“I just love the school, love the people, love the coaches” Armstrong said. “It felt like home. They’re like family.”

Armstrong plays offensive and defensive tackle for the Gators, but when he arrives at Mercer he will be moving to the interior offensive line.

“They want me to be a guard or center,” he said. “But it’s basically the same thing (as playing tackle). You do the same thing, but you just want to block the best people.”

Baker runs a misdirection offense in the Wing-T. Armstrong said Mercer lines up in a Power I formation and occasionally goes to a spread offense.

The Bears run the ball about 75 percent of the time, which should play into Armstrong’s comfort zone, but he’s not worried about pass blocking.

Baker coach Barry Gardner sees Mercer as a good fit for Armstrong.

“That’s a great school,” he said. “Coach (Drew) Cronic (the Mercer head coach) is an awesome, dude. They’re very good people and will take care of him.”

Gardner said Armstrong’s football IQ and his footwork will allow him to succeed at the next level.

Armstrong, who is the son of longtime coach Rob Armstrong and Amber Armstrong as well as the older brother of Gator quarterback Kase, will enroll at Mercer in January.

“I want to go get ready with them,” Kurt said. “I want to get stronger and faster.”

PALM COAST — Flagler Palm Coast has started a Defensive Player of the Year dynasty.

Following the two-year reign of pass-rusher Nelson Paul, now a freshman at SMU, there is another Bulldog who could potentially go back-to-back — linebacker Malakai Grant.

The 5-foot-10, 191-pound junior linebacker led the Volusia/Flagler area with 137 total tackles, 77 of which were solo stops. He added a team-high 28 tackles for loss, seven sacks, four forced fumbles, two pass breakups and an interception in helping the Bulldogs (8-3) earn a Region 1-8A wild card.

FPC head coach Travis Roland says one trait has stuck with Grant dating all the way back to his Pop Warner days — relentlessness.

“When he got here as a freshman, he grasped both sides of the ball right away,” Roland said. “You saw a different kind of understanding when he was on defense.

“Productivity is huge for him. He’s always around the football and piling the stat sheet up.”

It’s one thing to simply fill up the box score; it’s quite another to make a huge impact in important games, like the way Grant performed in a crucial district encounter at Spruce Creek in September.

With the Bulldogs set to go down two scores before halftime, Grant burst through a gap at the 1-yard line, meeting Offensive Player of the Year Marvin Scott III in the hole. He caused a fumble, and recovered it, to keep the deficit at 20-14.

"I knew one of the gaps he was going to try would be open,” said Grant, who ended the night with 20 tackles and set up the go-ahead touchdown with a third-quarter interception. “It sparked a fire in us to make us want to go harder, come back and beat them.”

To this point, Grant’s on-field success has yet to translate into college offers. Roland thinks that will change, particularly after speaking to coaches from South Florida and Troy in the open recruiting window over the last month.

That will be on Grant’s mind over the summer, with intentions of attending camps anywhere and everywhere. However, when the fall comes around again, there’s only one goal worth focusing on.

Despite winning 24 games the last three seasons, FPC has not advanced beyond the opening round of the playoffs in Roland’s tenure, bowing out to Orlando Boone, Winter Park and state runner-up Apopka.

Grant, one of three starting linebackers projected to return next fall, sets out to change all that.

“I want to finish out with a ring, to get a ring with all my boys that I’ve been growing up with,” he said. “I want to finally say that we did it for FPC, and we did it for us.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FPC’s Malakai Grant, Volusia/Flagler’s leading tackler, named Defensive Player of the Year

SHALIMAR — After Rocky Bayou’s 49-33 win over Saint Francis Catholic Friday night, Knights Head Coach Josh Childers said he was proud of the fight he saw from his team.

“I thought we fought really hard and we fought all the way through,” Childers said. “They continued to find a way to make things happen in all phases.”

The Knights got off to a good start early, ending the first quarter with a 14-0 lead.

The Knights would add to their lead early in the second quarter with a 2-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Aaron Grabinger to senior wide receiver Will Ferguson.

St. Francis would not go down without a fight, however. The Wolves offense scored on back-to-back drives to cut the lead to 7.

The Knights took a 28-14 lead to halftime and would score first in the third quarter to take a 35-14 lead. St. Francis would again score on back to back drives, but a blocked point after attempt left the Knights with an eight-point lead.

After much back and forth in the last five minutes of the game, Rocky Bayou put a dagger in it with a Will Murray 22-yard touchdown run.

It was only the Knight’s second win of the season, both of which came at home. Tonight’s win was even sweeter for Childers as it was the last for a senior group that he loves so much.

“They’ve meant a lot,” an emotional Childers said. “We’ve been through a lot. It’s a great group of guys and I’m very proud of them and what they’ve accomplished. There’s not been a better group that’s come through Rocky Bayou. There’s no more class and character than these guys.”

Stat of the night: 475

That would be the amount of yards the Knights offense put up. The majority of the yardage came on the ground, 366 yards to be exact. The other 109 yards came through the air.

OFFENSIVE MVP(s): Will Murray and Will Ferguson, Rocky Bayou

The Knight’s 1-2 combo stepped up big, just like they have all season. Ferguson finished with 53 yards, while Murray ran for 145. The senior duo was responsible for 5 of Rocky Bayou’s 7 touchdowns.

“They’ve started taking their roles even more seriously,” Childers said. “I think as they’ve progressed through the season they began to take on the burden of ‘We need to be the leaders on the team’ in executing, making the big plays, whatever it may be.”

DEFENSIVE MVP: Johnny Linn, Rocky Bayou

The junior finished the night with three solo tackles, including a big sack on a Saint Francis fourth quarter drive.

“Coach Cain told me to go get the quarterback so I went and got the quarterback,” Linn said. “My teammates keep me going every play and I just love being super hyped up.”

Linn also assisted in 8 tackles, but his ability to hype up the defense makes him the real MVP.

“He’s a maniac,” Childers said. “He’s a wild man through and through. We’ve called him our hype man for a long time and I think he embraced the role even more tonight.”

QUOTABLE:

At one point in the season, we had the second toughest schedule in 1A-3A, so that means we had one of the toughest schedules in all of the state of Florida and to see our guys embrace that and wear that as a badge of honor despite the losses I think it’s the character of who they are. It’s like it’s in their DNA. They’re men of character as the Bible talks about with David’s mighty men: men of valor, that’s really who they are. -Coach Childers on his team this season

UP NEXT:

Rocky Bayou ends their season with a 2–7 record.

NOTES:

– Rocky’s Grabinger went 8-19 with 109 yards and 3 touchdowns

– Grabinger and Jonah Needham each had a touchdown for the Knights

– Rocky’s Sam Brewer had 1 solo tackle and 6 assists

– Saint Francis’ Tyler Stone went 12-25 with 305 yards and 3 touchdowns

Will Murray takes it in to extend Rocky's lead 48-27 with 3:24 left in the game pic.twitter.com/JQUxGwQkfk

— Ashleigh Wilde (@cnbAshleigh) November 2, 2019

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Rocky Bayou defeats Saint Francis Catholic on Senior Night

CRESTVIEW — Tim Hatten is excited about his seventh year of coaching Crestview High School football and his thirty-second year overall.

“It’s always fun coaching high school football when you’re able to move to another year and use the same plan, but different players,” Hatten said.

The Bulldogs might look a little different this season, but their explosiveness remains the same.

“We’ve got some playmakers in different spots on offense and defense,” Hatten said. “We’re really excited about the talent level of this team. We’re not short on talent by any means. “

The team’s offensive line will be led by seniors Cade Kootsouradis and Camren Moffett. The offensive line will look to protect senior running backs Taylor Scarbrough and Rawson Mack, along with triple-threat junior Marquis McCoy.

“I think you’re going to see some production out of these guys. I mean we’ve always seen production so there’s no reason to not see it,” Hatten said. “I think that’s the most exciting thing is to take those players that you felt like needed some more touches and they’re the guys now. They’re the guys we’re counting on.”

On the defensive side of the ball, the Bulldogs will look for leadership from seniors Tyron Washington, Terrell Holiday and Jaheim James. The trio brings a combination of experience and depth that Hatten hopes will lead to big plays.

The Bulldogs’ goal for this season is simple: Make the playoffs and go all the way. The team came close last season, losing to Armwood in the state semifinal.

“I think the kids understand where the program is in terms of the success we’ve had in the past and I think the expectations from themselves are higher,” Hatten said. “You want to improve every year if you can. We think we can be very successful.”

The Bulldogs kick off the 2019 season at home on Friday, August 23 at 7 p.m. against Vernon High School.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview Bulldogs preparing for explosive season