The Florida Gators, seeded No. 3 in the tournament, advanced to the field of eight for the sixth time in program history and first time since 2005. They defeated the Miami Hurricanes 4-3 in 10 Innings on Saturday night in front of a large crowd of 5,783 at McKethan Stadium in Gainesville.

The Hurricanes committed seven errors in the game, including one in the top of the 10th by right fielder Chris Pelaez, who misplayed a fly ball hit by freshman shortstop Nolan Fontana, out of West Orange High School. Fontana would end up scoring the game-winning run on a RBI double by Austin Maddox.

Lake Brantley High School alum Greg Larson entered the game in the bottom of the 10th with one on base and one out. The sophomore proceeded to catch freshman Michael Broad looking on strikes and then force sophomore Rony Rodriguez to ground out to Fontana at shortstop, who fired a bullet across the diamond to Preston Tucker at first base for the final out. Larson collected his third save and was greeted by teammates as the celebration began.

The Hurricanes made nine errors in their two games of Super Regional play, which as a result denied local kids such as freshman Steve Ewing out of University High School and Ethan Bornstein from Winter Park High School a chance to make it to Omaha. The Gators opened Super Regionals with a 7-2 win on Friday night.

Fontana and Larson join sophomore Ben McMahan and senior Clint Franklin as players from the Central Florida area with spots on the Florida roster. McMahon played his high school ball at Bishop Moore while Franklin played at Timber Creek.

Joining the Gators at the World Series are the Florida State Seminoles, who are making the trip for the 20th time in program history and 14th time under head coach Mike Martin. The Seminoles defeated Vanderbilt 7-6 in the decisive Game 3 of the team’s Super Regional matchup at Dick Howser Stadium in Tallahassee.

FSU, like the Gators, have four players from the Orlando area on its roster including senior outfielder Ohmed Danesh out of Dr. Phillips High School. Junior infielder Stuart Tapley and freshman Corben Madden both played baseball at Boone High School. Junior pitcher John Gast hails from Lake Brantley, where he was a teammate with Florida’s Larson from 2005-07.

For Gast, Tapley, and Danesh, this marks their second trip to Omaha in three years as FSU advanced in 2008, going 0-2 after losing to Stanford and Miami. The Seminoles open play this time around against TCU while Florida takes on No. 6 UCLA. The two state rivals could meet up early on as both are in the same bracket.

– More Local Players In College World Series –

Senior second baseman Mike Freeman out of Edgewater High School and sophomore shortstop Brad Miller from Olympia High School helped Clemson advance to the World Series. The Tigers take on No. 1 Arizona State to start the week’s final round of elimination play. Junior utility player Robert Beary out of Apopka started in 22 games for South Carolina, playing in 41 games on the year. The Gamecocks get underway against Oklahoma.

Dexter Fields (Photo by J.C. Carnahan)

In a 53-49 win over the Knights, Fields drained four 3-pointers and went 1-for-2 at the line in helping UAB notch the victory.

Fields led UAB with a team-high 13 points on 4 of 9 shooting and grabbed three rebounds in 21 minutes of play.

The 6-2, 190-pound guard came in averaging just 2.4 points (37-percent shooting), 0.6 rebounds and 0.2 assists in eight minutes per game so far in his freshman season. The Blazers (22-5 overall, 10-3 Conference USA) have been ranked as high as No. 24 in the nation.

The only other time Fields led the team in scoring this season was back on Nov. 15, 2009 when he hit four 3-pointers and scored 12 points (with two rebounds and an assist) in a 55-52 win against Samford. He had also scored eight points in a game three times this season in wins over Jacksonville State, South Alabama and most recently against Houston.

The low point of the season for Fields though came when he was suspended for three games over the last week in November because of academic reasons.

Before signing on with the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Fields was a four-year letterwinner at Olympia under head coach Mark Griseck. During his senior season he helped lead the Titans to a 28-5 record and a state runner-up finish – where he scored a game-high 31 points – for the No. 1 team in Class 6A.

He capped his senior year by hitting 88 3-pointers and averaging 17.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

– Photos by J.C. Carnahan –

By rushing for 2,006 yards and catching another 503 yards worth of passes, the former Orlando Olympia High School and East Carolina star surpassed the leagues all-purpose yardage record, previously held by Marshall Faulk, in the final game of the season.

But from the standpoint of merely running the football, to the tune of a 2,000-yard season, how does Johnson stack up beside the five other running backs who originally paved the way?

Not too bad, as you’ll find out.

(- note – In parenthesis is the rank of each statistical category, as it appears on Database Football and Pro-Football Reference, among the six rushers.)

O.J. Simpson – 1973 Buffalo Bills

Playing for a team that went 9-5 and finished second in the AFC East, Simpson averaged 6.0 yards per carry (2nd), amassed 2,003 yards (6th) on just 332 carries (1st), and scored 12 touchdowns (5th) on the year. The Bills offense ranked No. 15 out of 26 teams in scoring as Simpson averaged 143.1 yards per game (1st) on the ground running behind AFC Pro Bowl tackle Dave Foley.

Extra Points – Simpson fumbled seven times (4th) on the season and caught just six passes for 70 yards. The Bills failed to qualify for the playoffs behind the leadership of quarterback Joe Ferguson, who threw only four touchdowns through 14 games.

Eric Dickerson – 1984 Los Angeles Rams

Playing for a team that went 10-6 and finished second in the NFC West, Dickerson averaged 5.6 yards per carry (T-3rd), amassed 2,105 yards (1st) on 379 carries (4th), and scored 14 touchdowns (T-2nd) on the year. The Rams offense ranked No. 12 out of 28 teams in scoring as Dickerson averaged 131.6 yards per game (2nd) while running behind two pro bowlers in center Doug Smith and guard Kent Hill. Wide receiver Henry Ellard also made the pro bowl that year.

Extra Points – In the playoffs, Dickerson ran for another 107 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries but the Rams lost, 10-7, to the New York Giants in the first round. He scored all but two of the teams rushing touchdowns that year and caught 21 passes for 139 yards, with Jeff Kemp at quarterback, but fumbled the football 14 times (6th).

Barry Sanders – 1997 Detroit Lions

Playing for a team that went 9-7 and finished third in the NFC Central, Sanders averaged 6.1 yards per carry (1st), amassed 2,053 yards (3rd) on 335 carries (2nd), and scored 11 touchdowns (6th) on the year. The Lions offense ranked No. 4 out of 30 teams in scoring as Sanders averaged 128.3 yards per game (4th) while running behind pro bowl center Kevin Glover. Wide receiver Herman Moore also made the pro bowl that year.

Extra Points – In the playoffs, Sanders was held to 65 yards on 18 carries as the Lions lost, 9-8, to the Tampa bay Bucanners. While fumbling only three times (T-2nd) all season, Sanders caught 33 passes, primarily from Scott Mitchell, for 305 yards and three scores.

Terrell Davis – 1998 Denver Broncos

Playing for a team that went 14-2 and went on to win their second-straight Super Bowl, Davis averaged 5.1 yards per carry (6th), amassed 2,008 yards (4th) on 392 carries (6th), and scored 22 touchdowns (1st) on the year. The Broncos offense ranked No. 2 out of 30 teams in scoring as Davis averaged 125.5 yards per game (5th) on the ground playing alongside a list of offensive pro bowlers which included center Tom Nalen, guard Mark Schlereth, tackle Tony Jones, tight end Shannon Sharpe, wide receiver Ed McCaffrey and quarterback John Elway.

Extra Points – In the playoffs, Davis ran for 199 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries against the Miami Dolphins; 167 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries against the New York Jets; and 102 yards on 25 carries in the Super Bowl against the Atlanta Falcons. Davis fumbled just twice (1st) and caught 25 passes for 217 yards and two more scores that season.

Jamal Lewis – 2003 Baltimore Ravens

Playing for a team that went 10-6 and finished first in the AFC North, Lewis averaged 5.3 yards per carry (5th), amassed 2,066 yards (2nd) on 387 carries (5th), and scored 14 touchdowns (T-2nd) on the year. The Ravens offense ranked No. 8 out of 32 teams in scoring as Lewis averaged 129.1 yards per game (3rd) on the ground while running behind pro bowl tackle Jonathan Ogden and pro bowl tight end Todd Heap.

Extra Points – In the playoffs, Lewis was held to just 35 yards on 14 carries in a 10-7 loss to the Tennessee Titans. He closed out the regular season with 26 catches for 205 yards from quarterbacks Kyle Boller and Anthony Wright, and coughed up eight fumbles (5th) on the year.

Chris Johnson – 2009 Tennessee Titans

Playing for a team that went 8-8 and finished third in the AFC South, Johnson averaged 5.6 yards per carry (T-3rd), amassed 2,006 yards (5th) on 358 carries (3rd), and scored 14 touchdowns (T-2nd) on the year. The Titans offense ranked No. 16 out of 32 teams in scoring as Johnson averaged 125.4 yards per game (6th) on the ground as the only pro bowl player on the Titans roster.

Extra Points – The one individual stat that puts Johnson in a league of his own amongst this group is the 50 catches, which led the team, for 503 yards and two touchdowns that he hauled in from quarterbacks Kerry Collins and Vince Young. Johnson lost only three fumbles (T-2nd) through 16 games.

Boone's Lucas Rawlings (Photo by Justin Kane)

Just 16 seconds remained when Rawlings withstood a ferocious rush from the West Seniors at the line of scrimmage and connected on the 32-yard game-winning field goal.

“It was very tense,” said Rawlings of lining up for the attempt. “I was just focused on getting my leg through it and getting the ball through the upright. That’s all I had on my mind.”

The tense part came when Rawlings was given a little extra time to think things over as he was held up by a timeout from the West sideline. Once the ball was snapped a fierce collision took place up front before the kick hit its mark with plenty room to spare, prompting the celebration to get underway.

“It was indescribable,” Rawlings said with a grin while reliving the moment. “I knew right there that it was the game winner.”

The field goal capped off a 13-play drive that began midway through the fourth quarter and drained the remaining five-plus minutes to virtually nothing. Oak Ridge quarterback Baylin Trujillo converted on fourth-and-two during the drive on a keeper up the middle while several others played key roles.

The East got big gains on the ground from Colonial’s Jermaine Broomfield and University’s Curtis Riley, along with a 23-yard pickup on a throw from Pine Castle’s Michael Slack to Orlando Lutheran tight end Faysal Shafaat down the stretch.

Boone's Lucas Rawlings (Photo by Justin Kane)

Slack finished 6-of-9 passing for 126 yards as he delivering precise passes that landed right on target while Broomfield tallied 52 yards on eight carries. Shafaat caught four balls for 66 yards, one of which he kept a hold of even after taking a jarring hit over the middle from an opposing player.

“He told me ‘Great throw. If you would of threw it any higher I would have gotten laid out even worse’,” said Slack of the good-natured encounter they shared in the huddle following the play.

It was Slack’s touchdown toss of 39 yards to Boone’s speedy Denard Lucas, while in stride with 3:27 remaining in the third quarter, that tied the game at 14-14 and breathed new life into an East squad that had little trouble moving the ball. If only they could have turned those yards into points by reaching the end zone earlier.

Lucas was eager to get the call though after already having told a teammate he was bound to score a touchdown. He did so two plays after hauling in a 42-yarder from Trujillo.

“The (defensive backs) were playing man (coverage) and they were trying to bump me, but it wasn’t happening,” said Lucas, who finished with three receptions for 94 yards in the win.

Boone's Lucas Rawlings (Photo by Justin Kane)

Those two scores in the second half by the East were set up by a stingy defensive effort, most notably from defensive lineman Jordan Little from Cypress Creek who was in on two sacks on third downs which resulted in punts the other way.

They came on drives where the West routinely found themselves working for room to run from deep in their own territory as they tried to hang on to a 14-7 lead after returning to the field from the halftime break.

Among the East defenders making it tough on the West were Joseph Jones and Andres Jurado of Cypress Creek, Ryan Moore and Sean Brown from Colonial, Conrad Walko and Josh Kerlin of Pine Castle, along with Timber Creek’s Jacob Wainwright and Winter Park’s Corey Gonslaves.

Those efforts proved to be beneficial after having watched Ocoee’s Chris DeVaughn jump on a Trujillo pass in the flats for an interception which he raced 72 yards along the sideline to paydirt less than three minutes into the night.

But the equalizer was set up when a fumble that Boone’s Tabarie Sullivan landed on in a pile of players was recovered following a muffed punt near midfield. Eleven plays later, which included a fourth-down conversation, the game was tied at 7-7 just a minute into the second period as Riley faked to a running back, swung around wide to the right, and sprinted his way into the end zone past defenders.

“When I took off towards the sideline I seen some people in front of me and I knew I had to put a move on them,” said Riley. He would finish with 53 yards on 10 carries and 29 yards passing nf 2-of-4 attempts.

The West Seniors promptly replied with their best drive of the game two series later. They took the lead with a minute left in the first half when Robbie Matay hooked up with Dr. Phillips teammate Greg Slones in the corner of the end zone from four yards out. Only the momentum wouldn’t carry over into the final two quarters.

In the loss, Dr. Phillips running back Matt Williams had five strong runs for 39 yards and Apopka’s Joe Dennis made big tackles on defense for the West. Other defensive standouts included Matt Hunt and Matt Lambert of Bishop Moore, Delroy Steele (Jones), Jarret Leppert (Apopka), Michael Lewis (Ocoee), Cornelious Sigler (West Orange) and Donnie Bartolomucci (Olympia).

– To nominate athletic performances for inclusion each Wednesday to the Top-5 list of Orlando Sports Central Standouts, send over an email to JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com –

1.) Football Team – UCF Knights – They were 0-22 in Top-25 games coming into the weekend but the UCF football team finally did something no other team before them could do as they handed No. 12 Houston a 37-32 setback at Bright House Networks Stadium. Quarterback Brett Hodges went 21-for-25 for 241 yards, one touchdown and one interception while running back Brynn Harvey rushed for 149 yards and three touchdowns on 35 carries.

2.) Spencer Shumway – Lyman Greyhounds – In the final game of the state bowling tournament last week at Boardwalk Bowl, Shumway bowled a 268 to take home the individual title for the Greyhounds. The junior helped his team wrap up conference and district titles before finishing the season atop the medal stand in East Orlando.

Chris Johnson

3.) Isaac Sosa – UCF Knights – After scoring a career-high 26 points in a season-opening 84-67 win over UMass last week the sophomore guard was named Conference USA Men’s Basketball Player of the Week. Sosa shot 9-of -11 from the field, made 6-of-7 shots from beyond the three-point line, pulled in four rebounds and dished out two assists in 33 minutes of work.

Jennifer George

4.) Chris Johnson – Tennessee Titans – The former Olympia High School star continues to put up big numbers for the resurging Titans. This past weekend against Buffalo he rushed 26 times for 132 yards and two touchdowns and caught nine passes for another 100 yards in the win. Johnson already has rushing efforts of 228, 197, 135 and 128 yards this season.

5.) Jennifer George – Florida Gators – The former Timber Creek and Bishop Moore basketball standout went 7-of-9 from the field and 7-of-11 from the free throw line for 21 points while grabbing five offensive rebounds and two steals in 16 minutes of play during her collegiate debut, an 85-62 win over Stetson on Saturday.

More ––

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 11/11/09

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 11/4/09

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 10/28/09

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 10/21/09

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 10/14/09

–– Class 2A ––

An experienced boys team at Lake Mary recorded a 583 score over two days (300, 283) thanks to a solid showing in the second day of competition at Silver Springs Shores (Par 72) in Ocala to beat out Stuart Martin County (581), Weston Cypress Bay (596), Fort Walton Beach (604) and Olympia (605).

- 2A Boys – Team Scores

Leading Lake Mary, and all other golfers in the state, was senior Han Kim with a phenomenal 9-under par score of 135 (70, 65). Olympia’s Joey Petronio tied for second in the state with a 3-under score of 141 (73, 68) at the tournament.

- 2A Boys – Individual Scores

With three freshman and two seniors on its girls golf team Lake Mary wrapped up the state title by eight strokes over Melbourne Viera, 625-633, at the 72-par Ocala Golf Club. Plant City Durant (652) came in third followed by Gulf Breeze (655), Timber Creek (667) and Olympia (670).

- 2A Girls – Team Scores

Lake Mary was led by senior Jessica Schall, who shot a 70 and 76 to tie for seventh in the individual standings. Winter Park senior Brandi Rodriguez tied for second in the state with a 2-under par score of 142 (72, 70).

- 2A Girls – Individual Scores

–– Class 1A ––

The Trinity Prep boys golf team finished in a fourth-place tie with Ocala Trinity Catholic in the team standings at the 72-par Juliette Falls in Dunnellon with a score of 606 after shooting 303 during both days of competition. North Palm Beach Benjamin took the championship with a 580 score followed by Fort Lauderdale Archbishop McCarthy (589) and West Palm Beach Cardinal Newman (590).

- 1A Boys – Team Scores

Trinity Prep was led by sophomore Collin Engelhardt, who finished tied for 12^th overall with Circle Christian freshman Ryan Stovash. They both shot a 3-over total of 147.

- 1A Boys – Individual Scores

The young girls squad at Lake Highland Prep took fourth place with a 629 score behind Plantation American Heritage (590), St. Petersburg Northside Christian (603) and Naples Community School (626) at the 72-par Golden Hills Gold & Turf Club in Ocala.

- 1A Girls – Team Scores

Sophomore Mary Fran Hillow led a Lake Highland team that featured two sophomores, two freshmen and a sixth-grader as she shot a 78 and 70 to tie for ninth overall. Lake Nona freshman Ashley Holder tied for third in the state with a 1-under par score of 143 (73, 70) while Orlando Circle Christian sixth-grader Abbey Carlson shot 1-over par to tie for sixth with a 145 score.

- 1A Girls – Individual Scores

–– More FHSAA State Championship golf coverage ––

Video recap of boys golf at Varsity Sports

Video recap of girls golf at Varsity Sports

Those recent championship efforts came on the heels of Metro Conference titles won by each team several weeks ago. Not bad for two schools that opened up together back in 2002.

Following next week’s regional tournament action (on Monday and Tuesday) both the Class 1A and 2A State Championship will take place in Marion County, Nov. 7-8. Last year Lake Brantley came in fourth and Olympia fifth on the boy’s side while Lake Howell and Lake Mary finished one-two in the girls state finals.

–– Timber Creek Girls ––

Four girls at TCHS made the All-Metro East team after finishing as undefeated conference champs at 14-0. Joining Lake Nona’s Ashley Holder and Rebecca Hyltin on the squad is Timber Creek senior Sara Bolivar (season-best nine-hole round of 36), freshman Paige Lyle (36), senior Lauren Lyle (37) and junior Emily Montero (37). The Wolves won with a 163-190 score over Lake Nona while Winter Park posted a 196.

At Tuesday’s 18-hole Class 2A, District 7 Tournament, hosted by Lyman at The Country Club at Deer Run, Timber Creek swept the top spots in the individual standings to come away the district win. Montero tied Winter Park’s Brandi Rodriguez for the title with a round of 77 while Lauren Lyle (79), Bolivar (83) and Paige Lyle (86) followed suite.

Moving on with TCHS to regional action next week at Hunter’s Creek Golf Club are Winter Park and Lake Brantley.

–– Olympia Girls ––

At the Metro Conference West Tournament, the girls at Olympia overcame the first and second-place individual efforts of Mia Campbell (30) and Sydney Woolfolk (32) from Edgewater to take home the title thanks to solid nine-hole outings from Jessica Uem (32), Alyx Carrasquel (33), Mia Semaan (34), Mariah Ming (44) and Christin Rouse (45). Olympia won by a 143-180 margin while the Eagles settled for runners-up.

The Titans then defeated both Edgewater and Dr. Phillips in the District 8 Tournament at MetroWest Golf Club as Uem shot a district-best 79 to help lead the team to an overall score of 354.

–– Timber Creek Boys ––

The boys golf team at TCHS won the Metro East Tournament with a score of 292 following a four-under par first-place showing from senior Keanu Kia (68) and a runner-up effort turned in by junior teammate Felipe Quiroga (71).

The Wolves carried that momentum over into the Class 2A, District 7 Tournament as they won the title, at Timacuan Golf and Country Club, for the first time as Quiroga took top honors among the field this time around with a two-under par round of 70. Kia shot a 75 for fifth overall and senior Jeff Dougherty shot a 76 for the Wolves (302), who narrowly got the better of Winter Park (316) and Ocoee (324) to advance to regionals at Windermere Country Club on Tuesday.

–– Olympia Boys ––

Considered among the best golf programs in the area, if not the state, the boy’s team at Olympia wrapped up the Metro Conference West title last month after overcoming the individual efforts of champion Austin Collins of West Orange.

The Titans lost just once this season and will play host to regionals after winning the District 8 Tournament with a score of 320 this week at Orange Tree Country Club. West Orange finished second at 325 and Edgewater followed in third with a district championship effort turned in sophomore Harrison Winger (76) and an overall outing of 330. Olympia junior Davis Hall took third with a 78, while juniors Joey Petronio (80) and Mikey Hauer (80) were joined in the Top-10 by senior Steven Yang (82) at the event.

Heading into a bye week with the biggest game of their district schedule taking place at home in two weeks, against Dr. Phillips (considered by many the cream of the crop in Central Florida), the past week of competing and practicing may have come at no better time.

“We learned that we weren’t as good a team as we thought we were,” said senior defensive back Tabarie Sullivan. “So starting Monday we came out with a lot of intensity and we kept it up everyday knowing that we had to come back out and play another game.”

They did that with relative ease against the Panthers. They did it by getting the big plays on defense and special teams that the Wildcats turned into points against them a week ago. It proved to be a nice change of pace from a three-week season opening schedule that truly tested this team’s mettle.

Before that forgettable night at Winter Park it was an opening week loss at Olympia, followed by a triple-overtime win at home against Timber Creek, that now has this team licking its wounds at 2-2 overall while heading into a game that should eventually decide the District 6 title.

“It helps if you go out there and play good teams before your district schedule,” said senior quarterback Sam Hutsell. “That’s going to help us in the long run now that these games start to count.”

– More Gateway at Boone coverage:

Video highlights at WFTV 9

Short game recap at Orlando Sentinel

District standings at Varsity Sports

Derrick Wood (#72), Ryan Orlando (#35) and Mike McEwan (#61) lead Boone onto the field. (Photo by Justin Kane)