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Pride Is at Stake for Kathleen, Lake Gibson Tonight
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Courtesy: TheLedger.com By BRANDT MERRITT | THE LEDGER On the field, Kathleen and Lake Gibson are each 4-0 in Class 4A-8 going into tonight's final district game at Johnny Johnson Stadium. In the standings, the Red Devils are 1-3 after being ordered by the Florida High School Athletic Association to forfeit six games last week because of an ineligible player. That gave Lake Gibson the district title and Haines City, now at 3-1 in the district, the runner-up spot. But Lake Gibson coach Keith DeMyer is looking past the standings when it comes to tonight's game. "As far as I'm concerned, they're 8-0 right now and ranked fourth in the state," DeMyer said. Parents of Kathleen's players filed a petition this week asking for an injunction that would restore the six games and allow the Red Devils to make the postseason. But the case was dismissed Wednesday in Bartow, ending the Red Devils' hopes of a playoff run. Coach Irving Strickland said his players took the news hard. "I don't care how tough you are, everybody has heart and emotions," Strickland said. "And (Wednesday) was hard for them." He said he expected his players to be focused on beating their crosstown rival and maintaining a sense of pride by winning "their district championship." Strickland said the most frustrating part is seeing the hard work his staff and players put in after last year's disappointing season go to waste. "We went 5-5 last year, we went through the troubles, and our kids just worked harder to get through all of that," he said. Against Lake Gibson, Strickland said he is most worried about the powerful running attack led by Remi Watson, the county's leading rusher with 966 yards, and Shawndell Artis. He said his team will have to avoid turnovers and establish its own running game to keep the Braves off the field. DeMyer said it hasn't been hard to keep his players focused on the Red Devils, despite having already clinched the district title. "We don't want to be called paper champions," he said. DeMyer said Kathleen's explosive passing offense has him worried. The Red Devils have three receivers (Marcus Cunningham, Jacques Mackeroy and Brayun Andrews) with more than 280 yards receiving and a quarterback, Isaac O'Neal, who has thrown for 1,338 yards and eight touchdowns. He also is anxious to see how well his team can run the ball against the Red Devils' front seven. "I don't think we're going to be able to run the ball a whole lot," DeMyer said. "They're just too good."
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