Lauren Berger, a 2002 Countryside High School graduate, appeared on the Today Show on January 5th, 2012 to talk about the importance of internships and her new book “All Work and No Pay”.  Lauren, also known as the Intern Queen, has completed 15 internships during her four years of college and has now started her own business helping others get internships.

Clearwater     180

Lakewood      239

Individuals:

Countryside:

Wasoff 39

Dixon 39

Hedges 40

Sisher 40

Clearwater:

Harvey 38

Kochenour 42

Skinner 50

Palner 50

Lakewood:

 Newton-Reece 51

L. Smith 55

W. Smith 64

Saunders 69

Album Name: “Darkness in the Light”

Band: “Unearth”

Review: This is a heavy metal band that has a melodic feel to it but is more Americanized by having understandable lyrics that are not screamed throughout parts of the album andhaving a more familiar sound. The lyrics that are screamed can barely be understood if at all, but the instrumentals during the vocal pauses more than make up for that in most cases. This band is not very popular, but may soon have a radio- ready presence, giving them a well- needed push into the spotlight. Based on what I’ve heard from “Darkness in the Light” I really wish Unearth the best in getting the popularity that every band strives for.

Favorite Song: Shadows in the Light

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Parker Andersen – Paw Print Newspaper Staff

Countryside    49

St. Pete             19

SCORE BY QUARTER

The most anticipated matchup of the spring featuring the only two undefeated teams in the regular season turned out to be not much of a contest as the Cougars took control early and led 42-6 at the half. … Countryside quarterback Gray Crow operated out of a more wide-open offense that included the shotgun and five-receiver sets. He threw for 207 yards and four touchdowns in the first half. Two of Crow’s touchdown passes were to tight end A.J. Sattinger. The others were to Nico Morgado and Marrieo Taylor. There were some holes to fill on Countryside’s offensive line, but the new starters gave Crow plenty of protection. … Crow stayed in the game until the last series of the fourth quarter. … St. Petersburg was missing seven starters, including quarterback David Jones, who strained his hamstring during track season and was held out for precautionary measures. … Keegan Oberholzer started at quarterback for the Green Devils and threw a touchdown pass to Dallas Paletti in the first quarter. Oberholzer also scored on a quarterback sneak in the third quarter. Deangelo Reeves scored St. Petersburg’s final touchdown on a 3-yard run. … This is a rematch of last year’s spring game that the Green Devils won. Both teams will be playing in the same district and meet again in the final game of the regular season.

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tampabay.com/hometeam

Countryside            3

Singles:

Deng (C) d. Southern 8-3

Kitchen (C) d. Gobes 8-2

Azadian (P) d. Dobai 8-3

Wall (P) d. Harris 8-4

Newsome (P) d. Collis 8-0

Doubles:

Deng and Kitchen (C) d. Southern and Gobes 8-3

Azadian and Newsome (P) d. Dobai and Harris 8-3

Bloomingdale       0

SCORE BY PERIOD

Throughout regulation, Countryside kept finding open spaces in front in the net. But Bloomingdale goalkeeper Austin Spagnola kept thwarting shots, including two diving saves in the first half.

The Bulls (15-3-3) did not have much luck against Cougars (22-1-1) goalkeeper Danny George either. George, who has great reflexes and instinctive positioning, also proved a proficient shot blocker. He made several spectacular saves, including a one-handed deflection on a hard shot that came across his body.

This is how it was for most of Thursday’s Class 6A region quarterfinal, with both teams pushing the ball past midfield and into position to score, only to watch shots fall into the hands of the keeper. After 80 minutes of soccer, a handful of legitimate opportunities and no goals, the game went to overtime.

Five minutes into the first overtime, Countryside’s Jagger Martinez ended it with one swipe of his foot. Receiving a through-ball from Derya Ekren down the left side, Martinez dribbled past one defender and nailed his shot to give the Cougars a 1-0 victory.

Afterward, the Cougars rushed to engulf Martinez. The Bloomingdale players, meanwhile, slumped to the turf.

“We just had to stay patient,” Countryside coach Dave Sica said. “Both keepers were phenomenal. This is probably one of the better keeper matches I’ve seen in a long time.”

It was a matchup that most anticipated would happen in next week’s region semifinals. But the Bulls were upset in the district final. So teams that were both nationally ranked at the beginning of the season squared off. Locked in a scoreless fight most of the night, Martinez said he finally figured out how to get the ball past Bloomingdale’s last line of defense when it mattered.

“We just had to find a weakness against their keeper, which was hard to do,” Martinez said. “It seemed that he wasn’t as great with the ball on the ground. Once I got the ball in overtime, I knew what I had to do and snuck it on the ground to win.”

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tampabay.com/hometeam

Plant                 21

Great Season Countryside!

SCORE BY QUARTER

Video from Bay News 9 (Bright House Sports Network)

For most of the game, Plant High Jr. running back James Wilder was swimming alone against the tide, hoping against hope one of his teammates would at least wave a life preserver at him.

Wilder was the focal point of the Panthers offense in Friday’s Class 5A region final, especially after quarterback Phillip Ely left in the first quarter because of back spasms.

Countryside knew it and zeroed in on Wilder, sending waves of defenders at him.

But when it mattered most, when his team was down and needed a score, Wilder came through. He scored two second-half touchdowns and finished with 163 yards rushing to lift the Panthers to a 21-13 victory.

Plant (11-2) will host Lakeland in next week’s state semifinals.

“Countryside was keying on me, and coach (Bob Weiner) wanted to use me more as a decoy,” said Wilder, who has orally committed to Florida State.

“But I wanted to help the team out. I just told them to give me the rock.”
Wilder started strong on the game’s first possession, gaining 53 yards on five carries and scoring on a 2-yard run to give the Panthers a 7-0 lead.

The Cougars (12-1) fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and Plant recovered. But Countryside’s defense tightened up and forced the Panthers to settle for a field goal they missed.

The rest of the first half was a stalemate as neither team managed much offense. Countryside had minus-6 yards in the first quarter and just 6 yards after its first three possessions.

Plant couldn’t do anything either.

With Ely out of the game, the Cougars paid more attention to Wilder, holding him to 9 yards for the remainder of the first half. Midway through the second quarter, the Cougars offense came to life behind the running of Terry Johnson, who had 55 yards on six carries on a drive that ended with him scoring on a 1-yard run that tied the score.

Then the Cougars stuffed Wilder on fourth down on the Panthers’ next possession.

With less than two minutes remaining in the first half, Countryside quarterback Gray Crow hit Marrieo Taylor on a 42-yard completion, setting up a 1-yard touchdown run by Johnson with 47 seconds remaining. Ryan Halter’s extra point, though, was blocked by Wilder.
In the second half, the Cougars stayed conservative, hoping to use its run game to control the clock and hold the lead.

Countryside had two first downs on its opening possession of the half but did not get another until the final three minutes of the game.

The Panthers offense was running on a treadmill, too.

Then Wilder came to life.

With his team trailing 13-7 in the fourth quarter, Wilder ran off the right side on four carries for 56 yards, including an 8-yarder that proved to be the winning touchdown.

Wilder sealed the game on the next possession when he ran left, stiff-armed one tackler and tip-toed down the sideline for a 43-yard score.

“We knew Wilder was going to get the ball,” Countryside coach Jared Davis said. “That’s what Plant does when their back is against the wall. I would, too. He’s a great player. We just had too many missed tackles, and that cost us.”

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tampabay.com      hometeam

Countryside       34

Tampa Tech        21

SCORE BY QUARTER

Video highlights from Bay News 9 (Brighthouse Sports Network)

The Countryside High players talked all week about how they were going to have to be physical, how they were going to have to win the battle up front to beat Tampa Bay Tech for the second straight season in the Class 5A region semifinals.

But the turning point in Friday’s game did not come on some long, clock-eating drive in which the Cougars mashed the ball behind their mammoth offensive line.

Instead, it came with a quick pass.

With the game tied at 14 in the third quarter, Countryside quarterback Grey Crow threw a slant to Nico Morgado, who then put a move on a defender and slashed across the field, a bewildered defense in tow as he raced 94 yards for a touchdown.

The Cougars recovered an onside kick and scored three minutes later. That was enough to hold on for a 34-21 victory.

Countryside (12-0) will travel to play Plant (10-2) in the 5A region final.

“We challenged the offense that they were going to get more than two scores against a defense like this,” Countryside coach Jared Davis said. “That touchdown on that slant was a big play and got things going in our favor.”

At the start, it was the Cougars’ ground game that got them going as they called five straight running plays on a 72-yard drive, capped by Terry Johnson’s 19-yard run to make it 7-0.

The Titans (8-4) countered in the second quarter as they converted two fourth downs to keep a 73-yard drive alive and scored on Devontae McCloud’s 24-yard run to tie the game.

Late in the quarter, Crow threw a 19-yard pass that was initially tipped by a Tampa Bay Tech before falling into A.J. Sattinger’s hands for a touchdown to give the Cougars a 14-7 halftime lead.

The Titans, known for keeping games close, started the third quarter by going on 77-yard scoring drive that was capped by McCloud’s second touchdown of the night on a 30-yard run to make it 14-all.

That seemed to give Tampa Bay Tech momentum as its defense had Countryside pinned at its 6-yard line and facing third and long.

That’s when Crow and Morgado hooked up for their big play.

“That play changed the game,” Titans coach C.C. Culpepper said. “Our defensive back broke on the ball and missed and their receiver went a long way.”

Even Crow was amazed by how many yards the play covered.

“It went 94 yards?” Crow said. “Wow. I didn’t even know that.”

The Cougars took a gamble by squibbing the ensuing kick. The ball ricocheted off a Tampa Bay Tech player and Countryside recovered. Six plays later, Diomi Roberts scored on a 24-yard run to make it 28-14.

Sticking with its option-based run game, the Titans crept along for another score as quarterback Jonathon Williams ran 3 yards for a touchdown to cut it to 28-21.

Countryside, though, sealed the game as Roberts scored his second touchdown on a 24-yard run to put the Cougars ahead 34-21.

Roberts high-stepped his way to the end zone, drawing a penalty for excessive celebration. It was Roberts’ second personal foul in the game and he was ejected. It is uncertain whether he will be able to play in next week’s game against Plant.

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tampabay.com     hometeam

Photos by: Lisa Lombardi

Countryside       46

SCORE BY QUARTER

Video from Bay News 9

Countryside entered its Class 5A region quarterfinal with as balanced a team as any in the playoffs.

Junior quarterback Gray Crow has amassed more than 1,000 yards passing, with running back Diomi Roberts nearly matching that total with 991 yards rushing. The defensive backfield has caused fits for opposing quarterbacks with 16 interceptions.

So when the Cougars fell behind 16-7 early in the second quarter due mostly to some bizarre plays — a safety and a fake field goal resulting in a touchdown pass — Countryside coach Jared Davis knew things would right themselves.

“As a coaching staff, we show as much calm on the sideline and this allows the players to do the same,” Davis said after what turned out to be an easy 46-16 victory. “Of course, we laid into them a bit in the locker room, but for the most part we needed them to just relax and get back to doing what they know how to do.”

After the fake field goal, the Cougars (11-0) drove 65 yards in eight plays, highlighted by Terry Johnson’s 4-yard touchdown run that brought Countryside within two. Then, after a bad snap on Brandon’s punt attempt on its next possession, Ryan Halter booted a 28-yard field goal to put the Cougars up to stay.

In the third quarter, after Brandon (9-2) failed to move the ball on its first series, Johnson, who rushed for 30 yards on five carries, capped a 12-play drive with a 6-yard run to put the Cougars up 24-16. The Cougars then earned back the two points when Johnson sacked Brandon’s Tre Polk in the end zone.

Roberts, who rushed for a game-high 114 yards on 21 carries, opened the fourth quarter with a 1-yard score after the Cougars drove 55 yards on nine plays. After an interception by Marriero Taylor that resulted in a 56-yard touchdown, Roberts ended Countryside’s scoring with his second touchdown, an 8-yard run.

Chris Richmond led the Eagles with 112 yards and one touchdown on 16 carries.

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tampabay.com      hometeam

Photos by: Lisa Lombardi