Last season, Timber Creek had a regular season record of 9-1, winning one playoff game against Olympia High school before being eliminated in the playoffs by state powerhouse Apopka 56-14. The 2012 football season was a very successful one that made fans proud.
The 2012 varsity squad had 17 starters graduate, which can be very difficult to overcome. It left the 2013 varsity team fairly inexperienced and young.
According to Head Coach Jim Buckridge, the new crop of seniors has filled in well. In particular, senior quarterback Stuckey Mosely. “Stuckey has stepped up and has been a leader in the locker room,” said Buckridge.
Despite their inexperience, Buckridge stated “We want to compete for a district title. That’s the goal. We want to compete week in and week out.”
But their inexperience showed Aug. 30 against Dr. Phillips as they were defeated 35-0 at home in the regular season opener.
Dr. Phillips went into halftime winning 14-0, but crushed any hopes the Wolves had of making a second half comeback, when they came out in the third quarter and put up 14 more points, extending their lead to 28-0. Dr. Phillips scored another 7 points in the fourth quarter, finishing with 35. Their defense smothered Timber Creek’s offensive unit, giving up only 267 all purpose yards in the win.
The running game was one bright spot for Timber Creek. The Wolves rushing attack was led by junior running back Jacques Patrick. Patrick had 102 yards on 24 carries, averaging 4.25 yards per carry. And as a team, they rushed for a total of 119 yards on 35 carries.
Although they were effective running the ball, 35-0 was not the results any of the players or coaches were looking for. “It was a wakeup call. Our heads were too big and we were definitely humbled,” says senior linebacker Josh McPherson. “It motivated us to practice even harder and watch even more film.”
Junior cornerback Matt Henderson said the game was “definitely a wakeup call… it showed how much more work needs to be done.”
However, the Wolves do seem to be responding well after the loss to Dr. Phillips. “We’ve had a great week of practice and we’ve put the loss behind us,” stated Buckridge.
This may have been just what the team needed to be successful the rest of the season. They certainly seem motivated to prove the naysayers wrong and to prove to themselves that they are a good football team.