Balance boosts North to win
Senior running back Devine rushes for 129 yards and three touchdowns in victory
By Terry Brady
tbrady@news-press.com
Originally posted on September 02, 2006
From North Fort Myers High School’s first possession, it was obvious it was going to have little trouble rushing the ball Friday night at Estero.
However, it was Red Knights’ running back Terrance Lewis, not Noel Devine, who started the scoring onslaught.
In the Red Knights season-opening 65-7 victory, Lewis showed the Wildcats (0-2) there was more than one back in North’s backfield they had to worry about.
On Lewis’ first four carries he recorded Devin-like stats scoring two touchdowns and rushing for 87 yards.
Lewis would end the day with 99 yards on five carries.
His first score was from 53 yards out on North’s first play from scrimmage. Lewis bounced to the outside, burned past the Wildcats’ linebackers, cut back up the middle past their secondary and into the endzone.
North’s next possession saw a 26-yard run by Devine, a 25-yard rush by Lewis, who topped off the Knights’ drive putting them up 14-0 with a 7-yard touchdown run.
“It feels real good to get that first game in,” Lewis said.
Although that would be the end of the Lewis jumpstart of the Red Knights offense, Devine and Quenton Washington followed his lead.
Devine rushed for 129 yards on 11 carries with two rushing touchdowns — 65 and 16 yards out.
While 129 yards might be an average day at the office for Devine, the North senior showed a skill that should plant terror in the heart of North’s remaining opponents.
He can catch.
Devine had two receptions totaling 150 yards, one of which was an 88-yard touchdown, which gave Devine three touchdowns on the night.
Devine’s most impressive reception was one he pulled up on.
The 5-foot-8 running back outjumped two defenders who seemed to tower over him and raced down the field for 62 yards.
At around the 15-yard line Devine turned his sprint to a jog and was caught from behind at the Estero 10 by a Wildcat defender who didn’t give up on the play.
Devine enters this season as one of the most highly recruited high school football players in he country with many lists putting him in the top five.
After Estero halted the Red Knights at their 10, the Red Knights field goal team came on the field.
However a bad snap was picked up by Washington, who took it to the endzone with 1:42 left in the half.
Washington would also score on a 45-yard touchdown pass from North quarterback
Bo Billman who went three for seven with 195 yards and two touchdown passes.
While the Red Knights overpowered Estero, the Wildcats didn’t help their own cause losing six of their seven fumbles.
“We shot ourselves in the foot too many times,” said Estero head coach Brian Jones.
“(North) is a good team, you can’t turn the ball over that many times.”
North coach James Iandoli said he was pleased with his team’s performance and was happy to get their first game of the season out of the way.
But it sounds like he might be a Jan. to Feb. verbal type guy who might make a show of his signing
