Gator Country

Charlotte High School running back Mike Bellamy watches Florida's 37-10 victory over Florida State last Saturday at The Swamp./Gator Country photo by Tim Casey

(By JENNIFER BATE) CAPE CORAL – There has been considerable talk this year that Mike Bellamy could be the best high school running back in the state of Florida. His performance against Cape Coral last Friday night certainly didn't hinder that argument any.

In a truly gritty performance, the 5-9, 165-pounder ground out 165 yards on 28 carries and scored three touchdowns, leading the Charlotte Tarpons to a 24-16 victory over previously undefeated Cape Coral in a FHSAA Class 4A second-round regional game.

“We practiced hard, we just came in, we executed perfectly,” Bellamy said. “We came in consistent staying dedicated to everything, We’re going to try to take it all the way.”

During a battle of two of the top college prospects in Southwest Florida, the Charlotte High School junior running back got the best of Jaylen Watkins, Cape Coral’s senior quarterback/defensive back who is set to enroll at the University of Florida in January.

“We knew they weren’t going to let us come in and blow them out,” Bellamy said, referring to a 44-0 victory for Charlotte over Cape Coral in a spring exhibition game. “We knew they were a good, competitive team. They have a lot of athletes, and tonight they just used them all – we had to play big and our defense stepped up.”

To get that victory, Charlotte had to lean heavily on the legs of Bellamy. Coach Robert “Binky” Waldrop’s Tarpons had fed their star back the ball more than 20 times in a game only twice before the victory over Cape Coral. The 28 carries last Friday were needed to clinch a spot against Seffner Armwood in the regional championship this Friday night.

“I usually will get 10 or 11 carries and will be out (of the game) before half time,” Bellamy said. “It felt good to touch the ball that much.”

For the season, Bellamy has now rushed 196 times for 2,011 yards (an average of 10.2 yards per carry) and scored 30 touchdowns.

Not only has he handled the ball well on the football field, but his quick feet have earned him the nickname “Speedy.” His 40-yard dash time has been clocked as fast as 4.35 seconds. Last May in the FHSAA Class 3 state track meet, Bellamy placed first in the 200 meters at 21.52 seconds and was third in the 100 meters in 10.68 seconds.

The top colleges have taken note of those times that Bellamy has run on the track in addition to his incredible numbers on the gridiron. Bellamy has eyes for Florida State, South Florida, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida, but clearly two schools stand out above the rest for Bellamy at this point.

“Florida and Georgia,” he said when asked to name his favorites.

Bellamy attended the Florida-Arkansas game in October and noted that he was particularly excited to go to the Florida-Florida State game because he is drawn to the atmosphere on game days in The Swamp. Certainly, Florida’s assistant coaches hope that Bellamy will be participating on game days at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium instead of just watching from the sideline.

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