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Tigers' Comeback Wears Out Jackets
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<!--endclickprintexclude--><!--startclickprintexclude--> <!--endclickprintexclude--> By EDUARDO A. ENCINA
[email protected]
Published: Sep 24, 2005
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TAMPA - This was Middleton senior Quentin Williams' first Blake-Middleton game -- his first taste of Tampa's most storied high-school rivalry. This time last year he was at home, watching the highlights on the late-night news.
Now he knows first-hand. And he will have his own place in the history books that chronicle this annual affair pitting Tampa's two historically black high schools.
A transfer from Tampa Bay Tech, Williams never had played in a game this big. He had never stepped onto the perfectly sculpted grass of Raymond James Stadium. Never entered through the southwest tunnel, as the Bucs players do on Sundays, looked up and saw a dream come true. <script language="JavaScript"><!-- DisplayOasAd("Top,Top2,Top3,Left,Left3,Right,Right2,Bottom!Left3"); // --> </script>
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"It was a great atmosphere," Middleton coach Harry Hubbard said. "When you're playing at Raymond James and you talk about the rivalry, all the bragging rights and the experience, I think it took a big step forward."
Williams, who turns 18 Sunday, received an early birthday present.
"I've been waiting for this for three long years," said Williams, holding the 4-foot-tall trophy given to the winning team's MVP. "I was excited. Playing in front of 13,000 is all I've ever dreamed of. When we came out for warm-ups and I saw the crowd, I knew we were going to pull it out. It's about the team."
The third varsity game of the renewed rivalry, a series that dates to 1957, lived up to its billing. If the atmosphere -- complete with halftime band showdowns -- wasn't enough, Williams gave the fans something to remember with his second-quarter touchdown reception that tied the game at 7.
After committing two turnovers in the game's first five minutes and falling behind by a touchdown, Middleton quarterback Dominic Grooms threw a bomb to Williams along the Tigers sideline. Williams, who was stride-for-stride with a defender, leaped over the corner's back and hauled in the pass for a 41-yard touchdown.
That was the beginning of 24 consecutive Middleton points as the Tigers redeemed themselves after last year's 17-7 upset loss.
"I was behind the ball when it was in the air and I knew I was going to have to go up for it," Williams said. "That's my job."
The play seemed to deflate the Yellow Jackets, who suffered from their inability to run the ball and poor field position. The Tigers pinned two punts inside the Blake 5-yard line, and the Yellow Jackets began four drives inside their 12.
"I've got tears right now," Blake coach Sean Washington said. "I'm hurt. I don't like to lose. I thought we had the opportunity to win. We still need to get better. We had momentum. We got two turnovers and we didn't take full advantage of them."
Middleton running back Carlton Jones gave the Tigers the offensive balance they had lacked this season, rushing for 89 yards on 11 carries. Jones scored on a 17-yard run in the second quarter to put the Tigers up 14-7. Playing quarterback in the fourth quarter, he also connected with A.J. Jones for a 22-yard touchdown pass for the Tigers' final score.
The game had no postseason implications. Next week, Middleton will face cross-town rival and district foe Hillsborough in a game that ultimately will determine their season's fate. But for one night, it was all about the old-school rivalry in Tampa.
"I loved it," A.J. Jones said. "When I first got out there, I couldn't believe my eyes. It was the first time I was really nervous in a long time, since 10th grade. It was an amazing day. And it's an experience for the younger guys. It will set the tone for the future."
<table border="1"> <tbody><tr><td align="left">Blake</td> <td>7</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>--</td> <td>7</td> </tr> <tr><td align="left">Middleton</td> <td>0</td> <td>14</td> <td>3</td> <td>7</td> <td>--</td> <td>24</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> B--Shavers 3 run (Felker kick)
M--Q. Williams 41 pass from Grooms (Bos kick)
M--C. Jones 17 run (Bos kick)
M--Bos 33 FG
M--A.J. Jones 22 pass from C. Jones (Bos kick)
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