Tampa Catholic coach Mike Gregory concluded practice Tuesday afternoon by reminding his players that they’re not supposed to advance come Friday night. “You are the underdog,” he told them.
Just last week, Jacksonville Trinity Christian (10-1), which visits Tampa Catholic on Friday, was ranked No. 1 in MaxPreps’ national small school football rankings.
When Tampa Catholic beat Clearwater Central Catholic back in Week 2, the Marauders were No. 3 in the same poll.
After watching film of his team’s next opponent, Gregory admits the Conquerors, who average almost 384 yards of offense per game, don’t have a whole lot of flaws.
They’re athletic, he said, and deep, especially defensively. But if there’s one role Gregory’s not worried about his team filling, it’s that of the underdog. They’ve done it all season long, Gregory said, and almost every time, they’ve proved doubters wrong.
Quarterback Kyle Ploucher can’t wait to do it again.
“People say we’re going to lose. Good for them,” Ploucher said. “We’re just going to come out and win for them.”
TC coach no stranger to state title glory
Tampa Catholic is still two wins from its first football state championship. But for a team of excited Crusaders, who have felt this season was a special one from the start, Ploucher said, thoughts of getting a championship ring aren’t far from their minds.
Mike Fenton, in his second season as an assistant coach, has already been there, done that. And he’s using his past experiences to help motivate his players.
Fenton, a Tampa Catholic alumnus who coached at Jefferson 12 years, led the Dragons to an undefeated season and a 3A state championship in 2010.
He’s got the ring to prove it, and Fenton said he plans to wear it to practice in the days leading up to the matchup with Trinity Christian just so the Crusaders can see what’s at stake.
“I’ll never forget that (championship) as long as I live,” Fenton said. “If we could go do this again, this will be another one I’ll never forget.”
Fenton isn’t the only assistant coach with state title game experience. Richard “Batman” Wood, a former Tampa Bay Buccaneer, was the head coach at Wharton when the Wildcats lost to Pompano Beach Ely 22-10 in the 2002 final.
Depth fuels Crusaders’ run game
The Crusaders, averaging more than 165 yards through the air per game, run a pass-heavy offense. Gregory, though, couldn’t be more pleased with the options he has on the ground.
Three Crusaders — senior running backs T.J. Harrell, Ben Reed and Kenny Bryant — have totaled at least 300 rushing yards this season, giving Gregory, an offensive-minded coach, lots to work with on that side of the ball.
In 2009, Gregory’s first season as an assistant at Tampa Catholic, running back Hank McCloud ran for 1,566 yards. Since then, Gregory said, the Crusaders have been about spreading the ball around on the ground.
“Ben Reed is a little bit of a shifty kind of guy, Kenny Bryant is a power guy, and T.J.’s a great mix of both with a little bit of extra speed,” he said. “There’s a lot of different things you can do with those guys back there that teams can’t key on.”