AUBURNDALE — Mulberry created a lot of positive momentum in its athletic program in the past year. In football, the Panthers won seven regular-season games for the first time since 2008, which was only their second seven-win season in 40 years; they had their fourth-consecutive winning football season for the first time since the early '80s.
In basketball, Mulberry’s boys team had its first winning season in seven years, and its girls team had back-to-back winning seasons, and the girls team boasted one of the top scorers in the state. The school year wrapped up with Mulberry boasting a solid softball season then capped with its baseball team heading to the state tournament for the first time in 60 years.
So while football head coach Brad Metheny acknowledged that his Panthers taking the title in Polk County 7v7 Championship on Friday night at the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex was meaningless in terms of foreshadowing success in the upcoming football season, it wasn’t without value.
Last season:Mulberry's 1-2 offensive punch left their mark for playoff-bound Panthers
“It’s a big confidence booster,” he said. “To beat Bartow and Lake Wales and Auburndale, all three of those schools today, it helps our kids' confidence level. We're taking steps in the right direction. There’s a lot of work. to do, but we're taking steps in the right direction.”
The biggest value is it shows that Mulberry has potential playmakers on offense that can be developed when fall practice begins next week. Mulberry graduated its top two playmakers in quarterback Dyvonique "DaiDai" McWilliams and running back DJ Duvalt. The pair combined for about 86% of Mulberry’s total offense last season.
“We've got some kids who can run,” Metheny said. “We're faster than we've ever been on defense. We've got height at receiver, we've got quickness at receiver, and the little freshman quarterback stepped up big time today and got a lot more confidence. I couldn't be more proud of him and the direction we're headed.”
The freshman quarterback is Laquinton “JoJo” Chandler, and the hope is that the talented playmakers around him will help him progress. Collins Rhodes is a potential playmaker at slot. Others who have stood out this summer are Jamarious Jones, who had a big catch in the final against Lake Wales, Javonn Baptiste, Jamarion James, Nick Williams and Traveon Hymes.
“JoJo Chandler just did a great job at quarterback today,” Metheny said. “He's taken me and (assistant coach) Manny (Pulido) both yelling at him, and he's still hanging in there. So he was huge today. That's what this summer has been about is to build confidence and get our quarterbacks ready to go. And that's where the work came in that made it like work in the summer. But this is the reward to feel good about having fun at the end.”
Beating Lake Wales in the championship match-up was no small feat. Lake Wales boasts talent and depth at the skill positions, even without last year’s sophomore sensation Gabe LeGrande, who will miss the season with a knee injury.
“We played together as a team,” Metheny said. “We did things like clear out routes to make people catch the ball and made the great reads. It was just a lot of good things.”
And defensively, Cedric “Cool” Townsend continued to be ballhawk defensively. He had four interceptions in the tournament, including a big one against Bartow. He had three he had in the spring game, and he led the county in interceptions last season.
“I’m just so excited and so proud of the kids because they're listening and doing what we're supposed to do,” Metheny said. “And if we can stay disciplined and stay healthy, things are bright.”
Most Popular
Comments / 0