By DAN HOEHNE
By DAN HOEHNE
daniel.hoehne@newssun.com
AVON PARK - It's been a trying season for a pair of young teams, learning to find their respective ways.
And while Sebring's ended on a high note Friday, in a 36-0 win at Avon Park, both have a lot to look forward to.
"It's been an adjustment for me and the players," first-year Red Devil head coach Lee Brown said afterward. "Bringing in a new system, a new culture, it's a learning period. And that doesn't even include the freshman who weren't here in the spring and had to learn on the fly."
Which often lead to mistakes, both physical and mental as the season, and this game, moved along.
After receiving the opening kick, Sebring rode their workhorse, running back A.J. Gayle, on a 16-play, 65-yard drive that ate up the first 7:49 of the game and culminated in a one-yard Gayle plunge for a 7-0 lead.
Gayle carried 11 times on the drive for 60 yards.
Avon Park then got things moving a bit, as the quarterback platoon of Ryan Dick and freshman Damon Braswell each had their moments.
Dick ripped off a 21-yard run on a keeper and Braswell completed an 11-yard pass to Steven Roberts.
Then a little razzle dazzle was put into action as Braswell tossed a pass along the line back to Dick, who sent a pass downfield for a 29-yard gain.
But a penalty, a bad snap and an incomplete pass short-circuited the progress made and forced a punt.
Further snafu's would come back to haunt the Devils when, after a 59-yard Gayle run, defensive back Jarviel Hart got into the backfield on a second-and-seven, sacking Jari Watson for a loss.
This lead to a punt, but another penalty gave Sebring a first down.
Two Gayle runs went for short yardage and the Streaks' Hunter Livingston attempted a 34-yard field goal against a slight, cool breeze that came up short.
Having avoided that scoring threat, Avon Park got the ball back at the 20, but promptly saw a pass picked off by Jacquae Peart, giving the Streaks possession at the 17.
Davaris Faulk then took a handoff and raced around the left end for the score to make it a 14-0 lead.
The next Devil drive seemed stopped, but Hart broke off a long gain on a fake punt to get it to the Sebring 28.
But a sack and a reverse that went for minus-two yards soon saw the drive again stalled and the half would soon end with the two touchdown Sebring lead.
Things took a turn as the second half got underway as the opening kickoff was fumbled, giving the ball to Sebring, and Avon Park linebacker Lacy Turner lay in pain on the field with what is believed to be a broken elbow.
After Turner was attended to and taken for further care, the Streaks went right to work, with Ladante Harris taking a reverse 31 yards, Gayle a handoff for four yards and Faulk for 20 to the one.
Faulk then covered the final yard and Harris took in the two-point conversion and the lead was 22-0 at the 10:14 mark of the third.
From there, both defenses locked in, save for a 58-yard Gayle touchdown run that was called back on a penalty, and it went into the fourth quarter with the scoreboard unchanged.
"We were trying to get (Gayle) 200 yards tonight," Sebring head coach LaVaar Scott said. "He had it too, if that run doesn't get called back."
He came close though, as Gayle would total 182 yards on 30 carries.
But the rest of the scoring came via the Blue Streak defense.
On a first and 20 early in the fourth, Dick dropped back under heavy pressure.
Sacked near the end zone, the ball came loose and senior lineman Ezell Gammage pounced on it for a touchdown at the 8:15 mark.
Livingston would split the uprights and make it a 29-0 lead.
Then, with little more than two minutes remaining and the ball just past midfield, Sebring forced another fumble and there was Gammage again to get it.
And not only get it, but scoop it up and rumble the remaining 55 yards for his second touchdown in six minutes, to provide for the final margin.
"It's been a tough year, but these kids kept playing hard, right up until the end," Brown said. "I give them a lot of credit for that. And with as young as we are, we have time to get back to work and get them ready for next year."
Scott, too, took the positives out of the season.
"It was nice to get a win to finish up and give us some momentum, it's been a while," he said. "We did some things well and there are still things we need to get better at. But I've got 42 players over there that will be back and that gives me a lot to work with."
Sunday, November 11, 2012 - www.newssun.com/SUN-11-11-12-APSebFB