Prep football | Playoff atmosphere appears early, often for Bradenton Christian
BRADENTON -- Unlike the rest of the area's football programs, the Bradenton Christian Panthers are gearing up for a Week 2 contest that bears playoff implications.
BCS already has a win-or-go-home mindset as it begins district competition at Tampa Cambridge Christian.
"From a preparation standpoint, our kids have to get hardened to the fact that every week is a playoff-type game," Panthers head coach Allan Gerber said. "In our sport, in the sport of football in the district we're in, we've got to earn ourselves into the dance. It's not like every other sport, where you are automatically in the tournament."
Playing in Class 2A-District 5, BCS (1-0) enjoys the unenviable task of competing in a large district.
That means the Panthers can afford a hiccup, but the margin for error is still small with last year's state semifinalist Largo Indian Rocks Christian expected to emerge as the top dog of the district.
It also means BCS has a schedule littered with district foes.
"Would I like to be in a district that is smaller? Of course," Gerber said. "You schedule the thing to get oiled up a bit and get yourself ready for that."
Quarterback and safety Dusty Peebles transferred to BCS from Braden River. While the Pirates play in Class 7A against locals such as Palmetto and Lakewood Ranch, Peebles has adjusted to life with the Panthers. And that means rising to the occasion to face meaningful games right off the bat, something that didn't happen until later in the year at Braden River.
"We kind of have to start off, (and) get right into it faster," Peebles said. "But we're definitely excited."
Cambridge Christian features a talented
dual-threat quarterback in Garrett Young.
To stop Cambridge, who also opened last week with a victory, the Panthers have to continue to make their opponent one-dimensional.
However, that is a tall order with Young (nearly 2,000 passing yards and 645 rushing yards last year) already wreaking havoc on the competition.
The senior signal-caller threw for more than 300 yards and four touchdowns in last Friday's season opener.
"Containing him is what our goal is," Gerber said. "We want to be able to force him to beat us as a thrower, not a runner. Much like you would defend a (Johnny) Manziel-type player, you force him to be a dropback passer and you don't let him scramble around and extend plays and make plays in the scramble drill. If you can do that, then you have a chance."
If the Panthers can limit Young and escape Tampa with a victory, then a chance at the program's first playoff berth is within reach.
However, there's no rest in 2A-5 as the next district rival, St. Petersburg Canterbury, looms in two weeks.
"The reality of it is this is a playoff game for us," Gerber said. "We can't look at it any other way. ... You don't want to rely on having to have somebody else to win or lose to dictate your future. ... Win this week and let everything else fall in line."
This story was originally published September 5, 2014 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Prep football | Playoff atmosphere appears early, often for Bradenton Christian."