Napier-Watkins in all-star camp, July 28, 1970

By WAYNE STOKES
Sports Editor
Daily Commercial
July 28, 1970

The local area has two of the participants in Saturday night's FHSAA all-star football game, slated for an 7:45 p.m. kickoff at Florida Field in Gainesville.

Richard Watkins, hard-nosed little defensive halfback from Coach Dub palmer's football emporium in Wildwood and Mike Napier, Leesburg High School's do-everything All-State quarterback, are both slated for action as part of the North All-Star squad, coached by Gene Cox Tallahassee Leon mentor.

Watkins, a fine team leader and big-play man for Coach Palmer's strong Wildwood Wildcat team last year, takes home the honors for being the smallest man in either all-star camp. Little Richard, standing only 5'9" and tipping the scales at a whopping 150 pounds when well fed, has the title of being the smallest all-star in camp wrapped up in a runaway. His nearest challenger in the smallness derby is one of several all-stars that weigh in at the 175 mark.

Watkins is expected to see action on the kick return teams and will probably see action at one of the safety spots. The coach of the South all-stars is Charlie Livingston of Brandon High School and he is a coach that likes to put the pigskin in the air lanes at every opportunity.

With the South all-stars expected to throw the ball as much as possible, it should prove to be a busy night for all the North defenders.

Napier, the rifle armed quarterback of the State Class A Runnerup Leesburg Yellow Jackets, will be playing in his second FHSAA all-star game this year. Mike, headed for Memphis State University on a football scholarship in the fall, also played in the state high school baseball all-star game in Lakeland earlier in the year.

Napier has been a superb athlete for Leesburg High School during his career there, excelling in every sport he had time to participate in. If time had allowed it, Napier could have been equally adept on the track and basketball court, as he obviously was on the gridiron and baseball diamond.

Being a tremendously coordinated athlete with a desire to win, Napier is expected to get one of the starting nods as a defensive halfback in the all-star game Saturday night. He was a regular for the Yellow Jackets in the defensive secondary, doing two-way duty as both an offensive and defensive standout.

Napier possesses excellent speed and could be developed into a tremendous running back, if his arm wasn't so powerful and accurate. He throws a nice long bomb pass, attributed to by the many touchdowns racked up by Napier and Greg Williams, his outstanding receiver at LHS.

Standing in the way of Napier seeing much activity at the quarterback spot Saturday night is Fred Geisler, high school All-American quarterback from Orlando Edgewater. Coach Cox likes to attack with the triple option offense made famous by the Texas Longhorns and he figures that Geisler is best suited to the attack, new for most of the all-star team members.

Some of the standouts that are slated for duty Saturday night that may be familiar to many area fans include Rick Browne, the one man wrecking crew from Lyman, that completely overran the Jackets in 1968. He will be the starting fullback for the North and gives the triple option a very potent spearhead for the running attack. Browne is bound for the University of Florida and should have a brilliant career at the home of the Gators.

David Anderson, one of the stickouts on the fine Lake City squad that had such a battle with the Leesburg Yellow Jackets this year, should be one of the mainstays in the line for Coach Cox.

John Theobold, fleet footed flanker from Palatka South, came to Leesburg with the Palatka baseball team for the Regional Tourney this past season and Coach Buddy Lowe is sure to remember him.

On the South squad, who of the Leesburg Yellow Jacket followers could forget Bobby Bennett of Tampa Blake. This quick handed youngster made the art of pass defense look as if he wrote the book in the State Class A Championship game at Tampa Stadium last fall. Bennett is a surefire bet to open in the secondary for the South. He led the attack for Blake as they grabbed the State Championship away from the Jackets.

Another star player that appeared before the local fans is Decovan McCarthy, quarterback of the fine Auburndale Bloodhound team that appeared in one of the preliminary playoff games against the Jackets last year.  McCarthy, at home in the secondary as well as at quarterback, is a fine all around athlete that is Tampa University bound in the fall and is expected to get the opening nod from Coach Livingston at the field general spot.

Hard hitting Ed McGlamory of Belle Glade High School was a thorn in the side of the Jackets all night in their Regional playoff victory last year. This is the game that local fans will remember for a long time to.

With both teams being so equal in size and individual talent, the FHSAA annual football all-star game has to be rated a tossup.

Come because of the way the Jackets fought back from the brink of defeat to capture the important game on the way to the state playoffs.

Players unfamiliar to most local fans but ones that are expected to be standouts in the all-star game include Joe Goldstrand, the All-American split end from Kathleen, and big 6'5" flanker, Joel Parker from Clearwatercareers ahead of them. Gold strand is headed for Coach Bill Peterson at FSU and Parker is going to Gainesville and Doug Dickey.

We did some figuring and found out that the size of the two teams is remarkably similar. After checking the weights of all 33 players on the South squad, the average weight was just a shade over 200 pounds. The average height on the squad was 6'3/4".

On the North side of the roster, the average weight per man registered only 199 1/2 pounds, with the average height being 6' 3/4 also.

WAYNE STOKES
Sports Editor
Daily Commercial

www.dailycommercial.com
July 28, 1970

 

 

Article provided by:
Gerald Lacey
Staff Writer
Carver Heights Quarterback Club
1986 Varsity Jackets Football Lettermen #82
Class of 1988 Leesburg High School 

leesburgyellowjacketsfootball@yahoo.com
www.leesburgyellowjacketsfootball.com

 

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. 

Napier, Watkins in North-South Game, February 15, 1970

Leesburg quarterback Mike Napier

By WAYNE STOKES
Sports Editor
Daily Commercial
February 15, 1970

The 22nd annual North-South All-Star High School football game will have added luster for local football fans, with the announcement of two local athletes being chosen for the North squad.

Being chosen for this outstanding honor is Richard Watkins of Wildwood, the dandy little offensive scooter and All-Area defensive cornerback. Richard displayed outstanding senior leadership for the Wildwood Wildcats this year, doing a lion's share to lead the Wildcats to one of their greatest years ever.

Richard was distinguished by his unusual ability to make the big play at the opportune time. It may have the return of a punt for the score or possibly an outstanding defensive play in the secondary to prevent a score, but little Richard provided the spark so necessary for a team to be a winning one.

The other half of the local All-Star duo is Leesburg High School's Mr. Quarterback, Mike Napier, the gutty field general of the state-runnerup Yellow Jackets. Mike has to be one of the finest passers ever developed in the Central Florida area, probably one of the finest the state has ever produced. Mike was the type of football player that never knew the meaning of quitting.

Even when injuries occurred, Mike wanted to play for the Yellow Jackets. This is the mark of greatness, and is one of the big reasons Mike was chosen as the All State quarterback, and received a football scholarship to Memphis State University. Mike demonstrated fine qualities of leadership, as he led the Yellow Jackets to their greatest season and he did it with acombination of talent, desier, and something often referred to as "pure guts".

These boys will participate in this classic on August 1, 1970, at Florida Field in Gainesville, and all the eyes of the local community will be upon them as they exhibit the winning style of football, we are blessed with in Lake and Sumter Counties.

The Daily commercial salutes these two outstanding young men and athletes. We are proud of them both.

WAYNE STOKES
Sports Editor
Daily Commercial

www.dailycommercial.com
February 15, 1970

 

 

Article provided by:
Gerald Lacey
Staff Writer
Carver Heights Quarterback Club
1986 Varsity Jackets Football Lettermen #82
Class of 1988 Leesburg High School 

leesburgyellowjacketsfootball@yahoo.com
www.leesburgyellowjacketsfootball.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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. 

What Happened to the North? August 3, 1970

By WAYNE STOKES
Sports Editor
Daily Commercial
August 3, 1970

After sitting through a boring FHSAA all-star football game Saturday night at Florida Field in Gainesville, we left the game with one thought lingering in our minds. Why, when you own one of the finest passing high school quarterbacks in the nation, would a coach attempt to attack from a difficult and uninspiring offense as the Wishbone T, when it is brand new to most of the players and the practice time is so limited.

The fruits of the North all-stars decision to utilize the Wishbone T resulted in their sluggish effort on offense throughout the game and their eventual defeat, 10-6.

The game opened with the South stars receiving the kickoff and it was evident from the beginning that they came to play. After the emotional pre-game talk from retiring coach, Charlie Livingstone of Brandon, the South squad was ready to win the ballgame and at this they proved eminently successful.

Mike Moore, future Gator from Ft. Lauderdale Nova went the route for the South all-stars and worked a fine ballgame, never chilling the crowd with spectacular plays but doing a fine job as a four quarter field general. He had good running support from big Bob Burns of Tampa and hard-running John Wilson of Miami, and the ball control offense that the South used paid off to the tune of holding the ball on offense for 63 plays while the North stars kept it only 41 times.

While using nothing but good hard hitting football, Coach Livingstone left the coaching ranks as a winner and it had to be a sweet victory after spending a frustrating week of practice seeing nothing but injuries happen to his all-star aggregation.

On the North side of the ledger, our own Mike Napier played a fine game at his left cornerback post, keeping the South attack stifled in his zone. Twice in the first quarter, Mike stopped thrusts that looked end zone bound with sure tackles. On the opening series, Mike stopped a busted play by the quarterback Moore, who made it to the seventeen yard line before the tackle was made. Later in the first quarter, with the South knocking at the door with
first down on the eleven, Napier threw the ballcarrier for a seven yard loss and this stalled that touchdown drive.

Mike had a chance to pick one off in the final quarter, when Moore fired a pass into the middle that skimmed off the top of Napier's fingers and it was an unhappy Leesburg player that left the field.

Geisler, the high school all-american quarterback from Orlando Edgewater, surely made Bill Peterson of FSU smile with anticipation, as he looked spectacular in a losing cause. Reputed to be a picture passer, Geisler proved to be everything that we had heard that he was, and more.

On the opening play of the game for the North, Geisler stepped into the pocket and fired a perfect strike to Harold Hart for an apparent 68 yard touchdown, only to have it nullified when an official spotted Hart shoving his man away and offensive pass interference was called. Two plays later, Geisler again hooked up with Hart on the bomb but this time Hart caught the ball but quit running and this wound up the bomb tosses for night.

Hart, a highly-regarded running back from Jacksonville Stanton, was used extensively by North Coach Gene Cox but spent most of the night on his back with an assortment of minor injuries and other problems.

Geisler teamed up with his old battery mate from Edgewater, Hollis Boardman, for what appeared to be a score in the second half. Boardman, in his effort to put the ball in to the end zone, fumble right at the goal line and the ball bounced out of the end zone for a touchback and South owned the ball at the twenty.
 

Players that impressed us during the game included hard-hitting linebacker, Gil Whitaker
from Jacksonville Englewood, who played a tough game for the North stars. Benny Coffee,
from Plant City and John Lacer of Brandon, came up with good defensive performances for
the South.

The game was one that was well received by the record crowd on hand, until North coach Cox
let the clock continue to run with the North trailing in the final two minutes of the game.
Showing very little concern for winning the battle, Coach Cox let the clock run out with Geisler
desperately trying to get away the long strike for the go-ahead score.

One aspect of the Wishbone T offense used by the North was that it is very boring if the execution and personnel are not perfectly blended. This was how we were impressed by the offense made famous by the University of Texas. In games like the North-South all-star, it should be the coaches responsibility to give the fans their maximum effort and when a passer like Fred Geisler is not utilized fully, then less than the best was given.

Resources

WAYNE STOKES
Sports Editor
Daily Commercial

www.dailycommercial.com
August 3, 1970

Resources
Article written by:
Gerald Lacey
Staff Writer
Carver Heights Quarterback Club
1986 Varsity Jackets Football Lettermen #82
Class of 1988 Leesburg High School

leesburgyellowjacketsfootball@yahoo.com
www.leesburgyellowjacketsfootball.com

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.

Jackets - - Both Teams Explode in 2nd Half, Sunday, September 14, 1969

1969 Leesburg Yellow Jackets Football Archives, Coach Wilbur Lofton gave some advice to his quarterback Mike Napier during a timeout in last night's Orange and Black Game. Napier apparently took the advice to heart as he led the Orange to a high scoring victory. Leesburg High School, Leesburg, Florida

MIKE FOWLER
Commercial Sports Editor
The Daily Commercial
Sunday, September 14, 1969

A warning to Leesburg Yellow Jacket fans: leave early. Forget about traffic. Forget about the crowds in the exit. Forget about catching the last half of some other game on TV. Forget about anything but watching the Jackets until the clock runs out.

For if last night's Orange & Black intra-squad game is any indication, things will happen late that would scare any self respecting witch.

Here's why.

The first half was - well, Coach Wilbur Lofton had the wraps on his team. "We don't want any injuries," he said, and though Sam Rixie dashed 70 yards to a TD on the first play of the game to start everything off excitingly, the first half was played with that warning very much in mind. At halftime Rixie's run, a two point conversion, a white touchdown and a safety were the scoreboard totals.

1969 Leesburg Yellow Jackets Football Archives, 1969 Jackets Supporter Burger Chef, 755, N. 14th Street, Leesburg, Florida, Leesburg High School, Leesburg, Florida

"Well, after halftime we opened up a a bit," said Lofton.

And how.

Quarterback Mike Napier threw touchdown passes, end Greg Williams caught touchdown passes, Mike Chatman ran for two touchdowns at the Varsity Orange offense opened up. And for the Junior Varsity white offense, Tim Wesley caught two touchdown passes from Ken Nappi and Steve Ezell caught one from Jeff Hancock, and the only possible injury was to the scoreboard operator's nerves, trying to keep up with it all.

Final score was 52-30 in favor of the Orange.

1969 Leesburg Yellow Jackets Football Archives, 1969 Jackets Supporter Shelfer Ford Tractor Co, Leesburg, Florida, Leesburg High School, Leesburg, Florida

 It pleased the crowd, and it pleased Lofton and to make it a pleasing day all around the size of the crowd pleased the Dad's Club, sponsors of the game, by being maybe the largest ever to show up for an Orange and Black game.

Afterwards, Lofton summed up, a checklist of pleasing points:

"Mike (Napier) threw well, Chatman and Rixie both ran well - we were working on our running game, concentrating on it in the first half. And I'd say we still have a good way to go with it, still have a long way to go." "but all the slotbacks ran well, passed well, caught well. I'd say Tommy Ryan, a slotback, had the best day he's had with us. The offensive line did a good job. I'd say I was pleased."

RESOURCES
MIKE FOWLER
Commercial Sports Editor

DAILY COMMERCIAL 

September 14, 1969

Article provided by:

Gerald Lacey

Staff Writer

Carver Heights Quarterback Club

www.leesburgyellowjacketsfootball.com

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  

 

Jackets Face Each Other Friday Night, Thursday, September 11, 1969

Sports Staff
Daily Commercial
Thursday September 11, 1969

If predictions and forecasts and previews and practices are correct, Leesburg High's Yellow Jackets face some of the toughest competition Friday night that they'll face all year-themselves.

It's the Orange & Black Game, staged by the Dad's Club, in which Varsity Jackets are combined
with the Junior Varsity Jackets into two teams for a gladiator-display at Memorial Field.

Game time is 7:30 and tickets are one dollar for adults, fifty cents for students. All proceeds go to the Dad's Club to finance the various projects they sponsor for the team.

It should be an offensive duel extraordinaire with at least three fine quarterbacks looking for place to play Mike Napier, varsity backup Andy Carlton and Jayvee's Kenny Nappi.

Look also in the first appearance of the Yellow Jackets at home, for ends Greg Williams and Sherrill Lackey and Ricky Bosanquet of the JV.

The Junior Jackets include several boys who played on the fine Leesburg Junior High team last year, when it posted a 6-1 record.

RESOURCES

DAILY COMMERCIAL 

September 11, 1969

Article provided by:

Gerald Lacey

Staff Writer

Carver Heights Quarterback Club

www.leesburgyellowjacketsfootball.com

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.

  

 

Jackets Impressive In Eustis Jamboree, Sunday, September 7, 1969

GREG WILLIAMS trots off the field after taking a touchdown pass from Leesburg quarterback Mike Napier on the first play against Groveland in the second quarter of last night's Jamboree.

Mike Fowler
Commercial Sports Editor
September 7, 1969

If the rest of the season follows the pattern of the first two offensive plays, then Leesburg High's Yellow Jackets could end up in the Super bowl against the Jets. If the rest of the season follows the pattern of the two quarters Leesburg played last night in the Jamboree at Eustis, then Yellow Jacket fans will see some of the best Class A football possible - a smooth, potent, often devastating offense, a rock-hard defense, a team murder against weaker opponents and sturdy against tough ones.

That was the pattern of the night, a night which left coach Wilbur Lofton jovial and pleased and Jacket fans in the Eustis bleachers talking excitedly.

The Jackets made their first at the ball a memorable one in the opening minutes of the second quarter, in which they faced Groveland, With the ball at it's own forty. quarterback Mike Napier faded back, threw long to Greg Williams, hooking to the right, and laid the ball in his hands,Williams, dodging one tackler, hit the goal line untouched, and the first ten seconds of the 1969 season had produced the first six points - and the first bit of glory for the Napier-Williams passing combination which is already an area legend.

Then only a couple of minutes later - minutes in which the defense held Groveland to no gain in three tries - Tony Hart dropped back, to receive a punt, took it once at his 25, found a fifty-yard return nullified by a penalty, took the second kick at the 32 and skipped through Grovelanders 68 yards for the Jackets second touchdown.

That left Jacket fans yelling, the stands buzzing, Groveland stunned. The first quarter produced nothing else but more things for the Jackets to smile about. The defense stopped Groveland's runners dead in the middle and around the ends, the swarming pass defense let virtually no Groveland receiver into the clear.

Napier left midway through the quarter without completing another pass, but the three he missed were smooth near-misses, no cause for shame in the first game of the season. His replacement, sophomore Andy Carlton, completed two passes, a 65-yarder to Sherrill Lackey and a twenty-five yarder to Sam Rixie, who struggled through a swarm of Grovelanders for the Jackets third touchdown.

Meanwhile Jacket runners Rixie and Mike Chatman were grinding out steady yardage to give Coach Lofton his most pleasant surprise of the evening. "I was afraid we wouldn't have a ground games at all, 'he said. "We do."  Final score for the quarter Leesburg 18, Groveland 0.

The third quarter was tougher, possibly more satisfying. The rival was Eustis, the Jackets grudge rival, last year's Area Champ, and this year's version of the Panthers is the same Eustis junior varsity that went undefeated and unscored-upon last year.

People were wondering if the Napier-Williams passing team could be the first to score on these Panthers. The answer they got was yes - it came late in the quarter, after nine minutes of virtual standstill football, Napier hit Lackey, ran 23 yards himself, and after a penalty, found the ball on the Jacket 30.

He hit Williams at the 50. Next, boxed in trying to pass he struggled to the Panthers 42. Two passes to Williams fell short. Only 1:33 remained on the clock when he hit Williams for a first down at the thirty, Lackey for another at the ten, and finally Williams, who took the ball at the five and danced through Panthers for the score.

Leesburg 6, Eustis 0, and time ran out with Eustis doggedly but far too slowly moving into Leesburg territory.

In the first quarter Eustis, plagued by slippery fingers, fumbled three times, losing two, to spoil a good performance by back Rick Day, and tied Umatilla scoreless. Umatilla end a bad night by losing the last quarter to Groveland, when Otis Evans, a bull of a fullback, plunged over from one yard out then kicked the extra point for Groveland's 7-o victory.

RESOURCES
Mike Fowler
Commercial Sports Editor 
DAILY COMMERCIAL 
September 7, 1969




Article provided by:
Gerald Lacey
Staff Writer
Carver Heights Quarterback Club
www.leesburgyellowjacketsfootball.com

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.

 

Jackets on Display In Jamboree Friday, September 3, 1969

By Sports Staff
Daily Commercial
September 3, 1969

The new model Yellow Jackets - rugged as  a Jeep on defense, flashy as a Ferrari on offense - will be unveiled in Eustis Friday night, along with three other Area football teams in the second big pre-season Jamboree, a free-wheeling affair in which each team plays two quarters against different opponents.

Leesburg, Eustis, Umatilla and Groveland are the high schools which will take the Eustis High field at 7:30 p.m. to preview their 1969 models in a show Ford, Chevy and Plymouth would envy. Leesburg's Yellow Jackets meet grudge-rival Eustis Panthers in the second quarter, a potentially explosive twelve minutes with the Jackets, led by quarterback Mike Napier colliding head-on with last year's Area champions.

Leesburg will play the third quarter against Groveland.

It'll be the year's first look at Coach Wilbur Lofton's potentially fine offense, based on the passing of Napier, whose folder of letters from interested colleges already looks like the manuscript of a thick novel. On the receiving end of Napier's tosses will be such as all-state candidate Greg Williams and wideouts Tommy Ryan, Theodis Williams, Sherrill Lackey and Danny Bradford. The Jackets' defense, led by linebacker Sam Rixie, is expected to be rugged. But Eustis should provide a rough test, with Coach Tommy Comer bringing a strong line and big backs.

Wildwood High will host another Jamboree Friday at 8 p.m. South Sumter, North Marion, Hernando of Brooksville and Wildwood will participate.

The schedule pits the South Sumter Rebels against North Marion in the first quarter, Wildwood's Wildcats against the big Hernando Leopards in the second, the Wildcats and Rebels in the third and Hernando against North Marion in the finale.

Admission at Carter Field in Wildwood is $1.50 for adults and $1 for students.

RESOURCES

DAILY COMMERCIAL

September 3, 1969

Article provided by:

Gerald Lacey

Staff Writer

Carver Heights Quarterback Club

www.leesburgyellowjacketsfootball.com

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.