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| LEESBURG HEAD COACH RANDY TRIVERS |
By Gerald Lacey
Staff Writer
Carver Heights Quarterback Club
April 28, 2011Leesburg will conduct it's first spring practice in the Randy Trivers era on Monday May 2, 2011. The Jackets will lose 30 lettermen to graduation this spring including LB Dondelaro Crosby (2011 Missouri State University signee), P/PK R.J. Peppers (2011 Towson State University signee) and WR/RB Luther McDowell.
Leesburg created a buzz last season as they entered the final game with the District Championship and a playoff spot on the line. Head Coach Randy Trivers wasn't hired until the Jackets had completed spring practice last year leaving him with only a few weeks to implement his system. He used a sophomore quarterback who had never started a varsity game before and broke several 41 year old passing records last season with Undra Mitchem, Jr. running the spread offense. The Jackets finished the season 6-4 their first winning season since the 2007 season.
Trivers is excited about the upcoming spring practices and having the chance for he and his new wife to reside in the city of Leesburg.
"Leesburg is a great fit for me,'' Trivers said. "There is great potential here and a great challenge ahead."
"I always have had it in the back of my mind that being a high school teacher and coach was more conducive to stability," Trivers said . "College coaching is more transient. You are really bouncing around quite a bit."
The Jackets will have to prepare for the increased media attention that come along with a high profile coach and highly recruited five star players. Five Star recruit D' Mauri Jones is high on everyone recruiting lists. He is listed at #57 on the Orlando Sentinel's 2012 Super60 list . Steve Spurrier and the South Carolina Gamecocks are in the hunt for Jones. They will have to beat out Auburn, Florida State, Florida, Miami, South Florida and Alabama in this hot recruiting battle.
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| Jr. WR #15 D' MAURI JONES |
The Jackets will feature a very balance attack on offense. Watch out for more play action passes this spring. Mitchem is a student of the game and is developing his reads more as he will be free to audible into and out of called plays and formations. The offense will be more pro style and balanced this year giving quarterback Undra Mitchem, Jr. more chances to drop back and pass when he lines up under center this season. The Jackets used a shotgun spread offense last season with the backfield empty for most snaps. Trivers plans to run the football more and use play action more this season which should keep opposing defense's honest. Mitchem is a two-sport star with unlimited potential and will be the most highly recruited athlete ever by the end of his career at Leesburg.
"Undra has been making a lot of progress in his ability to manage the game," Trivers said. "He's getting better at making decisions on the field and he's throwing the ball with a lot of accuracy and command. He is showing more and more confidence in his receiving corps.
"He's only a sophomore, but he's beginning to play with a lot of poise."
The spring promises to be a hot and grueling one as Trivers has a reputation for running college style training camps during tenure at Germantown Northwest High School.
"I am not certain yet where we will be schematically, but this will be a well-disciplined team that will play a physical style of football,'' Trivers said. "They will play with great passion, and they will be extremely well-conditioned.
"I think this has been the hallmark of all my teams."
Trivers comes to the Yellow Jackets with a resume loaded with experience. He was as a graduate-assistant coach at Rutgers University in 2009, where he worked with the Scarlet Knights' running backs.
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| LEESBURG HEAD COACH RANDY TRIVERS AT THE SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY |
Prior to that, Trivers spent two seasons as a running backs coach at Syracuse University.
A graduate of the College of Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. and the University of Maryland, where he earned a master's degree, Trivers was head coach at Northwest High School in Germantown, Md. from 1998 to 2006. The school's first head coach, Trivers built the Northwest program into a powerhouse, leading the Jaguars to the state quarterfinals in his second season.
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| Randy Trivers after winning the 2004 Maryland Class 3A state championship |
In 2004, Trivers guided Northwest to a 13-1 record and the Class 3A state championship. During his nine seasons at Northwest, Trivers compiled a 73-27 record with three regional and five district championships.
Also, more than 50 of his players went on to play college football and 20 earned full scholarships.
"We're trying to improve every week," Trivers said. "For us it's a learning process, for our players and coaches, as far as us being new to this thing. We've been together for a short amount of time. It's nice to jell as a program.
The Yellow Jackets will compete in the Class 7A-District 4 which promises to be one of the most interesting for Jacket fans. In the new Class 7A-4, East Ridge and South Lake will be joined by Leesburg, a new school set to open in Minneola in the fall, and Orlando Evans. The new district will help to establish a rivalry between East Ridge, South Lake, and Minneola, and Leesburg, one of Lake County's oldest schools.
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| Coach Curt Bradley and QB Undra Mitchem, Jr. |
Starting quarterback Undra Mitchem, who entered the South Lake game with a streak of 46 passes without an interception, will have the opportunity to learn Randy Trivers 1000 play playbook during the spring something he didn't have a chance to do last season. The two sport start tied a state passing record when he threw eight TD passes in only his second varsity start in a 61-34 win over Mount Dora. Mitchem broke all of Mike Napier's 41 year old Leesburg High School regular season passing records. The 6' 2"/185 sophomore QB passed for 1849 yards and 21 touchdowns during the 2010 season. Mitchem set records in passing yardage, pass completions, pass attempts and touchdown passes. He is on pace to shatter all career passing records at Leesburg High School. With Five-Star prospect D' Mauri Jones, Julliard Roberts, Jalen Dozier, returning in 2012 Mitchem will have a experienced wide receiver corps to pass the football to.
"Undra has got a long way to go, but he's done a great job running our offense," Trivers said. "He's only a sophomore, so he's a lot of time to learn, but I'm very happy with the leadership he shows on the field and how hard he's worked."
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| Sophomore RB Anthony Miller |
Anthony Miller returns as the starting running back for Leesburg and will see more carries this spring as he will hold down the tailback position in the I Formation. Miller averaged 7.0 per carry in the 2010 season but had limited touches. Miller has added more muscle to his frame and has increased his stamina in coach Triver's grueling offseason workout program. He will be asked to carry the ball more this season as the Jackets change their pass happy offense to a more balanced attack. Miller should have a breakout season and become Leesburg's first 1000 yard back in the Randy Trivers era.
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| Junior RB/WR #10 Jalen Dozier |
Senior WR Jalen Dozier (WR D' Mauri Jones 1st cousin) a three year starter will have a breakout year in Coach Trivers offensive scheme look for his numbers to increase as he will be catching more passes from out of the backfield and slot receiver position.
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| Jr WR Julliard Roberts |
Senior WR Julliard Roberts senior will be the sleeper out of this group. He is a big play threat and can score from anywhere on the field. He won't be able to sneak up on opponents by mid season his name will be high on college recruiting lists by then. He is an athlete that operates well in the open field and should have big numbers by season's end. He is a two sport athlete who help lead the Jackets to a Class 4A State Boys Basketball Championship this past season.
The defense will have to deal with the losses to graduation. Trivers will have to replace Dondelaro Crosby (Missouri State University signee), Robert Jones (D' Mauri Jones brother), Johnnie Fulton and Travell Sherrod.
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| Jr. LB #1 TREY PERRY |
Keep a eye on Eustis transfer Trey Perry to make a immediate impact at the middle linebacker position for the Jackets. He will bring his aggressive hitting and nose for the football to a defense that has been depleted by graduation.
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| Jr. LB #44 CHASE O'DONNELL |
Chase O' Donnell will bring his senior leadership to linebacker corps after having a outstanding junior campaign. With another year of playing in Trivers system he should attract plenty of attention from some NCAA Division II and NAIA schools.
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Gerald Lacey
Staff Writer
Carver Heights Quarterback Club
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Gerald Lacey
Staff Writer
Carver Heights Quarterback Club
Gerald is a professional Internet marketer and social media marketing expert. His online business ventures and websites generate multiple streams of income annually. His consulting clients include best selling authors and international speakers.
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