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Ty Ensor hasn't been a football coach all his life. It just seems that way. Ensor, a former football and baseball player at Baker High School (Class of '91), was a high school football coach in Central Florida from 1999-2007. Most of his experience is on the offensive side of the ball. He served as running backs coach at Cypress Creek (1999-2000), as receivers coach at Apopka (2002), as co-offensive coordinator at Dr. Phillips (2001) and as offensive coordinator at Osceola (2006-07). He was also Apopka's head coach from 2003-05. He has twin sons, Hunter and Chase, and has been married to his wife Kristy for 11 years.

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The Gridiron Guru breaks down Lake Brantley vs Spruce Creek and Deland vs Seminole

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Written by Ty Ensor   

#12 Lake Brantley 6-3 at #9 Spruce Creek 7-2  This is a rematch of last years first round game when Spruce Creek was the runner up and Lake Brantley was the district champion.  Spruce Creek traveled to Tom Storey Field and shocked the Patriots 23-22 in route to a regional final appearance where they would eventually lose to Apopka.  This year the tide has turned.  Spruce Creek is the district champion and Lake Brantley must travel looking for revenge from last year.  These two teams got together in the kick off classic this year in a game that Lake Brantley won but that was 10 weeks ago and I don't put a lot of stock in kick off classics.  However, these two teams are very familiar with each other and a little rivalry between a Volusia and a Seminole County school has begun. 
 
Spruce Creek 
 
Spruce Creek is averaging 312 yards a game, 29 points a game and have scored over 30 points in five games.  The Hawks are led by QB Shane Peludat.  Peludat has thrown for 1,300 yards and 12 touchdowns compared to only 2 interceptions.  Over his career he has over 3,000 yards passing.  Peludat makes good decisions and has a good arm.  His top receiver is Andrew Coates.  Coats has 500 yards receiving and four touchdowns.  Coats is a possession receiver that finds a way to get open.  The Hawks use a back by committee philosophy.  Latherius Giles, Adam Lampert and Chase Sofiak have combined for over 1,000 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns.  Giles leads the team in rushing and touchdowns but Lampert and Sofiak have similar stats.  This team really doesn't have a standout offensive weapon but they do a very good job distributing the ball to keep the defense off balance.
 

On defense the Hawks are only giving up 157 yards a game, 11 points a game and five times this year they have held the opponent to 7 points or less.  The defense is led by an impressive group of linebackers in Phillip Bailey, Chris Lickfield and Sofiak.  Bailey, a Mainland transfer, has over 80 tackles and 4 sacks and Lickfield has 75 tackles and 5 sacks.  Andrew Mattox anchors the defensive line.  Mattox, 55 tackles, 12 TFL, and 8 sacks, is one of the best in Volusia county.
 
Lake Brantley 
 
Lake Brantley is averaging 290 yards a game and 25 points a game.  RB Antonio Miles leads the Patriots offense with 1,500 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns.  Miles is the workhorse for the Patriot offense averaging 25 carries a game.  QB Bryce Bergeron, 300 rushing yards, needs to give them another threat on offense.  As of now the Patriots have struggled to find a passing game and a compliment to Miles.
 
On defense the Patriots are giving up 16 points a game and have given up 20 points or more four times.  Junior LB Jordan Rudd leads the team in tackles and the return of LB Jesse Bernhardt gives the Patriots a solid line backing core.  DE Craig Veech, a three year starter, anchors the defensive line. 
 
Prediction
 
This game is a contrast in styles.  Lake Brantley wants to line up and pound you with Miles.  They need to get positive yards on first and second down and try to eliminate any penalties that would force them into 3rd and long.  If the Patriots get into 3rd and long they are in trouble because they don't have much of a passing threat.  Miles will be the best player on the field and they will try to ride him.  Spruce Creek will try and spread out Lake Brantley's defense and force it to make plays in space.  If the Hawks can keep the Patriot defense off balance with the run and the pass they can move the ball.  Lake Brantley's defense has struggled against teams this year that have speed.  I don't think the Hawks pose that kind of problem but they have a bunch of guys that can make plays.  Peludat can not force the ball and give the Patriots a short field or they will make them pay for it.  In a very close game I'll take Spruce Creek by 2
 
 
Deland 5-4 at #6 Seminole 7-2  Both teams find themselves in the playoffs after losing records the previous year.  Deland was 0-10 last year and 37 seconds away from being eliminated from the playoffs this year.  In week 9 the Bulldogs scored twice vs Mandarin including a two point conversion to force a 3 way tie breaker in which they finished as the runner up.  Seminole after losing two early games have won five in a row and come into the playoffs playing very well.  These two teams faced each other in week 2 with Seminole winning 21-6.  Both teams have come along way since that game.
 
Seminole
 
Seminole is averaging 270 yards a game, 34 points a game and has scored 30 or more points six times.  Andre Debose is the best player in Central Florida.  Debose is extremely versatile and does so much for the Seminoles.  He lines up as QB, RB, WR, KR, PR and even plays some defense.  He also is the punter and is a threat to pull it down and run for the first down any time they punt.  Debose has 1,600 all purpose yards and 15 touchdowns.  The move to put Ray Ray Armstrong as the full time quarterback has really paid off.  This allows Debose to do all those different things and makes him harder to defend.  Armstrong has been solid at quarterback combining for over 1,000 yards and 18 touchdowns and has only thrown 1 interception.  Seminole has some other offensive weapons with RB Toby Durham and WR Ryan Sanford.  If you key on Debose, Durham and Sanford can make you pay.
 
Seminole's defense is giving up 11 points a game but if you take away the Spruce Creek and Dr. Phillips game then they are only allowing 5 points a game.  DE Dyron Dye and LB Jarkevis Fields get all the press for this under rated defense.  Dye has 75 tackles and 4 sacks and is being recruited by every major college in the country.  Fields leads the team with 96 tackles and is a three year starter.  DE Charles Thacker and junior DT Thurman Byrd combine with Dye to make up a dominating defensive line.  They are very good against the run.
 
Deland 
 
The Bulldogs have averaged 307 yards a game and 21 points a game.  They have moved the ball but struggled to score once they get inside the 20.  You can contribute this to a very young offensive line.  The Bulldogs are led by RB Mike Gillislee, a UF commit.  Gillislee has over 1,000 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns.  Gillislee is joined by Deante Saunders in the backfield.  Saunders, just a sophomore, has 500 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns.  He is also a threat out of the backfield to catch the ball and has come up big in big games.  QB Justin Roberts has thrown for over 800 yards and 6 touchdowns.  His biggest weapons are RB Kentrell Gillislee and Saunders coming out of the backfield.
 
On defense the Bulldogs have given up 270 yards a game and 16 points a game.  They are led by LB Warren Ward who leads the team in tackles.  DB Dee Browning has 7 interceptions to lead the team.  They have also been getting good play from safeties Vince Coleman and Mark Joyce.  Deland has had a difficult schedule and even though they have given up some yards and points the defense has played pretty well.
 
Prediction        
 
The Bulldogs have been the cardiac kids this year.  Every time you counted them out they responded.  After starting 0-3 they have gone 5-1 in the last six games.  They were down to Mandarin by 14 points with 37 seconds left and won.  They were down to Flagler Palm Coast and had the ball on their own 1 yard line and drove 99 yards in the fourth quarter to win to get into a shootout.  In the first quarter of the shootout Mandarin had the ball with 4th and 1 inside the 25 and and decided to go for it.  Deland came up with a stop and won it in overtime.  The Seminoles are playing extremely well and are gaining confidence.  Seminole has the better talent and should win this game but the game isn't played on paper it's played on the field.  Coach Pettis has done a great job but I'm counting them out one more time.  Seminole by 17
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Buddy Collings is a senior sports writer for the Orlando Sentinel. He has covered high school sports since the 1970s, when you had to get fouled to manage a 3-point play in basketball. Collings graduated from Melbourne High and the University of Florida, then worked for the Gainesville Sun for 12 years before coming to the Sentinel in 1998. In college he began tracking Florida high school sports record and later  published record books. For more than 20 years he has been a clearing house for state records. He is married with three children. You can e-mail Buddy by clicking here.

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Gridiron Guru

Ty Ensor hasn't been a football coach all his life. It just seems that way. Ensor, a former football and baseball player at Baker High School (Class of '91), was a high school football coach in Central Florida from 1999-2007. Most of his experience is on the offensive side of the ball, and he served as a position coach Cypress Creek and Apopka, as co-offensive coordinator at Dr. Phillips, as offensive coordinator and Osceola. He was also Apopka's head coach from 2003-05. He is married with twin sons.

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Charles King is the producer of the weekly Orlando Sentinel Varsity Sports television show. Before that, he created and ran his own high school football Web site, FridayNightFootball.net, from 2002-07. He also developed, produced and co-hosted Friday Night Football, a radio show that broadcast a high school game every week and followed up with a post-game show. The show broadcast more than 90 games, including six state championships. In 2004 he created and produced FNF-TV, a half-hour weekly TV show dedicated to high school football in Central Florida. You can e-mail Charles by clicking here.

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