PINELLAS COUNTY

No-huddle Notes and Numbers from St. Petersburg’s 55-41 win over Clearwater

Written by on

 

By Chris Girandola

CLEARWATER– These are my observations from the road win bySt. Petersburg over Clearwater on Friday night:

 

  • St. Petersburg needs to quickly shore up its defense or else the Green Devils will get steamrolled by Countryside next Friday in a district game with playoff implications. Clearwatersenior quarterback Robert Yarbrough sliced upSt. Petersburgfor 370 yards and five touchdowns on 20-of-26 passing.  Yarbrough (8 rushes, 67 yards) and running back Mike Jerrido (15 rushes, 85 yards, one touchdown) ran roughshod.  Attention, Mr. Gray Crow and Mr. Diomi Roberts, big numbers are there for the taking.
  • Yarbrough is a steady signal-caller, recognizing what the defense brings.  The 6-foot, 170-pound quarterback picked up blitzes most of the time and used his quickness to produce positive yardage on the ground.  He called audibles at the right times and hit receivers on hot routes to pick up first downs.  He could play a spread-style quarterback on the Division II level, but I see him in a Wes Welker type position.
  • Devijion Smith, a junior wide receiver, made a case to be put on the radar with 11 receptions for 187 yards and two touchdowns.  The 6-foot-1 wideout got into open spaces and made defenders miss.  He separated himself off the line and ran precise routes.  He had two drops, one which came in a driving rain and another one which was thrown a bit behind him.
  • Brandon Leston, who had his junior season essentially taken away from him by the FHSAA because of his transfer to Clearwater Central Catholic, demonstrated why he is worthy of playing on the next level.  The 6-foot-3, 205-pound linebacker exhibited his athleticism on some nifty catches as a wide receiver, including a 56-yarder in which Leston caught a deep throw by Yarbrough down the left sideline in heavy traffic for a touchdown.  Leston finished with 5 receptions for 142 yards, including another touchdown of eight yards.  Leston was also impressive on the defensive side, coming up with 14 solo tackles and two assisted ones.
  • On the Green Devils side, they did most of their damage on the ground with 283 yards on 38 carries and just 38 passing yards on 2-of-2 completions by Keegan Oberholzer, although one of those connections was good for a 26-yard touchdown to David Niemierzycki.
  • Maurice Hemingway had touchdown runs of 30 yards and 26 yards and finished the night with 116 yards on 12 carries.
  • Leroy Williams was the most impressive player on the night, showcasing his dazzling speed and agility with a 44-yard run from scrimmage for a touchdown and two kickoff returns for scores, one for 89 yards and one for 71 yards.  Williams finished with 107 yards on 10 carries.
  • David Jones, the most highly recruited player on the field, was used on the defensive side of the ball for the most of the night and made several plays at the cornerback position.  He knocked down three passes, he forced a fumble and recovered it and he had seven solo tackles.  On the offensive side of things, he ran the ball out of the wildcat position four times for 46 yards, including a one-yard touchdown.  After the game, he said he has begun receiving more calls from colleges, including “pretty much every Ivy League school.”  On Thursday, he received letters from Georgia and Texas Tech.  He said he received calls from Texas Tech as well and said they are interested in seeing more film of him.  Jones possesses a 4.2 grade point average and said he will make the most of any opportunity.  “I’m inspired by guys like (former Harvard quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who is now the starter for the Buffalo Bills) because it shows you can make it on the highest level even if you attend an institution like an Ivy League school.”