Special Preview
-----
 |
Bonesville Magazine, Vol.
III, Teaser No. 2
Monday, August 9, 2004
-----
By Ron Cherubini
Staff Feature
Writer |
Florida
contingent looking to spark new era of success
By Ron Cherubini
©2004 Bonesville.net
|
Order Bonesville Magazine Online Now! |
 |
Bonesville Magazine
ORDER ONLINE NOW! |
• PAT DYE: Short on Tenure, Long on Impact
• INSIDE PIRATE FOOTBALL
• Recruit Profiles
• Rookie Books
• Tracking the Classes
• Florida Pipeline
• NCHSAA & ECU: Smooth Sailing Again
• HIGH HOPES FOR HOOPS
• STEVE BALLARD:
New Leader Takes Charge
• SCOTT COWEN: Busting Down the Door
• KEITH LECLAIR on ECU's Field of Dreams
• BETH GRANT: Actress Still a Pirate
|
|
|
|
|
Their names are Slate, Lamb,
Millbrook, Johnson, and Hicks. They are Walsh, Santos, and Vogelbach...
Hodges and Riley. And there is Robinson, Davis, Belford, Grier, and the
Williamses — Mike and Travis, no relation. Count ‘em, 16 of the 31 incoming
East Carolina recruits are from Florida.
They are aware that they are
among an unusually large same-state contingent. They don’t necessarily all
know each other, though many have played against one another. Some met
randomly in the airport, on the plane, en route to their official visit.
All, generally, were taken in by the hometown feel of East Carolina and the
football first attitude they saw in Greenville.
But more than Sharing a
destination for their collegiate careers, they all do sense the urgency at
ECU that turned John Thompson and his coaches to Florida, a state renowned
for its annual crop of top talent and a place where J.T. and his coaches are
familiar faces — particularly Jerry Odom, whose father is a prep coaching
legend in Florida.
Who could blame them? Consider
that among the prep players from Florida, they represent a collective 97-50
record, four state champions, and a host of post-season accolades. In short,
Thompson and his coaches went primarily for winners, and this class, in
large part, is full of them.
And, collectively, these new
Pirates share — to varying degrees — a feeling of brotherhood and pride. For
some, there are Florida connections from last year’s class and for others,
the connections go back farther... and for others the natural kinship of
their home state has forged new bonds.
“My host for my official visit
was one of a kind,” Melbourne High product Zach Slate said. “Josh Coffman
(another Florida product from the 2002 class) was a great, great guy and we
became good friends. And my roommate Mike Williams (Orlando Boone 2003) got
to be friends and (we) will room together this season.”
For Mike Williams, he was
lured to ECU by his old teammate at Boone, all-everything punter Ryan
Dougherty (2001).
“I was looking forward to ECU
because of Ryan,” Williams said. “With Ryan, Josh Coffman and Zach (Slate),
I feel real comfortable.”
For incoming quarterback Josh
Vogelbach of Bishop Verot High, the bonds went futher back when he reunited
with former youth football teammate Bobby Good.
“It feels so good to have an
old friend back,” Vogelbach said. “I have a connection with Bobby from when
we played together in Florida before he moved.”
For many of the Florida
players, the large group really serves to provide a sense of home, a group
of guys who can understand “how they feel” when things aren’t going so well.
“There are a lot of guys from
Florida and it will make it feel a little more like home up there,” Trinity
Christian lineman Zach Davis said.
Lyman defensive lineman Mark
Robinson echoed Davis’ thoughts.
“I feel a lot more comfortable
having other guys from home around me,” Robinson said.
Josh Grier and Travis
Williams, both from Atlantic High, come at it from different angles.
“It’s really weird up there,”
defensive back Williams said. “Half the football team is from Florida. There
is definitely a bond there and that should help us make the (transition to
college).”
Grier is more direct.
“I think a lot of us guys from
Florida might being able to help right off the bat,” he said.
Running back Chris Johnson, of
Olympia High, just knows that he has a sense of support from his fellow
Floridians.
“With a lot of us coming from
the same place, we’ve played against each other and know each other,”
Johnson said. “And even if we don’t know each other, it’s good that we come
from the same place.”
For Monsignor Pace defensive
back J.J. Millbrook, the fact that a large group of Floridians is coming in
isn’t as big a deal. There is something more important to him.
“I don’t care where (we) come
from as long as (we) are good,” Millbrook said. “They have to be good and I
believe we all better contribute at East Carolina.”
Teammate and incoming frosh
Durwin Lamb senses something among his comrades.
“Hey, it’s Florida pride on
the line here,” the linebacker said. “We need to uphold the reputation (of
the state).”
Lake Worth product Steve
Belford, like Johnson, senses the natural ties.
“There really is a bond
between us Florida guys,” he said. “I helps me to know that I am not the
only one going so far from home. We all know we are not alone up there. It
makes me feel like everything will be alright. We all want to come up and
change things at East Carolina.”
Defensive lineman Fred Hicks,
from state champion Seffner Armwood, shares that desire.
“We are coming ready to play
and win at ECU,” Hicks said. “The Florida guys are coming.”
Ted Riley, of American
Heritage High, takes comfort in his Florida teammates.
“It gives me a feeling of
being back home and that will make it easier for me to concentrate on
football and school. It gives me a little bit of home up there.”
For Richie Santos, a lineman
from Deltona High, the Florida-dominated class not only makes for a comfort
zone, but it also gives him the backup he needs to come in confident.
“It makes it perfect, for me,”
Santos said of the concentration of Floridians. “I saw a lot of the guys in
the Central Florida All-Star game on my visit and a bunch signed. I feel
like, together, we can help a lot in turning East Carolina around.”
Fellow lineman Paul Walsh of
North Florida Christian is banking on the talent in the Florida ranks as
well.
“Florida is always regarded as
the top high school football state in the country,” he said. “After we beat
California, I feel like that Florida does have the best. It is a respect
thing that we all carry with us. But, we now have to prove that we are the
best up there at East Carolina.”
It should not be taken from
their comments that they don’t want to or will not assimilate into their new
team. Instead, take from it that this is a very confident, very vocal set of
young new Pirates who see last season’s 1-11 as nothing more than a new
challenge to be dealt with. Nearly to the player, this group of Floridians
signed to play with East Carolina because of the opportunity to come in and
play early, if not right away, as Pirates.
Now, it is just up to them to
see if they can deliver on the promise that Florida prep football seemingly
makes each year.
Send an e-mail message to Ron Cherubini.
Click here to dig into Ron
Cherubini's Bonesville archives.
02/23/2007 02:06:59 PM
----- |