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Believe It: 10 High School Teams That Would Have Won A Tourney Game
by Steve Spiewak
Alabama's Top 10 High School Football Teams
By MIKE HERNDON
Sports Reporter
Sunday, August 20, 2006
1. 1988 Vigor The last Alabama team to be crowned national champion (by ESPN), the Wolves allowed only seven points in five playoff games and crushed a Stan White-led Berry squad 41-7 in the finals. Coach: Harold Clark. Notable players: RB Darrell "Lectron" Williams, WR Kevin Lee.
2. 2002 Hoover The best of the five Hoover teams that won state titles between 2000 and 2005. The Bucs avenged a three-point regular-season loss to Tuscaloosa County by blasting the Wildcats 31-0 in the playoffs. Coach: Rush Propst. Notable players: WR Chad Jackson, QB John Parker Wilson.
3. 1973 Banks Mentioned among the country's best teams, the Jets once won a game in front of 42,000 fans at Legion Field against rival Woodlawn, which was led by running back Tony Nathan. Banks is the only school on this list that is no longer in existence. Coach: George "Shorty" White. Notable players: QB Jeff Rutledge, DE Bob Grefseng.
4. 1976 Mountain Brook The Spartans were perfect in 1975 and 1976, despite changing head coaches before the 1976 season. Future Alabama star Major Ogilvie rushed for a then-state record 2,504 as a senior in 1976. Coach: Rick Rhoades. Notable player: RB Major Ogilvie.
5. 1986 Robert E. Lee Fueled by the running of Larry Ware -- now the head coach at cross-town rival Carver -- the Generals burst back to prominence under coach Spence McCracken, who was named the national Coach of the Year by USA Today. Lee finished the 1986 season ranked No. 2 in the country, according to USA Today. Coach: Spence McCracken. Notable players: RB Larry Ware, OT Anthony Brown.
6. 1998 Blount No one can ever accuse Ben Harris of leaving the cupboard bare. The year after Harris left Blount for Alabama State, a loaded Leopards squad ran the table and claimed its third straight state title with an overtime win over Carnell Williams and Etowah. Coach: Cornelius Brown. Notable players: DL DeMarco McNeil, WR Deandre Green.
7. 1970 Robert E. Lee Thanks to integration, a state semifinal squad from Booker T. Washington was merged with a defending state championship team at Robert E. Lee. The result was a dominant repeat champion that beat Minor 27-7 in the state title game. Coach: Jim Chafin. Notable players: DB Mike Washington, WR George Pugh.
8. 2005 Homewood In winning four state titles since 2000, the Patriots saved the best for last, fielding their most balanced team in 2005 and cruising to its second straight 5A crown. Only one of Homewood's 15 wins came by fewer than 14 points. Coach: Bob Newton. Notable players: WR Tim Hawthorne, OL David Ross.
9. 1972 Colbert County The Indians, still considered the benchmark for programs in the northwest corner of the state, won the football, basketball and baseball state championships in 1972 and are still the only school in modern state history to accomplish the feat. Coach: C.T. Manley. Notable players: TE Ozzie Newsome, QB Phil Gargis.
10. 1982 Hazlewood Led by members of the Goode family, this was the best of a dominating string of Hazlewood teams that won 10 state championships between 1970 and 1992. Coach: David Hogan. Notable players: RB Kerry Goode, WR Pierre Goode.
Top 10 High School Defenses in the Last 50-Years
10. 1988 Dallas Carter
Jessie Armstead, Clifton Abraham, Leshai Maston
9. 2005 Lakeland (FL)John Brown, Edgar Lewis, Steve Wilks, Ahmad Black
8. 1971 Alexandria (VA) TC Williams
Julius Campbell, Lewie Lastik, Gary Bertier, Kirk Barker, Henry Clemmons, Lee Roy Davis, Earl Cook
7. 1967 Coral Gables
Bo Dunn, John Scopetta, Bruce Berger, Paul Johnstone, Ed Merlano
6. 2003 Galena Park (TX) North Shore
Josh Jolivette, Bug Aymond, Freddie Patton, Marshall Sauls, Morman Mingo
5. 1981 Canton (OH) McKinley
Stan Jackson, Walter Dotson, Garland Rivers, Ross Rankin, Nick Faulkner
4. 1985 Houston (TX) Yates
Larry Gill, Maurice Hobson, James Goode, Melvin Foster, Kenneth Payne
3. 1976-77 Cincinnati Moeller
Bob Crable, Russ Huesman, Karl Woods, Rick Hubbard, Tim Schira, Pete Humphrey, Tom Perrotti, Steve Behm
2. 2004 Cincinnati Colerain
Terrill Byrd, Tirrdell Byrd, Calvin Dixon, Cobrani Mixon, LeDominique Williams, Andre Revels, Tyler Moeller, Eugene Clifford, Brayden Coombs, Brian Lainhart
1. 1987 North Hills (PA)
Gary Gorajewski, Eric Renkey, Pat Carey, Chris Cisar, Greg Morris, Dave Helon, Tom Cohan...allowed 20-points the entire season...none by the first-team defense...finished #1 in the nation
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LISTS
FHSAA Teams of the Century
The Early Years (1907-1920s)
The 1921 Duval High School Tigers of Jacksonville were 8-0 and became the first Florida team ever to be declared national champions by any organization (National Sports News Service). They whipped Dayton Steele of Ohio, which was regarded as the top team in the Midwest, 21-0 and then crushed Gainesville High School 56-0 in what was labeled a state championship game. Duval outscored opponents 366-3, allowing only Charleston (S.C.) High to score on a single field goal. Duval also won games 44-0 over Moultrie (Ga.) High, 34-0 over Montgomery (Ala.) Sidney Lanier, 77-0 over Lake City High and 74-0 over Hillsborough High.
The 1930s
The 1934 Leesburg High School Yellow Jackets, coached by Ray Hayes, were easily the most dominant team of their era. Cruising to a perfect 10-0 record, Leesburg posted seven shutouts and outscored its opponents by an impressive 344-20, the likes of which included established programs such as Palatka, Live Oak-Suwannee, Daytona Beach-Mainland, Orlando and Ocala.
The 1940s
The 1942 Miami High Stingarees, coached by Lyles Alley, were too much to handle for Florida teams of this era, outscoring opponents 305-73. The 9-0 Stingarees beat six out-of-state opponents, including Georgia state champion Boys High of Atlanta 31-20 and North Carolina state champion Asheville 13-7 and were declared national champions by National Sports News Service.
The 1950s
The 1958 Matthew Gilbert High School Panthers of Jacksonville were so talented that future Olympian Bob Hayes played that year as a backup junior running back. Coach by Earl Kitchings, the Panthers finished 12-0, winning the Florida Interscholastic Athletic Association black school state championship with a 14-7 victory over Fort Lauderdale-Dillard before more than 11,000 spectators.
The 1960s
Called the best team he ever coached by the legendary Nick Kotys, the 1967 Coral Gables High School Cavaliers shut out nine of 13 opponents and won its games by a composite score of 410-26. Coral Gables defeated Wolfson (Jacksonville) 21-7 in the FHSAA Class 2A Finals, after blanking McArthur (Hollywood) 36-0 and Robinson (Tampa) 55-0 in the first and second rounds. Finishing the season 13-0, the '67 Cavaliers were the second of three Coral Gables teams crowned national champions during the 1960s.
The 1970s
Finishing 13-0 and Class 4A state champions, the high-powered 1972 Merritt Island High School Mustangs, coached by Eddie Feely, scored 519 points for a 39.9 point-per-game average, and ran up more than 5,000 yards in total offense. They beat Tallahassee-Leon 40-21 in the state championship game.
The 1980s
Declared national champions by USA Today, the 1988 Pine Forest High School Eagles of Pensacola, coached by Carl Madison, finished the season 13-0 and won the Class 5A state title (their second straight) with a 50-27 victory over Sarasota-Riverview. The Eagles defeated its playoff opponents that year by an average of 30.5 points per game. Said Madison of the team he called his greatest: "We could score."
The 1990s
The 1993 Miami Southridge High School Spartans, coached by Don Soldinger, cruised to the Class 5A state championship with a 69-36 rout of Bradenton-Manatee in the FHSAA Finals. The 15-0 Spartans had a high-powered offense featuring future 1996 Heisman Trophy finalist Troy Davis and a defense led by USA Today Defensive Player of the Year linebacker Lamont Green.
The 2000s
The 2005 Lakeland High School Dreadnaughts, coached by Bill Castle, were 15-0, Class 5A state champions and USA Today national champions, and outscored their opponents 629-93. Lakeland's closest regular-season game was a 31-14 victory over Winter Haven. It defeated unbeaten Fort Lauderdale-St. Thomas Aquinas 39-10 in the state championship game.
Trivia
Who am I?
Florida High School Football Greats
Player # 1
For 3-points - I was the first player in state history to surpass 10,000, then 11,000-yards of total offense in a career
For 2-points - I captured Florida's Mr. Football award in 1998 playing QB for Pahokee High School
For 1-point - I attended Florida State and am currently with Arizona (NFL) where in 2003 I set a rookie receiving record with 101 catches in 2003.
Player #2
For 3-points - I was named the USAToday National Defensive Player of the Year in 1990
For 2-points - I played at Pensacola Washington before starring as a LB at Florida State
For 1-point - Played for Tampa Bay where I captured the 2002 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award
Player # 3
For 3-points - I quarterbacked Fort Walton Beach to the 1991 state championship after throwing 27-TDs
For 2-points - Started games as a freshman at Florida
For 1-point - I won the 1996 Heisman Trophy before embarking on a professional career in the NFL and NFL Europe
Player #4
For 3-points - I currently hold the state rushing record with 8,804-yards
For 2-points - Led Pensacola Escambia to state titles in 1984 & 1985
For 1-point - Played 15 NFL seasons and ended as the all-time rushing leader with 18, 355-yards
Player # 5
For 3-points - Played only two seasons (1958 & 1959) of high school football for Jacksonville Gilbert and was a back-up RB on the 1958 state title team
For 2-points - Set the world record in the 100-yard dash (9.2) in 1962 while a student at Florida A & M. Broke my own record a year later running a 9.1. Won two gold medals at the 1964 Summer Olympics
For 1-point - I was a three-time Pro Bowl WR for the Dallas Cowboys in the 1960s
(Answers at the bottom of the page)
Score
15-12 points = You are a Parade All-American of Knowledge.
11-9 points = All-State
8-6 points = All-Conference
5-3 points = Varsity Starter
2-0 points = Bench-warmer
Lists
"High School Picks"
*** Ken Goin of Spartanburg (SC) Broome intercepted nine passes in one game in 1981
*** Jim Linnstaeder of Brenham (TX) picked-off 35 passes in the 1956 season
*** Baron Jackson of Baton Rouge (LA) Southern Lab registered 62-interceptions for his career (1984-1987)
ANSWERS
Who am I?
Florida Football High School Greats
1. Anquan Boldin
2. Derrick Brooks
3. Danny Wuerffel
4. Emmitt Smith
5. "Bullett" Bob Hayes
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