By Mike BieleckiVERO BEACH – Shorecrest Preparatory School makes the long drive from St. Petersburg to play at St. Edward’s on Friday at 7 p.m. and the Pirates will be aiming to spoil their three hour road trip.
Relying on 100-plus yard performances from Cameron Budde and Kollin Kite, the Pirates controlled their game against Coral Springs Christian last week at home. SES Coach Brad Fojtik wants to do more of the same this week. “Cam’s really stepped up,” said Fojtik. “He’s 205 pounds and bench presses 375 pounds. It’s a real luxury for Kollin to run behind him.”
Budde scored 3 TDs and gained 108 yards on 8 carries last week, while Kite scored twice and went for 132 yards on 14 carries. “I played Cam at offensive line three years ago,” said Fojtik. “It helps him now at running back; to see a play develop up front, to learn what it takes to block, and to know what position you need to be in to throw a good block.”
Shorecrest lost last week to St. Stephens 27-7. Shorecrest QB Hunter Tremaine ran all over the Pirates a year ago, breaking off touchdown runs of 24, 45 and 51 yards. These runs accounted for most of his 153 yards, and Shorecrest handed SES a 42-7 loss.
Tremaine, now a senior, will be a marked man on Friday.
“The coaches have watched a lot of film last year and broken it down,” said Fojtik. “Their offense is designed off the wing-T, but is played from the shotgun and features a lot of motion and fakes.”
The Pirates worked hard for their recent success, and Fojtik says their conditioning has made a big difference. “We’re in our best physical shape ever, and the conditioning obviously shows. The Coral Springs coach even commented about how good our conditioning was, and that’s quite an honor,” he said.
After thrashing Coral Springs Christian at home 42-0 last week, St. Edward’s has momentum going into their game against Shorecrest. The long ride to Vero Beach factors in with the home field advantage for the Pirates, and the defensive brain trust for the Pirates must neutralize Tremaine. St. Edward’s is in for a fight against this tough rival, and it could be an even matchup. It’s tough, though, not to like the Pirates at home.
