91-100

Monday, July 6, 2015

Our fourth annual countdown of the top 100 football players in Tampa Bay — consisting of athletes who attend a public or private school in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco or Hernando counties. Past performances — spanning the fall, spring and summer — and promise of big things to come are all taken into consideration. First up: players 91 through 100.

Five things to know about Blue:

1. Last season, Blue played defensive back for the Hawks, making 49 tackles and coming down with one interception. This year, coach Sean Callahan has moved him to outside linebacker, while shifting former outside linebacker Kyheem Campbell to inside. “It’s a lot different because now I’m blitzing and I have to use different techniques,” Blue said about the transition. “For right now, I’m going to say linebacker (is my favorite) because I’m always blitzing and my speed helps me.”

2. Blue is excited about his chance to be physical in his new role, a position he played a bit during his little league years. Though he’s spent most of his time as a defensive back at Armwood, Blue said he is ready to move in on former Hawk LB Eric Striker’s coveted sack record (49).

3. The rising senior may be undersized, but he already has offers from Mercer and North Dakota State, a four-time Division I-AA champion. Blue said he hopes to visit the Bison to see if they’re a good fit for him.

4. In addition to being one of the Hawks’ best defenders, Blue excels in the classroom, posting a 3.0 GPA, one of the highest on the squad. Callahan said Blue’s well-roundedness has made him a good leader on and off the field. “He’s the best guy in the locker room. Everybody likes Blue,” Callahan said of his team captain. “Everybody in the school likes Blue.”

5. One of Blue’s biggest influences is his grandfather, the man who initially got him into football when he was a 4-year-old playing for the Progress Village Panthers. “After that, I’ve just been rolling,” Blue said.

Why we ranked him:

Oliver-Kendrick was among the best interior linemen in the bay area last season, registering 93 tackles, eight sacks and two fumble recoveries. “Oliver-Kendrick was one of the most disruptive linemen we faced. On film, his speed and hands stood out the most,” Countryside offensive lineman Wyatt Panaccione said. His production was steady, with Oliver-Kendrick recording at least four tackles in every game and a sack in six of 11. And the bigger the game, the better he played. In a Class 5A region quarterfinal loss to River Ridge, Oliver-Kendrick had a season-high 15 tackles. His sack total should increase with a move to defensive end.

Why we ranked him:

Dawson may be small, but his impact on Hillsborough’s team last year was anything but. With 944 yards, the rising senior led the Terriers in receiving, scored six touchdowns through the air and averaged more than 14 yards per reception. Dawson also helped a bit in the run game, recording 200 yards and one touchdown. His biggest statement came in the Terriers’ 33-24 district win against Jefferson. Dawson had 143 yards receiving on a school-record 14 receptions.

Demint has been an integral part of Pinellas Park’s defense ever since he was called up to the varsity as a freshman for the season’s final few games. He started all 12 games his sophomore year and all 11 last season. If everything goes right this fall, he’ll play at least 10 games and finish his career with nearly 35 played at Pinellas Park.

“He’s one of the best backers in this county, no doubt,” Pinellas Park coach Kenny Crawford said.

As a linebacker, Demint is in charge of organizing the defense. In the past, older players have taken charge, but he said this year it’s his turn as captain.

“This year it’s time for me to step up and take that leadership role,” Demint said. “We’ve always taken pride in our defense and I don’t want that to drop off this season.”

Demint has interest from schools like Charleston Southern, Mercer and Richmond, but hopes to get offers from smaller Division I schools by season’s end.

“In my opinion, a smaller D-I school is probably what’s best for me,” he said.

But for now, he is focused on one goal.

“I want to win every game, obviously,” he said. “But mostly I want to beat (Class 7A, District 10 foe) East Lake. We’ve never beaten them since I’ve been here. Not even close.”

Which NFL player do you model your game after?

“(New England Patriots wide receiver) Julian Edelman. He could either go down the field in slot and catch a pass, or he could go in the backfield and take a handoff or return a punt or a kick.”

What are your future plans?

“To either play football or baseball in college or hopefully even be able to play both at a college, depending on how my next two seasons go for each sport.” (Stetson had 1,142 all-purpose yards last season with the football team, and plays outfield for the baseball team.)

What part of your game are you working on improving the most?

“I'm definitely trying to work on my overall speed, just after breaking a tackle or something, just exploding down the field and not letting anyone catch me or catch me from behind.”

If you could play a different position, what would it be?

“Definitely quarterback. Because I could either throw a 50-yard touchdown bomb or run a 50-yard touchdown if the receivers weren't open. That's definitely a position I'd love to play.”

What are you looking forward to most about the upcoming season?

“Playing with a bunch of the new kids because we had a bunch of seniors, and a lot of us haven't really played together. ...We're probably going to have half the starters be new, so definitely playing with a bunch of hot new kids and playing as a team with them.”

Why we ranked him:

Adams made the most of his first season with the varsity, quickly emerging as quarterback Ryan Davis’ top target. He caught 55 passes for 749 yards and seven touchdowns, which led all Lakewood receivers. He averaged 57 yards receiving per game and 13 yards per catch. Adams also spent some time as a punt and kickoff returner. Expect that role to expand as well this fall.

Why we ranked him:

Ravens coach Brian Emanuel thinks the defense will be the best he’s ever had at Alonso, and Willingham is a big reason why. The three-year starter may be small, but he does the most with what he has, picking up 24 tackles and two interceptions, and 70 interception return yards a year ago. “He’s just a great, great, corner, lock-down type kid,” Emanuel said.

Why we ranked him:

As a sophomore, Crum was a go-to back on a team that struggled in a 4-5 season. He gained just over 800 yards rushing, saw some time at receiver and scored seven touchdowns. We’ve touted him as a possible 1,000-yard back in the past, and look for his numbers to increase this season, especially since he will be pushed by a slew of skill players that transferred to AFA in the offseason.

How do you rate your performance last season?

“I did pretty well, but I want to double what I did in everything — my work ethic, my speed, my strength, the way I attack the ball.”

What have you been doing to get to that level?

“I’ve been in the weight room every day with my linemen. I don’t even work out the skill guys anymore. Just straight linemen workouts.”

Is it because you’re as strong as the linemen?

“It’s not that I can lift that much. I’m just pushing myself to get that much stronger so when I play a smaller team it’ll be that much easier. I’ve been doing a lot of speed work, too, at the school with dumbbells, lunges, box jumps. I can already feel the difference.”

What offers do you have right now?

“I have one from Savannah State, but hopefully I’ll get more during the season.”

You went to Pasco before transferring to rival Zephyrhills. Are you still friends with Pasco players?

“(Pasco CB) Jayvaughn Myers is my brother. Well, we basically grew up together so we call each other that. Same thing with (five-star recruit) Nate Craig-Myers (now at Tampa Catholic).”

Five things to know about Faddoul:

1. Faddoul played sparingly as a quarterback as a sophomore, but led the Bulls to an upset of Tampa Bay Tech in his first start. He finished the season completing 12 of 18 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown.

2. Faddoul doesn’t just have an arm. He’s got some wheels, too. In the spring game against Pasco, he rushed for 173 yards and four touchdowns, including runs of 49 and 44 yards.

3. When Faddoul isn’t playing quarterback, he’ll line up as a receiver. He had three receptions for 29 yards last year and a 6-yard reception in the spring against Pasco. He’s also a standout soccer player, notching 23 goals and 28 assists last season.

4. Besides racking up yards, Faddoul also racks up points. He will handle the kicking chores again and was 17-of-19 on PATs and 4-of-5 on field goals last year, including two in the win against TBT.

5. Did we mention that Faddoul also punts (37.7 yard average last year) and will kick off (18 of his 32 kicks went for touchbacks in 2014)? And he can play defensive back and had a game-saving interception to seal the title at the Strike 7-on-7 Tournament this summer.

All photos: Times files