Each week we’ll go around ThePrepZone’s coverage area and give you a football player and/or coach quotes following the games. Here are area newspaper player and/or coach quotes from Week #1:
Class 7A Columbia (Lake City) coach Brian Allen following the No. 5 Tigers’ 17-12 win against 6A Gainesville in which they struggled with communication offensively
“There seemed like there was a sense of confusion. I shouldn’t have any confusion with a three-year starter in Davin Schuck with anything, he knows the offense better than I do. As we continue to grow, so will our offense. The thing about having a good season a year ago, now you have a bullseye on your chest. Gainesville has a good football team.”” – The Gainesville Sun
Gainesville football coach Mark Latsko after the ‘Canes rushed for minus-21yards on just 11 carries but only lost by five to the state-ranked Tigers
“We couldn’t run the football at all, and that is a credit to their defensive front. We have to go back to the drawing board with our line play and some personnel. Hats off to that football team, they are a good team. Our defense played phenomenal. I was very proud of our defensive effort tonight.” – The Gainesville Sun
Buchholz (Gainesville) coach Mark Whittemore following the Bobcats’ 51-0 rout of city rival Eastside (Gainesville)
“I know there are better things in store for Eastside. I wish them all the best. They will come out of this. I feel really good about the quarterbacks (senior Scott Lester & sophomore Camden Orth). Both of them are great leaders. I trust them both. Cam got the nod tonight, but is a work in progress. We have a lot of positional competition on this team.” – The Gainesville Sun
Eastside (Gainesville) first-year coach Cedderick Daniels following the Rams’ 51-0 blowout loss to Buchholz in which the Rams finished with just four first downs and 60 yards of total offense
“Buchholz is a very good team. We are just not there. We lost three guys tonight. That is not an excuse. We are just young. We lost in every facet of the game. We lost in special teams, we lost on defense and we lost on offense. We have to just get better. We have to find within ourselves to pay attention to the details.” – The Gainesville Sun
First-year coach Willie Offord following North Marion’s (Citra) 13-0 win against Branche Ely (Pompano Beach)
“We’ve got to find a way to get started a little quicker on offense. We’re a young football team in terms of playing experience. We have some older guys age-wise who have been in the program who are getting their chance to play. We still have a lot of good football players here. Our guys played hard and I am proud of their effort. Luckily for us, our defense played very well.” – Ocala Star-Banner
Former Trinity Catholic (Ocala) football coach John Brantley, now in his first year at Belleview, following the Rattler’s 45-7 rout at The Villages
“There is a lot of energy in Belleview right now. They have a football team that is competitive. I mean look, we have a long way to go, but this is a team that has worked hard all off-season. Just look at the crowd we had tonight. I am proud of the city of Belleview for jumping behind this team and we need that.”
Forest (Ocala) coach Skip Austin on his junior kicker/punter Connor Davis, who had an extra point, field goals of 39 and 20 yards, three punts inside the West Port 20 (including one on the four-yard line), and forced three out of five touchbacks on kickoffs in the Wildcats’ 19-6 victory; Davis is the son of former Gator kicker Judd Davis
“Connor was tremendous. With the touchbacks — he didn’t give them a chance to do anything. Plus, the extra points, the field goals. He tells me that if we put the ball on the 35 or inside, he’ll make it.” – Ocala Star-Banner
Sandalwood (Jacksonville) coach Adam Geis following the Saints’ 35-6 win over Killian (Miami) in which Logan Wright finished with 164 yards on 15 carries despite sitting out most of the second half with an ankle sprain
“I think this game showed, when teams try to stop our running game, our deep passing game is going to be open. We played a little ugly football in that second half but we just wanted to get out and stay injury-free. We flipped the field on them a couple of times and that helped.”
