By Gerald Lacey
Staff Writer
Carver Heights Quarterback Club
September 2, 2011
LEESBURG -The great Vince Lombardi once said defense wins championships. The Leesburg defense showed Friday night that it is capable of winning champions with a impressive victory over the Tavares Bulldogs. The Jackets showed the Bulldogs and the rest of the state that it will be a dominant force to reckon with this season. The defense scored 8 of the Yellow Jackets 12 points in a convincing 34-7 win over rival Tavares High School Friday night.
It was the 2011 season opener for both teams Friday night. A great crowd showed up on a beautiful night at Leesburg Memorial Field at Hubert O. Dabney Stadium. Transfers Noor Davis, Trey Perry and Jordan Tucker displayed a nose for the football as the Jackets out muscled the Tavares offense. Max Green and Brandon Foor had defensive scores for the Jackets in the game. Senior All-American outside linebacker Noor Davis impressed the crowd in his home debut. The Leesburg faithful got it's first glimpse of the #17 rated player in the ESPN150 and #1 rated OLB in the nation by rivals.com. His high football IQ, speed and power was repeatedly on display by coming up with big plays despite being double and triple teamed by the Bulldogs offensive blocking schemes all night. He finished the game with double digit tackles on the night. Perry who will be receiving double digit offers from NCAA FBS schools before season end, punished the Bulldogs all night while roaming the secondary for the Jackets.
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| OLB Noor Davis |
For the second week in a row the Leesburg passing game had trouble getting untracked and relied heavily on the it's ground attack led by seniors Emanuel Nelson and Jalen Dozier. Nelson and Dozier displayed their superior rushing skills throughout the game. The offense was missing D'Mauri Jones making the passing game ineffective. Jones who has made a verbal commitment to play at the University of Miami in the fall of 2012 injured his ankle in the kickoff classic against Orlando Jones and his status for the Jackets next game against rival Eustis is unknown at press time. Senior wide receiver stepped up in Jones absence and made couple of acrobatic catches to set up scores for the Leesburg offense.
On the Yellow Jackets second possession of the game led by the running of Nelson Leesburg mounted a drive that ended with a James Eldridge field goal to give the Jackets a 3-0 lead early in the first quarter. On the ensuing kickoff Trey Perry tackled the Bulldogs return man deep in Tavares territory. The tackle by Perry and a holding penalty on the return backed the ball back to the Bulldogs 1 yard line. Tavares quarterback Davis was then sacked in the end zone by Max Green bring the score to Leesburg 5 Tavares 0.
A couple of possessions later a Leesburg punt pinned Tavares back to it own 12 yard line. Two plays later Bulldogs QB Davis dropped back to pass and was it picked off by Brandon Foor who returned if for a touchdown. The PAT by James Eldridge was good making the score at 12-0 Leesburg. The Jackets defense held the Bulldogs to 0 yards of offense in the first half.
Both teams traded possessions before going into halftime with Leesburg leading 12-0.
At the beginning of the second half sophomore Bryant Benton returned the Bulldogs kickoff up to the Leesburg 25 yard line. On the next play Jalen Dozier took a hand off and sprinted 74 yards before being tackled at the Tavares 1 yard line. One play later Jackets workhorse back Nelson plunged in the end zone from one yard out making the score Leesburg 18 Tavares 0.
On the Bulldogs next possession their offense begin to get going, aided by Jacket penalties the Bulldogs drove the ball down to the Jackets 8 yard line. Once again the Yellow Jackets secondary led by Trey Perry and Jermaine Gasden came up with big stops to thwart the Tavares scoring threat. Perry broke up a 4th and 8 pass and Leesburg took over on downs.
After the Jackets offense stalled the Tavares offense mounted another once again aided by penalties by the Yellow Jackets defense. Bulldogs running back Scott ended the drive with a 3 yard touchdown run on a sweep. The PAT was good and the Leesburg lead was cut to 18-7 with 11:55 left in the game. The score gave the Tavares faithful a glimmer of hope that would be dashed by the Jackets on the games next possession. The Bulldogs tried a onsides kick but failed to recover the football giving the Jackets good field position. On the next play senior wide receiver Julliard Roberts, Jr. help put the Bulldogs away for good, by making a acrobatic catch at the Bulldogs five yard line. On first goal from the 5 yard line Nelson bulled his way into the end zone for a touchdown his second on the night. The PAT was by Eldridge was good and Leesburg now had a comfortable 25-7 lead.
On Tavares next possession on 3rd and 15 Tavares quarterback Rakeem Frederick dropped back to pass and was sacked in the end zone for a safety. The safety in the game for the Yellow Jacket defense. The score was now 27-7 at the10:07 in the fourth quarter. With Jackets offense back on the field Roberts hauled in a pass for a touchdown. The PAT was good and to finish off the scoring for the night at 34-7 Leesburg.
The Jackets host Eustis Friday night at Hubert O. Dabney stadium renewing a 83 year rivalry. Tavares will meet Vegas Harley and the Mount Dora Hurricanes in its home opener.
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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.
Gerald is the CEO/President of Lacey LLC and OmariWholesale, Inc. He runs his entire business from his home where he is able to spend quality time with his family and friends. He is passionate about helping individuals to build and monetize their personal brand online.
Gerald is the CEO/President of Lacey LLC and OmariWholesale, Inc. He runs his entire business from his home where he is able to spend quality time with his family and friends. He is passionate about helping individuals to build and monetize their personal brand online.
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