SOUTH FORK BULLDOGS

THREE PLAYERS

TO WATCH

MIKE MESSIERSenior safety2010 stats: 3 tackles as a reserve;508 total offensive yards, with six TDs, as quarterback, receiver, running back.Coach Dennis Lavelle: “He makes us a lot better defensively. Every time he touches the ball he makes a play. Then add in his leadership, maturity, intelligence. He’s a great kid. Kids like that are the reason why you get out of bed in the morning.”

CODY LABANOWITZJunior quarterback2010 stats: 44 of 83 for 435 yards, one TD, one interception; 65 rushes for 287 yards and six touchdowns.Coach Dennis Lavelle: “He’s just an athlete. He can throw, he can run.”

RICCO PIERRESenior running back2010 stats: Missed last year with knee injuryCoach Dennis Lavelle: “He’s extremely intelligent. He would have been the only kid in the school to take AP calculus until we dropped it. He’s fast. I’m sure he’s frustrated after missing last year.”

FRIDAYNIGHT

MOMENT 1993 NOW IT’S A RIVALRYWhat happened: South Fork defeated Martin County 21-14 in Martin Bowl 10.Why it mattered: The Bulldogs got their first win in the series after nine consecutive losses by a combined score of 330-76, including a 50-0 loss in 1992.

Key players: Chris Singletary had two touchdown runs, quarterback Terrance Powell added a 3-yard score and Lucas Worthy ran for a game-high 124 yards as the Bulldogs built a 21-0 halftime lead. Freshman Corey McIntyre, now a fullback with the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, had 84 yards.

The defense had three takeaways and limited Martin County to 120 total yards, including 79 rushing on 30 attempts.He said it: “This is the greatest feeling,” Worthy said. “None of us will ever forget this.”

STRENGTHSThe offensive line is big, young but tempered with some experience and strength. Center Cody McGahee and left tackle Bradey Karrick are returning starters. Guards Davis LaCombe and Jason Stottlemyer and tackle Dillan Jeffries step in as starters to give the Bulldogs a front line that averages 240 pounds. Karrick is a mountain on the left side, going 6-foot-6, 250. Also in the mix is tight end Dillon McGahee. Dillon is one of just four sophomores on the varsity roster. The Bulldogs also have an experienced offensive backfield and return five defensive starters, all of them either linebackers or defensive backs.

WEAKNESSESLavelle is most concerned about special teams after projected kicker Bradley Farias suffered a broken leg two days before fall practice began. Farias, who also plays soccer, was the junior varsity kicker last year. In his absence, Devin Wilson steps in at placekicker. The defensive front is a question mark with all new starters. Expect Lavelle to rotate fresh legs in the interior. He said there’s a group of at least six kids, all about equal in ability, who will play up front.

KEY GAMESEPT. 23 AT FOREST HILLTo be sure, everyone has their eyes on the season opener when Martin County travels to South Fork for the 28th annual Martin Bowl. It’s the first time the rivals have played in the season opener, but it’s no longer a district game. The game at Forest Hill is the first District 14-6A game of the year for the Bulldogs. Only one of the six teams in the newly re-aligned district had a winning record last year, and that was Olympic Heights — a late-year matchup for South Fork. A win in the district opener, especially a big one, could send a message across the district.

PREDICTION6-4, 4-1 DISTRICT 14-6AOnly four teams on South Fork’s schedule had winning records last year. By midseason, South Fork should be comfortably above .500 and ready to make a run for the playoffs. The Bulldogs, Olympic Heights and Sebastian River should be the top contenders in the district. South Fork plays Sebastian River in its district finale, and that could determine who reaches the playoffs.

SCHEDULESeptember 2 Martin County 7 9 at Port St. Lucie 716 Bye23 at Forest Hill 730 at Jensen Beach 7October 6 Palm Beach Lakes 714 at SLW Centennial-x 721 at Okeechobee 728 Olympic Heights 7November 4 Sebastian River 711 Glades Day 7x-Played at South County Regional Stadium

DEPTH CHARTOFFENSE

Pos Name No Cl Ht WtTE DillonMcGahee 85 So. 6-1 195RT DillanJeffries 74 Jr. 6-0 245LG JasonStottlemyer 72 Jr. 6-0 235C CodyMcGahee 76 Jr. 6-2 245RG DavisLaCombe 77 Jr. 6-0 225LT BradeyKarrick 78 Sr. 6-6 250WR RamiRouhi 15 Sr. 6-1 170FB DaltonPollock 22 Sr. 5-11 195HB RiccoPierre 8 Sr. 5-10 175HB LorenzVelasco 11 Jr. 5-9 165QB CodyLabanowitz 5 Jr. 6-1 187P MikeHarris 24 Jr. 5-9 170

DEFENSEPos Name No Cl Ht WtNT TimDrayton 66 Sr. 5-11 260DT CJWilliams 57 Jr. 6-2 200DT JuanHernandez 99 Sr. 5-11 260MLB KodyStripling 44 So. 5-9 170ILB CarterTanner 21 Sr. 5-9 190ILB BrandonPajkuric 56 Sr. 5-11 220OLB ZachHinds 32 Sr. 5-9 150OLB WyattMills 1 Jr. 5-10 185CB LegendDodd 2 Sr. 5-10 145CB MarcusMcClain 3 Jr. 5-7 147S MikeMessier 10 Sr. 5-11 195K CodyLabanowitz 5 Jr. 6-1 187

RESERVESBoBondeson(6,Jr.,WR),ColtonHaggerty(7,So.QB/WR),ZachAllgood(9,Sr.,LB),BarringtonBishop(14,Jr.,DB),NatroneMartin(20,Sr.,LB),VinnieNorelli(23,Jr.,DB),KyleBlair(27,Jr.,DB),DJSeymour(29,Jr.,DB),DillonSnyder(30,Jr.,DB),TommyRiggs(34,Sr.,DB),SeanLautenklos(38,So.,DL),JoshZill(40,Jr.,DL),TylerJust(45,Jr.,LB),TyBriggs(50,Jr.,DL),AlexGannon(51,Sr.,LB),JoshHoward(55,Sr.,LB),SpencerJones(62,Sr.,OL),PaulHarper(65,Jr.,DL),WillTucker(67,Sr.,DL),CooperEvans(68,Jr.,OL),DustinMailman(79,Jr.,OL),MohammadHalum(80,Jr.,DL),BoDobler(81,Jr.,DL),MarcusAnderson(82,Jr.,DL),ZackNyberg(86,Jr.,TE),WilliamHoysradt(91,Sr.,LB)

COACHING STAFFCoach: Dennis Lavelle (13th year)Record: 61-63 with South Fork; 156-127 (overall)2010: 2-8, 0-3 District 14-4AAssistant coaches: Ed Metallo (running backs and quarterbacks), Mike Lavelle (assistant head coach/offensive coordinator), Aaron Kimball (offensive line), Jared Rose (junior varsity offensive line/strength and conditioning), Richard Destefanis (receivers), James Downey (secondary), Octavious Thompson (junior varsity defensive line), Don McKindles (linebackers)

STADIUMJOEBUD STAGGS/BULLDOG STADIUM (5,000)Playing surface: GrassAddress: 10205 SW Pratt Whitney Road, StuartDirections: Take Colorado Avenue west until it becomes State Road 76 (Kanner Highway). Turn left at S.W. Pratt Whitney/S.W. 96th Street/Country Rd 11. Take left onto school property.Main office: 772-219-1840On the web: www.sfhs.sbmc.org

RIVALS ■ Martin County ■ Sebastian River ■ Jensen Beach

By Aimee Ford FosterSpecial to Treasure Coast Newspapers

TROPICAL FARMS — South Fork coach Dennis Lavelle is as com-fortable with numbers and prob-abilities as he is with offense and defense.

The long-time math teacher fig-ures the odds just caught up with the Bulldogs last year when inju-ries and inexperience added up to a 2-8 season, just the third time the team has had a losing regular-season record in his tenure.

South Fork has made some changes in the aftermath, most notably adding the wing-T to give a passing element to the run-first triple option, but Lavelle hasn’t lost any sleep over the way last year turned out and is looking for-ward to getting this one started.

“I don’t know if it was tough on the kids; I don’t care,” he said. “Those kids gave it all to us … Sometimes, the odds just aren’t on your side.

“There’s no question we’ll be better than we were last year. If everybody stays healthy, we could be pretty good.”

It’s pretty clear that what hap-pened last year is a motivator for

the players.“This is our season of redemp-

tion,” senior Mike Messier said. “I reflect on last season a lot. I watch game film almost every night. I see my mistakes. I want to have a big season. I’m going to try to stay healthy.”

Messier, who missed games each of the last two years because of injuries, is the team leader. He joined the varsity near the end of his freshman year as the heir apparent at quarterback and has played a variety of positions. This year, he will steady the defense at safety and return punts, while playing as needed at receiver and running back and remaining the back-up quarterback.

“It doesn’t matter where I play,” he said. “I’m just stepping into the leadership role and people are fol-lowing.”

The Bulldogs are loaded with experience, despite being fairly young because so many sopho-mores played last year. Lavelle doesn’t like having sophomores in the lineup, but it could pay off this year.

Quarterback Cody Labanow-itz, for example, is a junior who got plenty of time last fall. In the

spring game, he excelled in the new offense, completing 11-of-17 passes for 129 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in just over a half.

When South Fork does run the football, it still has, of course, plenty of options. Five of its top six rushers are back from last year and that doesn’t include half back Ricco Pierre, who was supposed to be the feature back last year but instead suffered a season-ending knee injury in the pre-season. Pierre, whose older brothers also played for the Bulldogs, said he is anxious to get in game action.

“It was very hard to be out,” he said. “Now, I’m ready.

“We’re going to stay healthy, stay strong. We’ve got a good chemistry with each other.”

South Fork returns five start-ers on defense, all linebackers and defensive backs. That doesn’t include Messier. Although the defensive front in the flexible 3-5 scheme is all new, Lavelle expects the unit to be deep enough to get the job done. He also expects to use several players in the inside linebacker positions.

“They’re all pretty good,” Lavelle said.

Good chemistrySouth Fork is loaded with experience,

which should help with winning season

ALEX BOERNER/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS

South Fork High School running back Ricco Pierre runs the ball during practice at the school in Tropical Farms.

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