed a long punt return which effectively put the game away.

After putting on his impressive display, Mainland head coach John Moronto compared Hayes to former high school All-American and current Seminole linebacker Ernie Sims.

From a recruiting standpoint not much has changed with the Madison standout. A Florida State assistant coach stopped by prior to the game and, although a scholarship offer was not officially extended, it sounds like FSU is getting closer to finally pulling the trigger.

"It's looking like when I come to (FSU's) camp they are probably going to offer me then," Hayes said. "I'll check that out. I'm supposed to get one."

Hayes already has 17 offers to his credit, including ones from LSU, Georgia, NC State and Oklahoma.

Another defensive prospect rated just as high, if not higher than Hayes, is Mainland's Avery Atkins. The 6-foot, 190-pound cornerback had to sit out the exhibition game because of a pulled hamstring. He was visibly upset at not being able to take part in this classic matchup but sat out on the advice of team trainers.

During his last couple interviews, the all-state DB noted that he was leaning to LSU, but on Saturday he backed off that just a bit.

"Right now all my options are open - I don't really have a favorite now," Atkins told Warchant.com. "Whichever one offers the most - playing time is the main thing."

Even though he didn't name one leader, when asked which schools are recruiting him the hardest, he did hint that a couple teams might be out in front.

"Right now LSU and Florida State are (recruiting hardest)," he said. "Those are my favorites."

Atkins plans on camping this summer at LSU, Michigan, FSU and Miami. He also hopes to take unofficial visits to Oklahoma, Ohio State, Florida, USF, UCF and Michigan State over the next few months.


Brian Ellis is one of FSU's top targets at tight end.

Even without Atkins, and a few other starters, the Bucs put up a gallant fight. Trailing 13-0 it looked like Madison County might put the game away early but defensive end Brian Ellis, who was recently offered a scholarship by FSU, picked up a fumble and rumbled 61-yard for a defensive score. The 6-foot-4, 235-pounder also showed off his speed by running down athlete Tyrone Weatherspoon, one of the fastest players on the Cowboy roster, from behind on a long run.

Ellis, who plays both a tight end and defensive end, was a virtual unknown in recruiting circles until recently. His impressive combination of size (6-4/235) and speed (4.7) has recruiters buzzing. In addition to FSU, he has early offers from UCF, Auburn, Oklahoma and South Carolina. Considering he grew up a Seminole fan, you have to like FSU's chances at this stage.

"They have a pretty good school," Ellis said. "Their tradition goes way back and Florida State has always been the school to go to. I would always watch them on TV."

Florida State is recruiting Ellis as a tight end.

Another senior prospect on the Mainland roster that made some big plays is Matt Lewis. The 6-foot-2, 245-pound defensive end/fullback played both sides of the ball but really shined carrying the football. On the night he rushed for approximately 100 yards, but it was his 61-yard touchdown run that showed off his potential as he out-ran the speedy Cowboy defense to get into the endzone.

As with Atkins and Ellis, he is another highly regarded recruit with a handful of major D1A offers.

"Miami is looking at me as a fullback," Lewis said. "A lot of colleges are looking at me as a fullback but most are looking at me as a defensive player (DE or LB)."

Lewis says his top schools are Miami, Michigan (offer), Georgia and LSU, followed by Notre Dame and Florida (offer). He plans on camping at LSU and Miami.


Eddie Tabasky and Jonathan Garner make up the top center-quarterback duo in the state.

Center Eddie Tabasky also put on a good showing and stifled any defenders getting in his way. According to his coach, the all-state center has offers from FSU, Florida, Miami, Michigan and several others. However, he might be off to the Ivy League with his 4.4 GPA (full story soon).

Although he was intercepted early in the game, quarterback Jonathan Garner shook off the setback and showed why he is one of the top signal-callers in the state. He completed several tough passes including a perfectly executed slant pass to super junior Antonio Wilson, brother of graduating running back Vince Wilson, that went 85-yards for a score. Under Garner's leadership, the Bucs came from behind to take a 21-20 lead in the fourth quarter before the Cowboys took over the the final minutes.

Garner has early offers from Ole Miss, Stanford and USF.

On the other sideline it wasn't just a one-man show with Geno Hayes. Several other Cowboys proved they are legitimate Division 1A prospects, especially Tyrone Weatherspoon. The 5-10 speedster was all over the field making huge plays on offense (rushing touchdown and several long runs), defense (two pass break-ups) and special teams (43-yard punt return). As noted in our recent update on Madison County, the player nicknamed "T-Spoon" has offers from N.C. State, Iowa State, Louisville, Michigan State and Syracuse, with the Wolfpack being his current favorite.

Quarterback/safety Brian Peacock also turned in a solid performance throwing a touchdown pass and breaking up a couple long pass attempts on defense.

But right behind Hayes in the "showstopper" category had to be junior Desmond Gee. The speedy running back/athlete rushed for over 100 yards and scored three of Madison County's five touchdowns. He will probably be one of the top prospects in the Tallahassee area next year.

[Forged]

"It's looking like when I come to (FSU's) camp they are probably going to offer me then,"

wow, this guy is getting a scholarship to go to college.

[Hazard]

NO SHIT? REALLY?

[Grok]

NO SHIT? REALLY?

Hehe, better response than I could come up with.  I just stared at the comment for a half minute and went on by.  How is it a revelation that elite athletes get scholarships?

[Raven]

NO SHIT? REALLY?

Hehe, better response than I could come up with.  I just stared at the comment for a half minute and went on by.  How is it a revelation that elite athletes get scholarships?

Perhaps Forged isn't from the US?