St. Petersburg     14

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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

West Orange          1

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Countryside goalkeeper Danny George could think of just one thing Friday when the head referee held up one finger in the Class 6A region semifinal against Winter Garden West Orange.

“This is going to be the longest minute I’ve ever had to experience,” George said.

With the Cougars clinging to a 2-1 lead, George was correct as the Warriors sent every player forward, including keeper Juan Fajardo. George was peppered with one shot after another — five in the final minute — until at last the final whistle sounded, setting off a wild celebration by fans and players at midfield.

“I just didn’t want anything like the Plant game to happen again,” George said in reference to last season’s heartbreaker in which Countryside allowed Plant to score in the final minute of regulation then in overtime in a 2-1 defeat in the region semifinals. “We’ve worked so hard to get back to this point and beyond, I don’t think I could have taken it if the same thing happened again.”

The Cougars (23-1-1), No. 9 in the ESPN Rise poll, got off to a slow start then broke through early in the second half when Taylor Cook found Nikolai Hammer open at the top of the goalmouth and Hammer easily put it past Fajardo.

Countryside’s next goal with eight minutes to play typified the way the Cougars have played all season as Dalton Martinez received a pass from his brother, Jagger, and took the ball into the corner, where he chipped a cross over to the middle part of the penalty box. Derya Ekren, with his back to the goal, did a mini-bicycle kick sending the ball into the left corner of the goal.

The Warriors (13-2-1) made the game interesting 25 seconds later when Evan Cartwright put in a header off a cross on a corner kick by Camillo Villa.

“It’s been tough because we’ve had the talent but for whatever reason, we haven’t been able to capitalize on it,” Countryside coach Dave Sica said. “We’ve faced adversity throughout the year and from season to season, but when this group decides to work, they’re capable of achieving big things.”

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Bloomingdale       0

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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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Riverdale Day      45

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*Score per quarter not known, if you know what it is please leave a comment below.

Dixie                     57

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Plant                 21

Great Season Countryside!

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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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East Lake            0

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When asked if it seemed Countryside had the “it” factor to compete for the state title after a 3-0 victory over East Lake on Tuesday, Cougars coach Dave Sica bristled at the notion.

“I don’t even want to think about our next game, let alone the playoffs,” he said. “Time will only tell.”

The Cougars, who have wins over Palm Harbor University and Seminole along with a 2-2 tie against Sickles, exhibited a championship style of play on both sides of the ball against a talented East Lake squad. The offense made just as many crafty plays as the defense did.

Nikolai Hammer had two goals to raise his season total to 18 and sophomore fullback David Kuckkahn tallied his first goal as Countryside improved to 9-1-1 and avenged last week’s penalty-kick loss to the Eagles in a Thanksgiving tournament.

“That was an eye-opener for us,” said Hammer, who scored five of the Cougars’ 10 goals in the tournament. “We were a little bit tense (Tuesday night) early on, but once (Kuckkahn) scored, it allowed us to relax and put things together a bit easier.”

The first half was evenly played until Kuckkahn flicked in a shot off a corner kick by Andrew Hitt just less than 15 minutes before halftime.

The Cougars were more aggressive in the second half and peppered Eagles keeper Stephen Barna with several shots on goal. Then Hammer got by a defender in the open field and rifled in a low line drive from just inside the penalty box to give the Cougars a comfortable cushion midway through the second half.

“We, as a coaching staff, have to keep reminding them that they have to prove they’re the best team on the field with hard work combined with their talent,” Sica said. “That’s our motto this year. Prove it. There’s too much work to be done before we can tell if we have what it takes to win states. We just have to keep progressing from one game to the next.”

The East Lake girls got goals from Madison Del Duca, Kristy Legoas and Meghan Dodge in a 3-0 victory over Countryside. The Cougars dominated in the first half with several shots on goal, but Eagles coach Derek Harrington moved Meghan Kelly and Karina White from outside halfback to the inner portion of his alignment to create more opportunities.

“They are our toughest players, and they were able to win the ball at midfield and create plays for our attackers,” he said.

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Dunedin          80

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*Scores per quarter not known, if you know what they are please leave a comment below.

Countryside       46

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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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Photos by: Lisa Lombardi