ORLANDO – Heading into the FHSAA Class 2A state championship game, Chevelle Buie’s star was already rising as one of the top junior running backs in the state of Florida. If there was any doubt about that, Buie quickly put it to rest as he ran through, around and by the Glades Central defense, which is still trying to figure out a way to stop the talented young offensive star.
Buie finished with a game-high 27 carries for 208 yards and two long touchdown runs (62 and 37 yards), the latter of which helped put away the Glades Central Raiders in a stunning 27-13 victory for Cocoa on Saturday night.
Not many in attendance seemed to think the Tigers had much chance of winning this game other than the players and coaches dressed in orange and black and their fans. Maybe everyone got caught up in the “Muck mystique” – the fact that Glades Central resembles a college team with their size and speed. Or maybe everyone just overlooked the fact that Cocoa was riding a 23-game winning streak into the contest and had won a lot of big games over that stretch.
In any case, as Cocoa adjusted to the high-flying aerial attack by mixing up coverage schemes to keep everything in front of the defense, Cocoa head coach John Wilkinson turned to Buie to grind out the game for the Tigers. By shortening the game, Cocoa took away Glades Central’s best weapon – time to get in a groove and break some big plays.
“Our coaches kept telling us, don’t run side-to-side,” Buie said of the philosophy the coaches stressed to the offensive backfield this week. “They wanted us to get up the field. One plant and go.”
Interest in Buie from a number of colleges has started to pick up in recent months. At this point Buie noted that he “can’t even give a number” as to how many schools have extended offers. However, he did predict that number would go up after Saturday night’s performance against Glades Central.
“It will be a lot more than I have right now,” Buie said following the game.
While Buie says he is “open” at the present time in regards to a potential college choice, he did mention that he favored one school above the rest while he was growing up.
“Florida State – they produced a lot of good players,” he said of his reasoning for backing the Seminoles growing up. Buie did indicate that the fact he was a FSU fan growing up would have no influence whatsoever on the school he will eventually settle on when it comes time to make a pick.
There will be plenty of other schools that will be squarely in the mix for Buie. South Carolina figures to have a big presence in his recruitment. Teammate Robert Patrick, a senior offensive lineman from Cocoa, is committed to play his college football in Columbia, and he has brought Buie along to three home games for the Gamecocks this season. Miami is in the mix, and Buie noted that he is “definitely” interested in the Florida Gators at the present time. Florida has been actively pursuing Buie, dating back to his performance at the highly acclaimed “Friday Night Lights” camp held in Gainesville each July.
“It was a very good experience,” Buie said of his summer trip to Gainesville. “I’ll be going back next year as well. It’s good to be able to get to hang around the players, get used to a college campus, and get myself better as a player.”
In any case, there wasn’t much Buie could do better on this night. He was simply faster than one of the fastest teams in the state of Florida in the Citrus Bowl. The junior back saved his best performance of the season for last, and in the process, made it clear that he is one prospect to keep an eye on for the future.
FHSAA STATE FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS
The results in the Florida High School Athletic Association state football playoff series:
CLASS 6A
Friday, Dec. 11 semifinals
DeLand 20, Apopka 7
Miramar 21, Miami Central 14
Saturday, Dec. 19 championship
DeLand (13-1) vs. Miramar (13-1) at Citrus Bowl, Orlando, 7 p.m.
CLASS 5A
Friday, Dec. 11 semifinals
Plant (Tampa) 20, Lakeland 0
Manatee (Bradenton) 28, St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) 20
Friday, Dec. 18 championship
Manatee (Bradenton) (13-1) vs. Plant (Tampa) (13-1) at Citrus Bowl, Orlando, 7 p.m.
CLASS 4A
Friday, Dec. 11 semifinals
Niceville 34, Edgewater (Orlando) 20
Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens) 41, Armwood (Seffner) 15
Saturday, Dec. 19 championship
Niceville (13-0) vs. Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens) (13-1) at Citrus Bowl, Orlando, 1 p.m.
CLASS 3A
Friday, Dec. 11 semifinals
Pensacola 20, Jefferson (Tampa) 0
Belen Jesuit Prep (Miami) 21, Lake Wales 14
Friday, Dec. 18 championship
Belen Jesuit Prep (Miami) (11-3) vs. Pensacola (13-1) at Citrus Bowl, Orlando, 1 p.m.
CLASS 2A
Saturday, Dec. 12 championship at Citrus Bowl, Orlando
Cocoa 27, Glades Central (Belle Glade) 13
CLASS 2B
Saturday, Dec. 12 championship at Citrus Bowl, Orlando
Bolles School (Jacksonville) 21, Tampa Catholic 7
CLASS 1A
Friday, Dec. 11 championship at Citrus Bowl, Orlando
American Heritage (Delray Beach) 30, Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) 20
CLASS 1B
Friday, Dec. 11 championship at Citrus Bowl, Orlando
Glades Day (Belle Glade) 27, Warner Christian (South Daytona) 20, OT
GAME SUMMARIES
CLASS 2A CHAMPIONSHIP
COCOA 27, GLADES CENTRAL (BELLE GLADE) 13
Saturday, Dec. 12 at Citrus Bowl, Orlando
Scoring 1 2 3 4—Total
Cocoa 3 14 3 7—27
Glades Central (Belle Glade) 6 7 0 0—13
First quarter
GC—Antwon Chisholm 8 run (kick failed) at 9:10. Drive: 8 plays, 60 yards, 3 first downs, 2:50 time elapsed after opening kickoff. Score: Glades Central 6, Cocoa 0.
CO—FG Cody Bell 34 at 4:27. Drive: 8 plays, 46 yards, 2 first downs, 4:38 time elapsed following kickoff. Score: Glades Central 6, Cocoa 3.
Second quarter
GC—Antwon Chisholm 16 pass from Leron Thomas (Antione Dalfice kick) at 9:17. Drive: 4 plays, 86 yards, 2 first downs, 1:52 time elapsed following Cocoa punt. Score: Glades Central 13, Cocoa 3.
CO—Chevelle Buie 62 run (Bell kick) at 8:24. Drive: 2 plays, 65 yards, 1 first down, 0:53 time elapsed following kickoff that went out of bounds, giving Cocoa the ball at its 35. Score: Glades Central 13, Cocoa 10.
CO—Antonio Wallace 28 interception return (Bell kick) at 8:14. Play: On the first play after the kickoff, Wallace intercepted Leron Thomas and returned it for a touchdown. Score: Cocoa 17, Glades Central 13.
Third quarter
CO—FG Bell 24 at 6:55. Drive: 9 plays, 49 yards, 3 first downs, 5:05 time elapsed following second-half kickoff. Score: Cocoa 20, Glades Central 13.
Fourth quarter
CO—Buie 37 run (Bell kick) at 4:49. Drive: 8 plays, 74 yards, 3 first downs, 3:53 time elapsed following punt. Score: Cocoa 27, Glades Central 13.
Game summary
A—7,466.
Kickoff: 7:07 p.m. End of game: 9:39 p.m. Total elapsed time: 2:32.
Officials: A. McPhilomy, referee; Tom Brewer, umpire; James DeArman, head linesman; Henry Thomas, line judge; Barry Marquart, back judge; Tim Adams, field judge; Corey Berry, side judge; Brian Ormiston, scorer.
Weather: Cloudy, temperature 71 degrees, winds SE 13 mph.
Records: Cocoa 14-0, Glades Central (Belle Glade) 13-1.
TEAM STATISTICS Cocoa GC
First downs 15 17
Rushes-yards 46-316 21-27
Passing yards 37 294
Passes (A-C-I) 4-4-0 39-20-2
Total offense 50-353 60-321
Return yardage 28 -3
Punts-average 2-44 2-41
Fumbles-lost 1-1 2-1
Penalties-yards 5-46 8-59
Possession time 27:08 20:52
Third-down conversions 3-8 6-11
Fourth-down conversions 1-1 3-4
Red-zone offense 2-2 2-4
Sacks by 6-35 0-0
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Cocoa, Chevelle Buie 27-208, Adrian Lee 11-51, Matthew Younger 4-28, Frank Berry 1-19, Datarius Allen 1-12, Team 2-(-2). Glades Central, Antwon Chisholm 5-25, Neville Brown 1-5, Leron Thomas 15-(-3).
PASSING: Cocoa, Matthew Younger 4-4-0, 37 yards. Glades Central, Leron Thomas 20-39-2, 294 yards.
RECEIVING: Cocoa, Chevelle Buie 3-27, Datarius Allen 1-10. Glades Central, Gregory Dent 5-105, Kelvin Benjamin 4-67, Carlton Lewis 3-50, Antwon Chisholm 3-46, Jamie Wilson 3-26, Demetrius Evans 1-4, Leron Thomas 1-(-4).
INTERCEPTIONS: Cocoa, Antonio Wallace 1-28, Rick Rivers 1-0. Glades Central, none.
FUMBLES: Cocoa, Adrian Lee 1-1. Glades Central, Leron Thomas 1-1, Carlton Lewis 1-0.
SACKS: Cocoa, Tyrell Denson 3-1, R. Meyers 1-1, Anthony Joiner 1-0. Glades Central, none.
TACKLES (UA-A): Cocoa, Rick Rivers 8-0, Tyrell Denson 6-1, Darion Williams 5-0, Datarius Allen 3-1, Grady Redding 3-0, Benny Taylor 3-0, Ernest Johnson 3-0. Glades Central, William Likley 9-1, Isiah Corbett 7-1, Jamorris Rowley 6-0, Robert Way 4-2, Dominic Gibson 4-0, Gregory Dent 4-0.
CLASS 2B CHAMPIONSHIP
BOLLES (JACKSONVILLE) 21, TAMPA CATHOLIC 7
Saturday, Dec. 12 at Citrus Bowl, Orlando
Scoring 1 2 3 4—Total
Bolles (Jacksonville) 0 7 14 0—21
Tampa Catholic 0 0 0 7—7
Second quarter
BOL—Luke Viering 4 pass from William Carr (Robert Cook kick) at 6:57. Drive: 14 plays, 84 yards, 5 first downs, 5:32 time elapsed following Tampa Catholic punt. Score: Bolles 7, Tampa Catholic 0.
Third quarter
BOL—Jacob Stenson 43 run (Cook kick) at 4:44. Drive: 1 play, 43 yards, 1 first down, 0:08 time elapsed after Tampa Catholic failed to convert on fourth-and-1 play. Score: Bolles 14, Tampa Catholic 0.
BOL—Stenson 4 run (Cook kick) at 2:35. Drive: 4 plays, 40 yards, 2 first downs, 1:22 time elapsed following Tampa Catholic fumble recovered by Desmond Cooper. Score: Bolles 21, Tampa Catholic 0.
Fourth quarter
TC—Brandon Mendoza 6 pass from D.J. Williams (Mike Paleveda kick) at 6:15. Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 2 first downs, 1:51 time elapsed after Bolles missed a field-goal attempt. Score: Bolles 21, Tampa Catholic 7
Game summary
A—2,389.
Kickoff: 1:08 p.m. End of game: 3:44 p.m. Elapsed time: 2:36.
Officials: Charlie Sitton, referee; Brad Dunn, umpire; Clayton Roberts, head linesman; John Scarpino, line judge; Bill Adams, back judge; J. Shelley, field judge; Larry Riley, side judge; Brian Ormiston, scorer.
Weather: Partly cloudy, temperature 75 degrees, winds SE 17 mph.
Records: Bolles (Jacksonville) 13-1, Tampa Catholic (10-3).
TEAM STATISTICS Bolles TamC
First downs 18 14
Rushes-yards 43-272 36-248
Passing yards 69 68
Passes (A-C-I) 15-6-0 19-8-1
Total offense 58-341 55-316
Return yards 1 0
Punts-average 3-40 4-29
Fumbles-lost 0-0 2-1
Penalties-yards 5-40 6-76
Possession time 25:53 22:07
Third-down conversions 3-11 3-10
Fourth-down conversions 2-2 1-2
Red-zone offense 2-5 1-2
Sacked by: 0-0 1-12
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Bolles, Jawan Jamison 13-112, Jacob Stenson 9-88, Jordan Garside 17-68, William Carr 4-4. Tampa Catholic, Hank McCloud 22-193, Christian Green 11-49, Hunter Joyer 3-6.
PASSING: Bolles, William Carr 6-15-0, 69 yards. Tampa Catholic, Christian Green 6-14-0, 49 yards; D.J. Williams 2-5-1, 19 yards.
RECEIVING: Bolles, Jay Herndon 2-26, Jacob Stenson 1-28, Chris O’Lessker 1-6, Jawan Jamison 1-5, Luke Viering 1-4. Tampa Catholic, Hank McCloud 2-15, Conner Louis 1-18, Christian Green 1-13, Hunter Joyer 1-10, Brandon Mendoza 1-6, Austin Aikens 1-4, D.J. Williams 1-2.
INTERCEPTIONS: Bolles, Desmond Cooper 1-1. Tampa Catholic, none.
FUMBLES: Bolles, none. Tampa Catholic, Christian Green 1-0, Conner Louis 1-1.
SACKS: Bolles, none. Tampa Catholic, Chris Lundy 1-0.
TACKLES (UA-A): Bolles, Josh Hood 6-2, Tyler Scott 6-1, Taylor Betros 4-2, Jamil Murray 3-3, Clayton Fraleigh 5-0, Matt Chaney 5-0, Kyle Richardson 4-0. Tampa Catholic, Chris Lundy 7-1, Jeremi Wilkes 7-1, Brandon Mendoza 6-2, Carson Bomar 4-2, Tyree Holder 2-2, Hunter Joyer 3-0.
CLASS 1A CHAMPIONSHIP
AMERICAN HERITAGE (DELRAY BEACH) 30, TRINITY CHRISTIAN (JACKSONVILLE) 20
Friday, Dec. 11 at Citrus Bowl, Orlando
Scoring 1 2 3 4—Total
American Heritage (Delray Beach) 2 14 7 7—30
Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) 0 6 7 7—20
First quarter
AH—Safety, Harewood Higgs tackles Marvel Taylor in the end zone. Score: American Heritage 2, Trinity Christian 0.
Second quarter
TC—Charles Hawkins 20 pass from Andrew Buie (kick blocked) at 11:07. Drive; 6 plays, 51 yards, 3 first downs, 2:08 time elapsed after American Heritage lost two yards on fourth-and-1 at the Trinity Catholic 47. Score: Trinity Christian 6, American Heritage 2.
AH—Darius Millines 5 run (Justin Haig kick) at 6:55. Drive: 2 plays, 4 yards, 0:47 time elapsed following Cameron Posey’s recovery of Ahmad Christian’s fumble on a punt return. Score: American Heritage 9, Trinity Christian 6.
AH—Millines 49 run (Haig kick) at 0:11. Drive: 9 plays, 98 yards, 5 first downs, 2:51 time elapsed following Trinity Christian punt that was downed at the 2. Score: American Heritage 16, Trinity Christian 6.
Third quarter
TC—Andrew Buie 34 run (Banner Clark kick). Drive: 2 plays, 35 yards, 1 first down, 0:48 time elapsed following Rashad Knight interception of Darius Millines. Score: American Heritage 16, Trinity Christian 13.
AH—Millines 22 run (Haig kick) at 3:24. Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 5 first downs, 3:42 time elapsed following kickoff. Score: American Heritage 23, Trinity Christian 13
Fourth quarter
TC—Ahmad Christian 99 run (Clark kick) at 7:34. Drive: 1 play, 99 yards, 1 first down, 0:13 time elapsed following Justin Haig 59-yard punt that was downed at the Trinity Christian 2. Score: American Heritage 23, Trinity Christian 20.
AH—Millines 2 run (Haig kick) at 1:55. Drive: 12 plays, 68 yards, 4 firrst downs, 5:32 time elapsed following kickoff. Score: American Heritage 30, Trinity Christian 20.
Game summary
A—1,612.
Kickoff: 7:07 p.m. End of game: 9:42 p.m. Elapsed time: 2:35.
Officials: John Lucas, referee; John Sholtis, umpire; Sean McCue, head linesman; Tim Weisman, line judge; Tom Lucas, back judge; Jeff Peairs, field judge; Bill Siedlecki, side judge; Brian Ormiston, scorer.
Weather: Cloudy, temperature 55 degrees, wins NNE 15 mph.
Records: American Heritage (Delray Beach) 11-3, Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) 13-1.
TEAM STATISTICS AH TC
First downs 20 10
Rushes-yards 55-279 31-293
Passing yards 39 20
Passes (A-C-I) 8-3-1 4-1-0
Total offense 63-318 35-313
Return yards 0 2
Punts-average 4-42 3-39
Fumbles-lost 1-0 2-1
Penalties-yards 7-51 12-101
Possession time 32:02 15:58
Third-down conversions 2-11 2-7
Fourth-down conversions 1-2 0-1
Red-zone offense 2-2 1-2
Sacked by: 0-0 0-0
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: American Heritage, Darius Millines 27-182, Greg Bryant Jr. 13-82, James Potts 12-29, TEAM 3-(-14). Trinity Christian, Ahmad Christian 4-143, Andrew Buie 20-133, Marvel Taylor 4-9, Rashad Knight 2-8, Je. Wannamaker 1-0.
PASSING: American Heritage, Darius Millines 3-7-1, 39 yards. Trinity Christian, Andrew Buie 1-4-0, 20 yards.
RECEIVING: American Heritage, Herve Coby 3-39. Trinity Christian, Charles Hawkins 1-20.
INTERCEPTIONS: American Heritage, None. Trinity Christian, Rashad Knight 1-11.
FUMBLES: American Heritage, Darius Millines 1-0. Trinity Christian, Ahmad Christian 1-1, Marvel Taylor 1-0.
TACKLES (UA-A): American Heritage, Dennis Cloyd 4-4, Tyler Posey 5-1, Casey Shoemaker 3-1, Darius Millines 3-0, Harewood Higgs 2-1, James Potts 2-0, Herve Coby 2-0. Trinity Christian, Nick Washington 7-2, Jo. Wannamaker 8-0, Matt Hardy 5-2, Marvel Taylor 5-2, William Anthony 6-0, Briyan Eady 5-0.