Columbia @ Vanguard KO Classic 8/20

[Proseteye]

Hey Columbia Fan I know it's only an enhanced scrimmage but how do you see this going? Vanguard lost to Buchholz in the Spring Game 21-12. I believe that game was played without Vanguard's new Sr QB Ronnie Joe Gilchrist who came from the Villages. Did well last season against Bolles and against us at OTC. Any informative update on the Tigers pros and cons?  

[DisabledAccount]

32 minutes ago, Proseteye said:

Hey Columbia Fan I know it's only an enhanced scrimmage but how do you see this going? Vanguard lost to Buchholz in the Spring Game 21-12. I believe that game was played without Vanguard's new Sr QB Ronnie Joe Gilchrist who came from the Villages. Did well last season against Bolles and against us at OTC. Any informative update on the Tigers pros and cons?  

Columbia defense and WR will be loaded 

 

I actually wrote an article recently about my impression from their scrimmage a week or so ago 

 

Both RBs are currently trying to get cleared to play but the freshman looked solid 

 

Offensive line is still a question mark and QB Kade Jackson status is still questionable for Friday but if he plays I think Columbia beats vanguard

[DisabledAccount]

34 minutes ago, Proseteye said:

Hey Columbia Fan I know it's only an enhanced scrimmage but how do you see this going? Vanguard lost to Buchholz in the Spring Game 21-12. I believe that game was played without Vanguard's new Sr QB Ronnie Joe Gilchrist who came from the Villages. Did well last season against Bolles and against us at OTC. Any informative update on the Tigers pros and cons?  

Idk if you go to games but if You are since it's in Ocala maybe this would be a good chance to see them play

[Proseteye]

4 minutes ago, ColumbiaHighFan2017class said:

Idk if you go to games but if You are since it's in Ocala maybe this would be a good chance to see them play

I didn't go to any games last season due to all of the Covid stuff screwing everything up. May get out to see this game as OTC will be up in Gainesville at a Jamboree and I don't travel out of town anymore especially at night. I have never seen Columbia play live. Being an old guy I am not a big fan of Booster Stadium and the type of crowds that go there. I'm used to Celtic Stadium with a more considerate crowd of folks. But, may just go out for this one and sit on the Columbia side. 

[DisabledAccount]

3 minutes ago, Proseteye said:

I didn't go to any games last season due to all of the Covid stuff screwing everything up. May get out to see this game as OTC will be up in Gainesville at a Jamboree and I don't travel out of town anymore especially at night. I have never seen Columbia play live. Being an old guy I am not a big fan of Booster Stadium and the type of crowds that go there. I'm used to Celtic Stadium with a more considerate crowd of folks. But, may just go out for this one and sit on the Columbia side. 

I'll probably be on sideline during game but I can meet up at breaks in the stands or before game 

[Proseteye]

Who would you say are the Columbia players to watch on Friday? What do you feel are Columbia's strong points and not so strong points? What offensive and defensive formation does Columbia run? I will try to figure these things out for Vanguard in a bit. 

[DisabledAccount]

If he plays Kade Jackson should be a good player to keep an eye on for Columbia (QB) He has looked a lot better in fall then he did a year ago 

 

RBs Tony Fulton and jailen brown likely will be inactive for the game but freshman Malik Moore has looked good in what I've seen of fall camp 

 

WRs are a key position with 2 FBS level WRs in 3* Cincinnati commit Marcus Peterson and 2023 WR Tray Tolliver who currently has a UCF offer but Jace Hoskey is also a rising senior who has looked impressive in camp 

 

OL is still a concern but I think they will do better facing someone other that the front 4 of Columbia led by Adeon Farmer and Bobby Miller who had a double digit sack season a year ago as well as Suwannee transfer garris reed at DT as well as Julius Moreland and Jhycein Weston who also add a strong core of pass rushers 

 

Then you have Jaden Dunn who is a talented LB when he stays healthy and Jaden Robinson 2023 4* LB/S who has offers from quite a few power 5 schools and 2023 3* CB Amare Ferrall will help solidify a defense

 

Jerome Carter II and Fulton also add significant depth to the safety position and yes that's the same kid if Jerome Carter who was a former 5* safety out of Columbia who signed with FSU and eventually went to play In the NFL

[Proseteye]

15 hours ago, ColumbiaHighFan2017class said:

If he plays Kade Jackson should be a good player to keep an eye on for Columbia (QB) He has looked a lot better in fall then he did a year ago 

 

RBs Tony Fulton and jailen brown likely will be inactive for the game but freshman Malik Moore has looked good in what I've seen of fall camp 

 

WRs are a key position with 2 FBS level WRs in 3* Cincinnati commit Marcus Peterson and 2023 WR Tray Tolliver who currently has a UCF offer but Jace Hoskey is also a rising senior who has looked impressive in camp 

 

OL is still a concern but I think they will do better facing someone other that the front 4 of Columbia led by Adeon Farmer and Bobby Miller who had a double digit sack season a year ago as well as Suwannee transfer garris reed at DT as well as Julius Moreland and Jhycein Weston who also add a strong core of pass rushers 

 

Then you have Jaden Dunn who is a talented LB when he stays healthy and Jaden Robinson 2023 4* LB/S who has offers from quite a few power 5 schools and 2023 3* CB Amare Ferrall will help solidify a defense

 

Jerome Carter II and Fulton also add significant depth to the safety position and yes that's the same kid if Jerome Carter who was a former 5* safety out of Columbia who signed with FSU and eventually went to play In the NFL

https://www.google.com/search?q=booster+stadium+ocala+fl+images&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=O7CbQgrNPiuVFM%2Cu90qCXt5KVDC_M%2C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kSl17zswLuy70wn4M-9ChrK0FXjcg&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiWjsPPtr3yAhWvTTABHagFB2cQ9QF6BAgYEAE#imgrc=O7CbQgrNPiuVFM

Don't have any idea how many it can seat but I've only been there once when it was standing room only. Excellent stadium for viewing the action. Not so great for ingressing and egressing on the visitor side as you have to go through the throngs of people who are milling around the running track. 

[DisabledAccount]

18 minutes ago, Proseteye said:

https://www.google.com/search?q=booster+stadium+ocala+fl+images&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=O7CbQgrNPiuVFM%2Cu90qCXt5KVDC_M%2C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kSl17zswLuy70wn4M-9ChrK0FXjcg&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiWjsPPtr3yAhWvTTABHagFB2cQ9QF6BAgYEAE#imgrc=O7CbQgrNPiuVFM

Don't have any idea how many it can seat but I've only been there once when it was standing room only. Excellent stadium for viewing the action. Not so great for ingressing and egressing on the visitor side as you have to go through the throngs of people who are milling around the running track. 

Looks a little like citizens field in Gainesville with how close the stands are to the sideline

[Proseteye]

6 minutes ago, ColumbiaHighFan2017class said:

Looks a little like citizens field in Gainesville with how close the stands are to the sideline

True. And Citizens field is huge. 

[DisabledAccount]

45 minutes ago, Proseteye said:

True. And Citizens field is huge. 

I didn't think citizen's was that large but I'm used to a stadium that seats 7500 which is higher than the average in Florida

[Proseteye]

Well, let's get to it. I'm not a close follower of any other team with the exception of Trinity Catholic. However, I do follow Vanguard as best I can. 

It seems as though Vanguard lost a bundle of players both offensive and defensive to graduation. Most of their starting players are gone. However, both RBs Tyrell Randall and Dewhitt Betterson return for their Senior season. Both seem to be of decent size and are pretty quick through the line. Although I would not call either exceptional RBs. Both of these players do act as WRs since most of the previous WRs graduated. They do have a Sr TE Jaylen Williams 6'5" 245 who transferred from a school in Kentucky and who seems to be exceptional. He is big and very fast. On defense, where most of the graduations occurred, Sr DE Ronald Carpenter, is a vacuum cleaner. He plays to the ball and is a big part of the Knight's defense. Vanguard also has a Sr Kicker Grandin Wilcox who rarely misses field goals and extra points. Of course we cannot forget about their Sr QB Ronnie Joe Gilchrist who will make this team go. I was really impressed with him last year when he played against us for the Villages. OTC had a very difficult time with him as he is very accurate passer and reads his routes very well.

I'm thinking that Columbia just may be too much for Vanguard unless Gilchrist can pick apart Columbia's secondary like he seems to do against all opponents. 

J

[DisabledAccount]

Here's an excerpt from Lake City reporter as a preview for tomorrow

 

 

Kade Jackson’s quarantine continued Thursday, but Columbia head coach Demetric Jackson still hopes to have his starting quarterback back for tonight’s Preseason Classic at Vanguard.

 

Jackson did not return to practice on Thursday after entering protocols last week due to close contact with a student at school who tested positive for covid-19. The Tigers held their walkthrough without him as a result, but Demetric Jackson said following practice that his quarterback just wanted to take an extra day as a precautionary message before returning to school on Friday.

 

“He should be good (to play),” Demetric Jackson said. “He just wanted to take an extra day of precaution so if he did have covid (Thursday) would’ve been 10 days (since contact). I just said that’s fine. He’s feeling fine. I talked to him (Wednesday) night and he’s good and we went over some plays. So he’s good from that standpoint.”

 

Jackson has been in touch with his quarterback throughout the week to go over the game plan to get him as ready as possible. If Kade can’t play tonight, sophomore Evan Umstead will lead the varsity squad behind center in the final dress rehearsal before the regular season.

 

Umstead has taken the first-team snaps in practice this week in Jackson’s absence.

 

“He knows the offense,” Jackson said. “He’s a little limited in certain things so it’s my job to find out what he does well, and I kind of saw that in the last couple of days. There are some things he does better and he’s a mobile quarterback that throws better on the run. So we’ll move him around. Not so much in the pocket because bigger linemen block his vision, but I think he’ll be OK.”

 

Regardless of who starts at quarterback, tonight’s game will look a bit different when it kicks off at 7:30 p.m. The junior varsity team will play the first half while the varsity squad will take the field in the second half.

 

It’s the first time in head coach Demetric Jackson’s career as a head coach that he’s been in a Classic with that setup. He still doesn’t quite understand it, even after trying to persuade Vanguard head coach Edwin Farmer otherwise.

 

“The only thing he told me was that this is what they do in Ocala,” Jackson said. “They did this against Buchholz in the spring, but I’ve played plenty of Ocala schools and we’ve never done that before. I don’t know if it’s a new thing they’re doing. I wasn’t in agreement with it. I called him twice to try and get him to change and he said no. When (Farmer) talked to (former) coach (Brian) Allen he agreed to do it, so I wasn’t going to fight it.”

 

Once the second half starts, though, it should be a competitive matchup. Vanguard, now in Class 6A, was a regional finalist in 5A last season while Columbia was a regional finalist in 6A.

 

The Knights have also had an impressive summer at 7-on-7 tournaments with new quarterback Fred Gaskin, a sophomore, behind center. They were crowned champs at Florida, UCF and the FHS 7v7 tourney, placed second at Florida State, and made it to the final four at Miami.

 

Jackson expects Vanguard to throw it a bunch tonight.

 

“We’re both in 6A so I think it’s a good test,” Jackson said. “They’ve won 7-on-7 tournaments we know they’re going to throw it and we know they’re capable of doing it, so now it’s just going out and seeing how we stack up. They’ve got some guys that can go now.”

 

BACKS CLEARED BUT WON'T PLAY

 

Columbia senior running back Jaelin Brown and junior running back Tony Fulton have been cleared by their doctors after missing all of training camp with injuries.

 

Both running backs will still be sidelined tonight though, with Brown recovering from a torn ACL suffered at the end of last season and Fulton from a broken fibula. Jackson says Brown could potentially play in next week’s opener against American Heritage-Delray, while Fulton will be out until at least Week 2 against Bolles.

 

Leo Robinson will likely start at running back tonight.

 

WHO’S KICKING?

 

The Tigers didn’t have a kicker in the spring and they still don’t in the fall.

 

Receivers Marcus Peterson and Brae Deal will the used as kickoff specialists, punters and even potentially on extra points. Peterson served as the team’s punter last season.

 

4-STAR CORNER

 

Columbia cornerback Amare Ferrell was bumped up to a 4-star recruit by Rivals on Thursday after being rated three stars this offseason. Ferrell currently has 15 Division I college offers and was an all-area honoree last season after intercepting three passes with 39 tackles.

 

Ferrell is the second CHS player on the roster with a 4-star rating, joining linebacker/safety Jaden Robinson. Both players also received an offer from South Florida on Wednesday.

[Proseteye]

Unfortunately won't be able to make it Friday for the game. My wife did not tell me she had plans for a get together at a friend's house on Friday and my presence was encouraged. I would normally try to get out of it but this is someone who is coming back from overseas. Hopefully the game will be entertaining and the better team gets the victory. Vanguard will be tough as always. 

[DisabledAccount]

6-6 final for varsity

 

Columbia for the most part was playing shutdown defense and putting heavy pressure on vanguard but the offense struggled to protect Kade Jackson tonight and with our 2 starting running backs out and starting center it caused some issues 

 

I think they win next week over Heritage Delray and if they are healthy I can see them starting 4-0 heading into week 5 with TCA

[Proseteye]

20 hours ago, ColumbiaHighFan2017class said:

6-6 final for varsity

 

Columbia for the most part was playing shutdown defense and putting heavy pressure on vanguard but the offense struggled to protect Kade Jackson tonight and with our 2 starting running backs out and starting center it caused some issues 

 

I think they win next week over Heritage Delray and if they are healthy I can see them starting 4-0 heading into week 5 with TCA

By the way, for your info, starting QB Sr Ronnie Joe Gilchrist did not play on Friday. Don't know the reason. Sophomore Fred Gaskin, a RB, was behind center. I don't think that Gaskin ever took a snap before, with Vanguard, unless it was in the Spring game against Buchholz. 

[DisabledAccount]

1 hour ago, Proseteye said:

By the way, for your info, starting QB Sr Ronnie Joe Gilchrist did not play on Friday. Don't know the reason. Sophomore Fred Gaskin, a RB, was behind center. I don't think that Gaskin ever took a snap before, with Vanguard, unless it was in the Spring game against Buchholz. 

A different QB didn't cause them to not be able to get good protection 

 

I feel very confident Columbia would beat vanguard by double digits if they play again this season regardless of who their QB is 

 

You mentioned one player for Vanguard, Columbia had 4-5 starters out and a QB coming off a week of no practice because of having to quarantine 

 

But based on the lack of discipline Vanguard has I don't expect them to make it out of the same region as a team like Jones

[Jambun82]

On 8/19/2021 at 11:22 PM, Proseteye said:

Unfortunately won't be able to make it Friday for the game. My wife did not tell me she had plans for a get together at a friend's house on Friday and my presence was encouraged. I would normally try to get out of it but this is someone who is coming back from overseas. Hopefully the game will be entertaining and the better team gets the victory. Vanguard will be tough as always. 

Thank goodness that I am not married. 

[Proseteye]

10 hours ago, Jambun82 said:

Thank goodness that I am not married. 

Been married for 46 years and wouldn't trade her for anything. 

[Jambun82]

11 hours ago, Proseteye said:

Been married for 46 years and wouldn't trade her for anything. 

To be fair, I felt that my about my wife as well. Of course, she never would have even suggested missing a high school football game on Friday Night. Proseteye, you have got to stop aging yourself. You have been married longer than I have been born! 

[HornetFan]

On 8/22/2021 at 9:42 AM, Proseteye said:

Been married for 46 years and wouldn't trade her for anything. 

53 years married, and I'm thankful that she puts up with me. 

[Jambun82]

2 hours ago, HornetFan said:

53 years married, and I'm thankful that she puts up with me. 

53 years married to you? That woman should be given a medal and made a Saint! 

[HornetFan]

4 minutes ago, Jambun82 said:

53 years married to you? That woman should be given a medal and made a Saint! 

She would probably second that statement.