Canterbury rebounds with a dramatic win over Carrollwood
Chris Girandola
ST. PETERSBURG — A little over a week ago, Canterbury cracked the top five as the No. 4-ranked team in the Associated Press state rankings. Things were moving along quite smoothly for the little school tucked away in an idyllic part of northeast St. Petersburg.
Then, a humbling loss on September 30 to a seemingly overmatched Bradenton Christian squad brought the Crusaders quickly back to earth.
“I think we probably got a little too caught up in it all and we all learned from it,” Canterbury coach Bill Jones said. “We, as a coaching staff, probably learned more from it. We might have underrated the process a bit, but the fortunate thing is it came in the middle of the season where we can build on it.”
The first-year coach knows he must deal with a limited amount of players just like most coaches at smaller schools, so his staff’s attention to detail is at a premium.
“Getting each and every player ready for every situation is a must and we had to deal with a number of injuries leading up to the Bradenton Christian game,” said Jones. “Not to take anything away from (Bradenton Christian) because they lined up and were physical and beat us that day, but we just have to prepare each and every week with the same amount of respect for whoever we’re playing that game.”
On Friday, the Crusaders seemed as if they got the message, coming away with a dramatic 26-20 victory over 2A-5 opponent Carrollwood Day School.
“Our district is tough, possibly one of the toughest in the region,” said Jones. “Because we have nine schools in it, every week you’re lining up against someone who is ready to prove something. Not to mention, these are schools, because they’re smaller, each has a chip on their shoulder.”
Brent O’Neal, Canterbury’s star running back, came up with a huge defensive play to save the day for the Crusaders, intercepting an overthrown pass by Patriots quarterback Deuce Gruden with CDS (3-3, 1-3) mounting a late drive in the fourth quarter. Then, a few plays later and after a pass interference call on fourth down, O’Neal gave the Crusaders (5-1, 4-1) the win with a 20-yard touchdown run as the last seconds ticked off the clock.
O’Neal was once again dominant running the ball with 270 yards on 25 carries and two touchdowns. The 5-foot-10, 210-pound senior has 1,190 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns for the season along with a touchdown coming on a reception, a 98-yard kickoff return and a 95-yard interception return.
“He’s a difference-maker,” said Jones. “I know I’m biased, but I really believe he’s one of the best backs on both sides of the (Tampa Bay). I think if you lined him up behind (an offensive line) at Armwood or Countryside, his numbers would be record-breaking. He’s a power running back with breakaway speed who gets behind the pads and delivers the blow just as much as he can get in the open and leave defenders behind.”
O’Neal helped the Crusaders respond to the Patriots’ opening drive score in which Robert Davis’ 49-yard run set up a quarterback sneak by Gruden from one yard out when the Canterbury running back compiled 50 of his yards on the subsequent 68-yard drive. Jake Holsinger connected with DaSean Thomas in the corner of the end zone to even the score late in the first quarter.
The Patriots took a 13-7 lead on a 3-yard run by Davis with 19 seconds left before halftime, but O’Neal then scampered 61 yards on Canterbury’s next possession for the tie.
Andy Embody gave the Patriots a 20-13 lead with a 30-yard run moments after CDS forced a fumble with a sack on Holsinger. The Crusaders came back to score a couple possessions later when Holsinger followed up O’Neal’s 42-yard run with a 15-yard touchdown pass to P.J. Franklin.
The win puts Canterbury in the driver’s seat for the district crown with games against Indian Rocks Christian (4-2, 3-2), Keswick Christian (3-2, 2-2) and Northside Christian (0-6, 0-5). Next week’s home game against the Golden Eagles appears to be the last major hurdle for the Crusaders, but Jones knows nothing is to be taken for granted.
“Like I said, this district is tough and we’ve learned a whole lot that anything can happen,” said Jones. “We had a battle against Carrollwood and we expect the same thing here on out with the teams we still have to play.” MORE PLUS VIDEO HERE