Ish Witter Archive

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Backs that could “BOOM” during May

By
BCP STAFF
– May 4, 2012 2:05 pmPosted in: HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, PASCO COUNTY, PINELLAS COUNTY, RECRUITING

**Hilites attached

Toddrick Macon, Admiral Farragut,  RB, 2013
Big, strong back, with a pro running style

Ish Witter, Alonso, RB, 2014
Explosive and fast. Excellent burst. Good 2012 Ignite showcase performance

Demondre Lambert, Dixie Hollins, RB, 2014
Runs well between the tackles

David Emmanuel, Pasco, RB, 2013
Slow thus far for a back to back 1K rusher. 5-11/195lbs back with lateral movement and vision

Andre Simpson, Leto, RB, 2013
Attracting recruiters to Leto. Holds offers from North Carolina State and Jacksonville State

Michael Duclos, Robinson, RB, 2015
A “Bull” is the best way to describe Duclos. Though a freshman, expect attention to come early for the young Knight

Shaq Dixon, Dunedin, RB, 2013
Tramaine Batten is not the only RB at Dunedin. Dixon will make his own path and earn his own attention

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Smoke List Players, Jump to the Best of the Bay

By
TEAM BCP
– February 6, 2012 11:27 amPosted in: HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, PINELLAS COUNTY, RECRUITING, RECRUITING FEATURES, THE BOX

In August of 2011, BCP revealed “The Smoke List”, which listed many Tampa Bay Area prospects who did not make our Summer Fire 49 list, but were really good players and could eventually end up being highly ranked and recruited. Today, I looked at our Smoke List to see just who jumped off the Smoke List onto the Winter Fire 49 List. These players made a huge impression on the BCP staff and were ranked amongst the Best in the Bay Area headed into the winter of 2012.

Rodney Adams, Lakewood
2013, WR
6-2/175

#4 Adams skyrocketed towards the top of the Fire 49 rankings with an outstanding 2011 season. He showed up in a big way in the spring of 2011 at the BCP Ignite Showcase and has not looked back since. With incredible speed, exceptional lateral movement and excellent ball skills, Adams ranks as the #1 WR in the 56 school, BCP coverage area.

Devin Abraham, East Lake
2014, S
5-11/170

#21Abraham is not flashy, doesn’t get much run in the media and will not wow you with his size. But what is particularly impressive is Abrahams speed, agility and physicality. Abraham is primarily a safety for the East Lake Eagles, but is projected as a corner at the next level. At 5-11, he is the perfect size to play on the edge at the BCS level.

Toddrick Macon, Admiral Farragut
2013, RB
5-10/185

#30 Macon is the perfect example of seizing the opportunity. When 2014 RB, Cortavious Givens went down with a season ending injury, Macon became the mail man. He carried the majority of the load for the Farragut running attack and proved that he is a bruising ball carrier with magnificent balance and vision. We were well aware of what he was capable of and that’s why he made the Smoke List, but he pounded his way onto the Fire 49 list with impressive numbers each Friday night.

Andre Simpson, Leto
2013, RB
6-2/195

#35 Leto doesn’t ring bells for college recruiters. Jeremy Deering was the last big time prospect to graduate from Leto, now at Rutgers. But, Andre Simpson could be next. It will be hard to market a talented RB on a winless team to college coaches, but Simpson is worth it. A big body running back that did not rush for big numbers due to other factors out of his control. He is a load to bring down and has decent breakaway speed. He will be one to watch this spring.

Ish Witter, Alonso
2013, RB
5-9/185

#38 Witter jumped to an impressive #38 on our Fire 49 list. The sophomore tailback from Alonso was more than just productive, he was electric. Sharing reps with 900 yard rusher, Brandon Holloway, Witter still saw his fair share of carries, slipping tackles, lowering his shoulder and sidestepping defenders. If Alonso can put together another quality offensive line, Witter will have a chance to lead Hillsborough County in rushing in 2012.

Karel Hamilton, Strawberry Crest
2013, WR/S
6-1/170

#42 When your team struggles, it becomes harder and harder to gain attention of college recruiters and the media. Karel Hamilton of Strawberry Crest is as talented as wide receivers come. He is a special player with tremendous upside that has the ability to track the ball in the air, attack the ball at its highest points and take a 5 yard hitch for a 60 yard TD.

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Plant Outmatches Alonso 48-6

By
Kyle Bennett
– October 21, 2011 2:03 amPosted in: HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, THE BOX

The Panthers forced four turnovers and James Few threw for a season best 314 yards as Plant clinched its seventh straight district title. The Panthers dominated the Ravens winning 48-6.

The Robert Weiner led Panthers featured a bend, but don’t break, defense. The Ravens only score came on a 65-yard reception by Brandon Holloway who had 130 total yards of offense.

“Only on one play did they break it the whole way,” coach Weiner said. “The four or five other big plays that they had in the game we were able to get a stop in the red zone and stop them from scoring. That’s really the trademark of our defense.”

The Panthers recovered three fumbles and came up with an interception to start the second half.

Reeves Rogers, Tate Rogers and Terrance Jenkins recovered fumbles while Keenan Stalls intercepted a Brandon Hawkins pass.

The Plant front seven forced Hawkins and the rest of the Alonso rushing attack outside where the Panther speed was on display. Tate Rogers, on top of his fumble recovery, had 1.5 sacks and three tackles for loss. Senior defensive lineman Patrick Wright also notched 2.5 sacks for Plant.

The Panthers were also able to neutralize Alonso’s biggest threat – Ish Witter. Plant held Witter to under 50 yards rushing and really bottled him up between the tackles

Outside of the big play by Holloway the positives for Alonso were few and far between. Eddie Castillo did however showcase his speed as he was just one block away on three different kick returns from taking it to the house.

The win notches 20 consecutive district wins for Plant and is its seventh consecutive over Alonso.

“Plant’s the one you measure yourself to, and we’re obviously not there yet, but we will be,” Alonso coach Brian Emanuel said. “We’re a lot better than we have been, but we’re not there yet.”

Plant (7-0, 2-0) will have its biggest test of the year next week as they travel to Seffner to face the Armwood Hawks.

Alonso (5-2, 1-1) will have take on Tampa Catholic next week as it tries to get back in the win column.

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Pugh’s Preview: Alonso at Plant

By
Doug Pugh
– October 20, 2011 3:17 amPosted in: DAWG HOUSE, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, THE BOX

 

At the beginning of the season, the Alonso at Plant game looked like another notch in the win column easily marked in Plant Panthers Black & Gold. Well, for at least the time being the Alonso Ravens have their sights set on marking that win in Navy Blue and Vegas Gold. The Ravens come into tonight’s key District 6-8A tilt at (5-1, 1-0) coming off of a heartbreaking loss to Top 5 Plant City, while the Panthers are all ahead full speed at (6-0, 1-0) and apparently on a collision course for their clash with Armwood next week. First, the 6A Runners-up must take care of the business at hand at Dad’s Stadium tonight.

Junior RB Wesley Bullock is scary fast in the open field. Alonso will look to keep him contained this evening.

When Plant has the ball it’s clear that Wesley Bullock is one of the main guys both on the ground and in the air. The 5-6 Junior may look small in stature, but rest assured he’s going to get the last laugh if you’re in open space with him. As mentioned, Bullock has been a dual threat amassing 302 yards on 56 carries and 3 TD’s. He also has caught 11 passes for 245 and an additional 2TD’s. Bullocks’ mate in the backfield Antonio Crawford is averaging nearly 10yds per carry and will again be asked to be either the 1 or the 2 in a 1-2 punch for the Panthers.

The man that gets Bullock the ball via his arm or on the handoff is James Few. The Senior QB is completing 60% of his passes, and one of his favorite targets is Austin Aikens.  The 6-1 Sr. has found the Endzone four times this season totaling 262 yards on 12 catches. One of the standout things regarding the Panthers this season has been their ability to continue their winning ways without the beneficiary of 4 and 5-Star players. They’ve taken exactly what teams are willing to give to them and haven’t looked back. Their signature win coming against Bergen Catholic earlier in the year.

When Alonso has the ball, they go as their talented 1-2 Running Back combination of Sophomore Ish Witter and Sr. Brandon Holloway. QB Brandon Hawkins is completing 58% of his passes for a modest 702 yards, 7 TD’s and 3 INT’s. The Ravens are a team built on speed, speed, and more speed. They have a knack for finding the ball on defense and have a pair of outstanding Linebackers in Marcus Neuman and Jake Struthers. The two have combined for 135 tackles this season. Wide Receiver Marcus Mosley and Mr. Do-It-All Eddie Castillo are averaging over 15 yards per catch when the Ravens do manage to get the passing game cranked up.

The mission for Alonso is clear. They cannot get into a shootout with Plant under any circumstances. The game will come down to can the Ravens get the Panthers Offense from grinding away while you already know they will be prepared for everything that Alonso will throw their way in terms of Witter and Holloway. Plant will look to keep Holloway from getting around the edges or the Mississippi St. Commit is capable of doing some damage. If they can stay balanced and win not all, but the majority of the battles in the trenches they can set up Witter for the tough yards inside and Holloway running wild on the outside.

Ish Witter (#21) and Brandon Holloway (#5) will need to be Alonso's thunder and lightning for a shot at the upset.

Much like their matchup with Plant City last week, Alonso (on paper) looks to be in somewhat of a mismatch. This year’s team seems to embrace the “Us vs. The World” mentality and have done an outstanding job of channeling that into lights out play on the field. Their biggest worry will be how long will Brandon Hawkins have to throw? As mentioned, Alonso cannot afford to get into a shootout nor can they afford to be imbalanced on offense so it’s going to be paramount when they do get into obvious passing situations that they execute. Sounds pretty easy, but it will be the foundation for the upset if they chose to do what some are calling even more impossible than last week. A game that ended 9-7 with Alonso feeling sick to their stomach’s over ‘should’ve, could’ve, would’ve’. In the end, Plant will probably prove their pedigree and Alonso will be forced to beat Wharton for the right to go to the playoffs as District 6-8A Runners-up. Then again, Alonso looks like they feel just fine with people giving them no chance. Proceed with caution.

PREDICTION:  Plant 34  Alonso 16 

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Plant City 9 Alonso 7: The Art of Defense and Suspense

By
Doug Pugh
– October 15, 2011 8:20 amPosted in: DAWG HOUSE, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, THE BOX, VIEW POINT

 

Sir Winston Churchill once said, “Nothing in life is so exhilirating as to be shot at without a result.” Of course he was speaking about survival, and that’s exactly what Plant City did was dodge a bullet aimed squarely at their chances for a perfect season. The Raiders used timely stops on defense and got on the shoulders of RB Dazmond Patterson to secure their 6th win of the season keeping them undefeated by the slimmest of margins. It was a battle of attrition for most of the night plagued by penalties, turnovers and overall inefficiency at times from both teams on offense. In the end, Plant City seemed to have made literally one more play than the Ravens and did what all good teams do and that’s win even when your own worst enemy is yourself.

The Raiders came into the game achieving near perfect balance on offense averaging 226 ypg through the air and 222 on the ground. Although Plant City nearly hit their mark with 197 yards mostly from the feet of Dazmond Patterson and his 174 yards on 22 carries and a TD, it was the passing game that could “only” muster 113 yards on just 9 completions. WR Lamarlin Wiggins was held in check with just 2 catches for 33 yards, while QB Bennie Coney spent much of the night trying to find other ways to figure out the Ravens stingy defense that bent a couple of times but never really broke.

The one exception was a play that over half the stadium thought was already a dead ball, but the officials never blew the whistle and by the time the defense realized what happened, Daz Patterson was celebrating a 49yd TD run with his teammates. For what it’s worth, it was a controversial call without a doubt, but hypothetically IF there was instant replay it very well would have stood due to inconclusive evidence. In addition, there weren’t exactly any verbal 2×4′s coming from the Alonso sideline towards the refs adding to the suspense. It appeared 75% of the people in attendance weren’t sure of what they saw either. The score at that point was 9-0 essentially becoming the winning TD with just under 3 minutes to play in the half. The two teams exchanged punts in the entire 1st quarter and the only difference at that point in the game was a 22yd FG by Cameron Roberts.

Ish Witter (210 and Brandon Holloway (5) in the wildcat

Alonso was effective with Brandon Holloway at the QB in the wildcat as he was able to get to the edges with his blazing speed. It served as a great counter for when they handed the ball to Ish Witter who was getting some extremely tough yards when they needed them the most. Unfortunately for Witter, it was his fumble at the Plant City 7yd line that dealt a serious body blow to the Ravens attempt going ahead. When they had to get into shotgun with Brandon Hawkins and pass protect, that was an entirely different story. The Raiders started stockpiling sacks in the 3rd and 4th Quarter when they forced Alonso into obvious passing situations. There was simply not enough time for Hawkins to throw when he needed literally a second more. Credit to the Raider Defense though.

One person who sounded like he was completely sold on Mr. Holloway was Raiders Head Coach Wayne Ward. “That Brandon Holloway kid is a stud.” said Ward. “It’s one thing to see him on film and prepare for him, but it’s an entirely different thing to see him in person.” Ward was extremely gracious towards Alonso following the game. “I’ll tell you what. Alonso’s a good football team. They’re a playoff caliber team. They were awesome tonight.”

Dazmond Patterson, Plant City, RB, 2012

Ward also was pleased that one of the main principles taught to his players about playing to the whistle actually applied. Patterson’s TD run was a prime example. When both sides of the ball were literally coming to a stop, the next thing seen was Dazmond darting down the Ravens sideline. “We always preach about playing to the whistle,” Ward said. “That’s what we did and it paid off big time.”

At the other end of the field as the Raiders began chants of 6-and-0, the postgame speech for Brian Emanuel didn’t look as jovial, but was made with a purpose and delivered to his team with one goal in mind and that was to let the score burn into their brains, and never forget they had their chances when most called for a 3TD+ victory for Plant City. Most importantly, Emanuel wanted his players to understand what they did and learn from it. He encouraged his young team to move on and start getting ready for the short week ahead with Plant on the schedule next. In other words, he wanted them angry, but ready to bury it and get on with what lies ahead. After the talk with his team, Emanuel, who was just as gracious in defeat as Ward was humble in victory had this to say:

“We can’t rough their punter, we can’t fumble on the 7yd line, we just can’t make those mistakes. We had a trick play that we worked on for a month that was wide open and we overthrow the guy (who was so wide open even HE was surprised and appeared to have stopped running I might add) by 20 yards. Against good teams that will get you beat. We’re a good team too [taking nothing away from Plant City], the kids fought hard in a hostile environment with it being homecoming and all the odds stacked against us to begin with. This is one of those games that when you get home and look at the tape it may make you even more sick to your stomach than watching it live. We left a lot of points on the board, but we’ll be ready next week.”

As mentioned Alonso (5-1, 1-0) will now travel to South Tampa and take on district opponent Plant (6-0, 1-0) at Dad’s Stadium on Thursday. Plant City (6-0, 2-0) will travel to East Bay.  MORE PLUS VIDEO HERE

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Rewind: Alonso’s Statement Win

By
TEAM BCP
– September 18, 2011 4:38 pmPosted in: HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, THE BOX, VIEW POINT
Greg Windham, King QB

Greg Windham, King QB

Alonso improves to 3-0 as they defeat King
Hanna Yi

In what was probably one of the most physical, intense, penalty-filled games of the season so far, the Alonso Ravens and their small roster of 35 players came across town to King’s Bill Stewart Stadium and stunned the home crowd as they took the lead at the end of the third quarter. During the game, between the two teams, there were about 210 yards of penalties. The first set of penalties coming just after the kick-off to start the game and before the first snap of the football.

If your team plays Alonso this year, learn to stop the run! If you cannot stop the run, you won’t win against the Ravens. Brandon Holloway and Ish Witter made themselves known to King as they both had 100-yards plus on the night. If your team plays King this year, learn to stop QB Greg Windham! Whether he’s throwing to his many options of receivers or he’s running, he’ll get as many yards as you let him. You want to make sure you put him under pressure. Otherwise, you’re going to be in real trouble.

Both Alonso and King score on their first drives of the game, with Alonso missing the extra point and putting King ahead 7-6. King’s defense stops Alonso and forces the first three-and-out of the game. Windham and his many weapons, Kimbo Jackson, Chris Murray, Darian Wright, and Taylor Gonzales, with the help of Le’Vadre Thomas’ run, march the ball up the field and for another score. On a fake PAT, Chris Murray connects for the 2-pt conversion, but a penalty makes it no good, forcing King to go for the PAT. King is up 14-6 at the end of the first quarter.

King defense cannot seem to stop Witter and Holloway as they run the ball down the field (with the help of 15-yards from King for a personal foul penalty), Holloway ends the drive with a 6-yard touchdown run, but the 2-point conversion attempt is no good. With two a point difference, Alonso’s defense steps up and forces King to their first three-and-out, with Windham being hurried on third down and almost intercepted. Alonso’s drive begins with a 15-yard face mask penalty against King. However, after a few runs by Holloway and Witter, Alonso fumbles and King’s Austin Cox recovers. King’s offense however, cannot seem to make anything of this momentum shift, as penalties, a fumble (recovered by King), and a sack force a punt. However, King gets a break when an Alonso player fumbles the ball and King picks it up midfield. King drives it down the field with several plays being called back due to penalties, including a 27-yard touchdown connection from Windham to Gonzales. However, with 0:13 left in the first half, Windham scores on a 1-yard keeper to put King up 21-12 at the end of the half.

King starts off the second half with just two plays to score. On the second play of the half, Windham connects with Murray for a 67-yard touchdown connection. The 2-point conversion is no good, King is ahead 27-12 with 11:39 in the third quarter. Alonso responds as QB Brandon Hawkins throws to Holloway for a 42-yard touchdown, 2-point conversion attempt is no good. King is still ahead 27-18. King again has plays called back with penalties and is forced to punt. After a couple runs by Witter, Hawkins finds a completely open Marcus Mosley for the touchdown. The PAT is good, Alonso only trailing by two, 27-25 with 8:04 left in the third. King goes three and out after Windham is sacked for a loss of seven yards, but gets another break as an Alonso player touches the ball on the punt and King recovers it. King’s crowd is very quiet compared to Alonso’s as Windham and his offense cannot make anything happen. After a few runs by Holloway and Witter, Alonso attempts to go for it on fourth and one, but is given the first down after yet another King penalty, this time for off-sides. Ending the third quarter, this penalty makes the difference as Alonso takes their first lead of the game heading into the fourth quarter with a Hawkins to Castillo touchdown pass, 2-point conversion attempt no good. Alonso is up 31-27.

Fourth quarter begins and King’s offense cannot come up with anything. Alonso’s Holloway and Witter have made themselves known to this Lions defense, and cannot be stopped tonight. Alonso marches down to King’s 16-yard and is forced to make a decision. Attempt a field goal or go for it on fourth down? Field goal attempt is no good and King takes over on downs with 8:13 left in the game. Windham with some great passes to Murray (37-yards), Gonzales (22-yards, but called back due to another penalty), and Wright (12-yards) and a 20-yard run by Green, and King is knocking on the door of another score. Windham keeps the ball for a 10-yard touchdown run and the PAT is good, as the Lions take back the lead 34-31 with 4:00 left. Alonso doesn’t take anytime as they take the ball down field and score on a Hawkins to Holloway 12-yard pass, putting the Ravens up again 38-34, with only 2:17 left in the game. In what is one of the best games so far, Windham attempts to lead his team down the field. Murray for a 7-yard catch, followed by a Windham sack for a loss of 5-yards. Then, Windham shows how dangerous his air game really is, following two great passes to Gonzales, for 15-yards and 10-yards respectively. Windham fumbles for a loss of 8, putting the Lions at third and eighteen. Windham has an 18-yard run that is waved off, and on fourth and nine, the Lions have no choice but to go for it with 0:37 left on the game clock. Windham completes to Gonzales for the first down and the Lions continue to march down the field. Windham throws to Wright for 25-yards, putting the Lions on the 10-yard line with 0:04 left in the game, enough for one last play. Windham keeps the ball and gets tackled at the 3-yard line to end the game. The Alonso Ravens winning this intense match up 38-34. The King Lions taking the loss to heart as Windham is lying in the spot where he was tackled and is highly upset.

With all of the penalties and injuries (all injured players were able to walk off the field on their own) in this game, anyone watching this game could see that both teams came out wanting the win and both teams played as physical as they could. One of the most intense, keep-you-on-your-toes games I have seen in awhile. I’m excited for next week!

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