SARASOTA — There’s nothing better than having options, and Out-of-Door Academy has a couple of options in generating points. The Thunder can pound the ball with senior running back A.J. Strong or they can hit you quick with a brother-to-brother connection in quarterback Brian Ragone and wide receiver Chris Ragone.
It’s all worked well for ODA (8-1), which hosts St. Petersburg Admiral Farragut at 7:30 p.m. today in the Class 1B-Region 3 semifinals at Twin Lakes Park in Sarasota.
Strong has been the main catalyst in ODA’s attack.
The shifty tailback has rushed for 1,259 yards and 19 touchdowns and has went over the 200-yard mark in a single game twice this season.
“I just try to bring a high level of energy,” Strong said. “I try to keep everybody happy. They think it’s fun when I yell and scream. I try to keep everybody happy. That’s what I bring to the table, besides my athletic ability.”
Add the Ragone brothers to the mix, and the Thunder have a couple weapons of destruction for a defense.
Brian Ragone has passed for 1,058 yards and nine touchdowns, and Chris Ragone has been on the other end of 26 receptions for 599 yards and seven touchdowns.
“We’ve just had a work-man like and business-like mentality to where we just stay focus,” ODA coach Brett Timmons said. “That’s a testament to these young men, and they kept their eyes on the prize and kept working and not get distracted by things we can’t control.”
For the Thunder’s sake, they need to control a speedy Admiral Farragut offense. The Blue Jackets (5-3) have rushed for 867 yards and nine touchdowns combined and passed for 259 yards and four touchdowns.
“We have experience,” senior linebacker Jaime Onufrak said. “We have to come out and play hard and move on the next level.”
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