It’s elite 8 time in the Best of the Best Tournament and we’ve had some upsets! You can’t simply advance a team for their championships when their playing against some of the best teams ever assembled! Although the match ups are getting really tough, and round three is even tougher. Check out some of the teams that advance to the elite 8! We’ll be announcing the final four Friday afternoon at 6pm on our DuvalSports Kickoff Show streamed live on our website, youtube, and facebook at the Grave Yard! The championship participants and winner will be named Tuesday night 8pm from Gator’s Dockside Baymeadows during our first weekly DuvalSports Show! Come on out and discuss the entire Best of the Best tournament with us!
Now lets get to the action. The debate has been in high gear across all the social media platforms. The fans of football on the first coast feel very passionate about their teams and their football, but alas there can only be one winner.
1996 Union County vs 1958 Gilbert Panthers
The 1958 Panthers defeated the 2002-2003 Trinity Christian Conquerors in the previous round of the Best of the Best Tournament. Gilbert used their incredible depth as RB Bob Hayes came off the bench to score the touchdowns in the second half. Now they face a 1996 Union County team that took down the 2003 Clay Blue Devils. This game comes down to coaching.
Gilbert Was Coached by the Legendary Earl S. Kitchens Sr. Kitchens masterminded the 11-0 undefeated season by defeating Dillard High School.
“Hoping to catch the home team off-guard, Coach Kitchens felt his defense was winning that part of the game, and the time had come for a way to break the deadlock. He felt that his team was to have a strong chance of winning this game; he needed to surprise Dillard and catch them off guard, so he called a special play, one that his coaching foe would not expect, and perhaps had not seen. This winning play would come off as a result of a formation known as the “Penn State Spread”. – Earl Kitchings Jr
From the Westide Gazette
A 34 yard pass by quarterback Oliver Joyce found halfback Willie Haywood out of the backfield, and the Panther line provided the needed blocks to allow Haywood to score. Joyce’s conversion kick gave the Gilbert team a seven point lead. And the defense sealed the win. That Penn State Spread play is what we currently know today as the “Statue of Liberty Play”. Kitchings was an innovator which is why the stadium of the Raines Vikings is named after him. Which is why Gilbert defied the odds and became champions!
Union County was coached by the youngest coach ever to reach 100 wins and be inducted into the Florida High School Athletic Hall of Fame (Class of 2000), Robby Pruitt. Pruitt won seven state championships in just 16 years, three straight at Union County ( 1994, 1995 and 1996). He amassed a record of 167-30, and a 31-6 playoff record. Pruitt won more state football championships than any other coach in Florida high school history. The way he prepares his team is the key to his success.
”We approach every game the same way: We don’t really talk about how good they are when they are real good; we don’t talk about how bad they are if they are bad.We just concentrate on what we’re doing and us getting better. We do the same format, the same routine every week.”
His routine guided Union County to a 52 game winning streak, but just winning was not Pruitt’s ultimate goal, championships were. “What will mean the most is if we win state”, said Pruitt after winning the coach of the year award in 1994. He and his 96 Big Cats wern’t just a winners, they were champions.
**Best of the Best side note: Matthew Gilbert Quarterback Oliver Joyce who captained their team to a championship in 1958, tragically died in a practice collision with another teammate at Florida A&M University in 1959. Sadly, he would never see his team’s official championship recognition in 2008. **
