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Coincidentally, the night Leesburg High won the District 3 Class A championship last year, a satellite went into orbit from Cape Kennedy. The fans who packed Memorial Stadium to watch the Yellow Jackets defeat rival Sanford and win the crown, also witnessed the launch, a fiery column heading toward space above the east bleachers just minutes before kickoff.
An hour after that, the Jackets were champs, joining South Sumter as Area representatives in state championship playoffs, and putting up there in the sky a permanent memory of one of the Area's finest football season.
If last year was the Year of the Moon for mankind in general, for followers of local prep sports it was the Year of the Pigskin.
Leesburg led the way, reaching the Class A championship final before falling, and South Sumter was close behind, bowing in the opening round of the Class B playoffs to the eventual winner. But as late as the ninth week of the season, five local teams had good chances to make the postseason rounds.
Besides Leesburg and South Sumter, those were Eustis, Wildwood and Umatilla. These five teams enjoyed great seasons, and the vapor trails left by their booster rockets dominated the skies of the year.
Leesburg, of course, could hardly have asked for a better season. Led by a great passing team, Mike Napier to Greg Williams, the Jackets started fast and almost went all the way. Their first offensive play against Groveland in the preseason Jamboree at Eustis ignited the Jackets, as Napier teamed with Williams for a 60 yard touchdown pass play. The scene became almost routine before the season ended: Williams pulled down at least one touchdown pass in every game but the last loss to Tampa Blake in the Championship game.
Coach Wilbur Lofton's players finished 11-2 for the season, a bitterly controversial loss to Lake City in the final regular season game being the only other blemish. Along the way, Napier broke passing records, Williams broke receiving records, and the rest of the team starred from Sam Rixie, who set the Jackets' running game on a fast start before knee injuries in the third game ended his career as a fullback and relegated him to defense the rest of the year, to the brutal defense coached by Hubert Dabney, to the outshone but brilliant backups in the offense, such as end Sherrill Lackey, backs Tony Hart and Mike Chatman.
Wildwood drank some bitter brew early in the season which ultimately killed their championship hopes but put on a fantastic finishing show that had most observers agreeing that the Wildcats were not just the best local team but the State's best Class B team. A baffling loss to Florida High in the third game of the year, followed by a bitter 7-2 defeat by Leesburg, were the Wildcats' only losses. With halfback Wayne Allen running wild in the last six games, Wildwood outscored opponents 285-12, and finished the season 8-2.
Even then, they just missed the District 4 Class B playoffs their hopes rested on South Sumter's final game of the year. Had the Rebels lost, Wildwood would have tied South Sumter and Dunnellon in record and won the title because of stronger competition.
Yet the Rebels' rugged rushing game didn't stop for Zephyrhills in that final game, and South Sumter took District 4 with a 9-1 record. Led by Jim Rienkewicz, Buster Ward, Ronald Lawrence and Clarence Curtis, the Rebels bulldozed every opponent but Eustis and Santa Fe in the opening round of the playoffs.
Eustis's hopes for their sixth straight District 5 Class B championship fell in the Leesburg game, when the Jackets humbled the Panthers 15-0. Yet the Panthers carried a chance for the title to the last week, when rival Ocoee beat Lakeview to finish undefeated and edge out the 9-1 record Eustis ended with.
The Panthers displayed the most balance of all the local teams last year, split between the fine passing of Rick Day and Robbie Ball and the rushing of Pearlie Moore, Rick Livingston, Day and Ball. Eustis' year was highlighted by such lopsided victories as 52-6 over Tavares in the opener, 53-8 over Groveland 52-7 over Lake Weir. Such performances brought the Panthers the MidLakes Conference Title as consolation for their failure to go to state.
Little Umatilla was the Area's surprise team, grinding out a gutsy 7-3 record that almost took them to the District 3 Class C title. Led by stylish runner Joe Scott who scored four touchdowns in the season ending 41-30 triumph over Lake Weir and quarterback Dennis Warren, Coach Ed McGonigal's Bulldogs took their title hopes into the last week, when Lithia Pinecrest won to finish 7-3 also, but edge Umatilla on opponents' strength.
Elsewhere, the Area was filled with some disappointment, much rebuilding and a little of the bizarre.
Mount Dora, for instance, lost all of its starters but Melvin Durias from 1968's 9-1 club, and started the season weirdly with three straight ties. Umatilla ended the tie string by beating the Hurricanes, and Mount Dora season went downhill from there. Coach Dan Spear saw his club finish 2-3-4, a bizarre record to end a bizarre season, winless and last in the Mid-Lakes Conference.
Tavares, too, pinned its hopes on one returning star, but Harold Hanna wasn't enough to brighten a bleak season. The Bulldogs stared the season with an overwhelming loss to Eustis, and finished the year 2-6-2, their first victory coming in the eight week of the season.
Clermont and Groveland each began the year with mildly high hopes, and finished disappointed, tied for fourth in the conference with 1-3-2 records, with also identical 3-5-2 slates overall.
Clermont's biggest moment came in a fine last-half comeback victory over Tavares: Groveland could point to a 28-22 upset of Umatilla but not much else. Perhaps indicative of their lackluster season, the two teams tied 6-6 in their arch-rivalry grudge match.
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Article provided by:
Gerald LaceyStaff Writer
Carver Heights Quarterback Club
1986 Varsity Jackets Football Lettermen #82
Class of 1988 Leesburg High School
leesburgyellowjacketsfootball@yahoo.com
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