By Derek Lariviere
WEEKI WACHEE – Wesley Chapel brought out a new philosophy under first-year coach Anthony Egan, and the results were obvious almost immediately as the Wildcats ran all over Weeki Wachee. The Wildcats dominated, winning 54-20 in rainy conditions.
Top Players
Heading the list is Dexter Leverette (15 carries, 282 yards, 5 TD). In his first appearance in a Wesley Chapel uniform, he amazed many on hand with his game-breaking ability. He raced up the middle for a 59-yard touchdown in the first quarter and never looked back. The rising junior moved in from South Carolina prior to his sophomore year but was ineligible to play football last season due to transfer rules. Now that’s he back on the gridiron, Leverette is chomping at the bit.
Defensively, the front seven for the Wildcats was aggressive throughout the night. LB Donovan Willingham sacked Weeki Wachee QB Alec Cromie early, and DE Christian Austin took Cromie down twice. DT Andrew Brooks recovered a fumble and knocked down a couple passes as this group dominated the battle at the line of scrimmage.
Top Plays
In addition to a 59-yard touchdown sprint with 6:38 left in the first quarter, Leverette also had scoring runs of 27, 27, 1, and 63 yards. His production overshadowed Melvin, who broke for long touchdowns of 46, 22, and 35 yards. The last of Melvin’s runs cemented the final score with 2:09 left in regulation.
Top Position Battles
Prior to Friday night, Egan challenged his running backs. All had shown good burst in practice, but he was hoping someone would separate himself in this game. Leverette and Melvin answered the call, but Egan fully expects Ellrie Allen and a host of others to earn carries along the way.
Ben Goins and Devin Singletary were expected to be the lead receivers and big weapons for Jacob Thomas after the quarterback passed for 1,825 yards and 17 touchdowns last season. Goins has moved away, according to Egan, and Singletary didn’t receive a touch in the spring game. Thomas only attempted five passes, going 2-of-5 for 21 yards. Both he and backup Justin Sylvester were banged up during a scrimmage last week, but they each played the entire game.
Top comments
When asked how good he was as a freshman in South Carolina, Leverette said with a smile, “What do you think, man? Of course.”
“It is a tribute to (River Ridge),” said Egan. “I brought a couple things from their system, but we added to it, and we’re multi-dimensional. We’re going to do some different things.”
Top Takeaways
If Jacob Thomas gets the opportunity to bring some more balance to the offense than what happened against Weeki Wachee, this could be the area’s surprise team.
Leverette made some moves on guys that literally shook defenders off of their feet, and even though most of his work was between the tackles, he showed the speed and ability to do damage on the edge and in the pass game.
With Egan using River Ridge as a blueprint, expect the defense to take some good steps this year. If that group can make some plays, the offense has enough talent to win games.
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