at St. Petersburg
Tarpon Springs 10, Northeast 0
Gibbs 18, Tarpon Springs 7
Gibbs 14, Northeast 7
Spring game-breakers: In the win over host Northeast, Tarpon Springs running back Sergio Troncoso had a hard-fought 7-yard touchdown run in the final minute of the second quarter to ice the game. …Sponger quarterback Brandon Casler hit 3 of 4 passes in the second quarter for 65 yards. …Tarpon Springs tight end Mitchell Wilcox will be a prime target in the fall. He caught two passes for 38 yards and was overthrown on two others. …In the second game, the Spongers struck first when a Gladiator fumble was recovered in the end zone for a touchdown. …Gibbs replied with a 9-yard touchdown catch by Quandel Inmon. …Gibbs quarterback Verqueze Mitchell threw for 47 yards and two touchdown passes. …Craig Watts Jr. led the Gladiators with 60 yards on the ground. …The Tarpon Springs offense was paced by Damarian Gulley, who caught two passes for 33 yards and totalled 81 kick return yards. …Gibbs’ Reggie Hinton concluded the scoring with a 37-yard interception return for a touchdown that included several broken tackles. …In the third half against Northeast, Gibbs threw for two touchdowns. Mitchell hit Javon Morgan on a 20-yard pass and Jermaine Ivory hit Sam Jones on a 25-yard TD pass. …Northeast quarterback/running back Devin Bowers was a bright spot. He rushed for 92 yards in both games and scored the Vikings’ only touchdown in the second quarter against Gibbs.
Did you know? Tarpon Springs rising senior running back Michael Ford missed the jamboree with a broken foot but is expected to return in the fall. … Northeast rising junior running back/linebacker Khyri Wright is the son of St. Petersburg boxer Winky Wright. Khyri had a sack in the 10-0 loss to Tarpon Springs. …Gibbs running back Tayveon Landsm left early in the game vs. Northeast with a leg injury and did not return …This was Northeast coach Jeremy Frioud’s first game as a head coach.
Audible 1: “I wasn’t expecting them to look like a state championship team. We’re not. But they looked much improved and they never quit. They played hard until the last play.” — Frioud after the loss to Tarpon Springs
Audible 2: “We’re young and inexperienced, but I thought we played pretty well. (Gibbs) got us moving side to side and they are fast. We are not a blazing fast team by any stretch. I think we got a little tired.” — Tarpon Springs coach Ron Hawn
Audible 3: “I thought the offense looked very good. We were like a well-oiled machine. I had huge holes to run through all night.” — Gibbs’ Watts