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2013 SPRING GAME

BRAVES DEFENSE MANAGES TIE WITH OSCEOLA

KISSIMMEE | With key graduations to playmakers like Eric Carter and Tyler Brown, the Lake Gibson offense searched for replacements for much of Friday’s night spring game with Kissimmee Osceola, and the Braves’ defense stood tall when it had to hold on for a 14-14 tie.

With a little more than a minute to play, Osceola was set up with a first-and-goal at Lake Gibson’s one-yard-line. The Braves stuffed the Kowboys on three consecutive plays, forcing a fumble by Osceola quarterback Daequan Harrison that the Braves recovered in the end zone. Osceola was 13-1 last fall, Lake Gibson 10-1.

Lake Gibson went without a first down in the first quarter, but drew first blood eight minutes into the second quarter. Thomas Boles’ 5-yard touchdown capped a 12-play, 68-yard drive and put the Braves in front 7-0.But it took Osceola just two plays to answer as Harrison scampered 80 yards for a score to make it 7-6.

Lake Gibson extended its lead to 14-6 on its first offensive play of the fourth quarter, a 27-yard touchdown run by Chris Clarke. The junior running back followed Fedrice Binot and K.J. Rattigan around the left side and was untouched on the play.

The Kowboys’ final drive was set up by a fumble from Lake Gibson’s Sammie Jackson following a long pass completion from Trey Congdon that had the Braves set up in Kowboys’ territory. Osceola began at the Braves’ 37 and it took just three plays to reach the goal line, but Lake Gibson stood tall.

“They never gave up on each other,” Lake Gibson head coach Keith DeMyer. “We gave up a lot of yards, but when it came down to it, they were there and they made the play.”

Congdon finished 10-for-18 with 128 yards, but was intercepted once.

“I’m satisfied,” said DeMyer. ”We’ve got a lot of things we’ve got to do, and we’ve got to get better with the mental stuff."

- THE LEDGER

LG DOMINATES REGION, FINISHES PERFECT 10-0

LAKELAND | In their final game of the season, the Lake Gibson Braves dominated Lake Region in a 41-7 victory Friday night at Virgil Ramage Stadium to finish the regular season with an unbeaten record for the first time in school history.

"It feels like something I've never felt before," Lake Gibson coach Keith DeMyer said after the game. "We've had a lot of winning seasons before, but to be 10-0 is something special."

Lake Gibson (10-0, 4-0) struggled early on offense but took advantage of four Thunder turnovers and never looked back. Seniors Tyler Brown, Jordan Smith, and Eric Carter combined to score the six touchdowns while the Lake Gibson defense held the Thunder (2-7, 1-3) to 175 yards of total offense and no offensive scores.

"This bunch has been a fun group to coach," DeMyer said about his senior class. "We've had some good years, and we've been to the finals, but these guys have just been great and been a fun group to coach. And sometimes that makes all the difference."

Lake Gibson junior quarterback Trey Congdon had a notable game through the air, completing 10-of-16 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns.

Lake Gibson's bye week lands on the last week of the regular season, giving the Braves a break before Daytona Beach Mainland comes to visit on Nov. 16.

"The biggest thing with a bye week is rest," DeMyer said.

- THE LEDGER

ERIC CARTER COMMITS TO MINNESOTA

LAKELAND | Eric Carter will be packing plenty of thermals and beanies to play football in college next season. The Lake Gibson senior wide receiver selected the University of Minnesota late Sunday evening over 10 other Division I offers he had, making the announcement on the social media site Twitter to let everyone know that "the recruiting process for me was over."

"I have coaches who follow me on Twitter and I just wanted to make sure everybody knew," said Carter, who has 691 yards receiving with six touchdowns through nine games this season.

Carter initially committed to the University of Cincinnati but chose to waiver on that decision at the end of this past summer because he said he didn't feel like it was the right fit for him. He said he liked Minnesota because of the way its offense is set up.

"They throw the ball a lot, they have a spread offense and some of the route combinations they do are my favorites, like the wheel and the sluggo," Carter said.

The cold will be a big adjustment, but Carter said he'll be ready for it.

"I already know how cold it's going to be, but it's something I'm going to have to adjust to. I'm going to buy everything before I get up there: Thermals, sweaters, hoodies, beanies, gloves, the whole nine yards."

- THE LEDGER

BRAVES BLOCK KHS TO CAPTURE DISTRICT TITLE

LAKELAND | The scowl painted across Kendall Gant's face Friday night didn't look right.

Moments before, the cornerback had just single-handedly secured Lake Gibson's Class 6A, District 10 title when he blocked a 42-yard field goal attempt by Kathleen's kicker, Gildardo Mata, with 19.2 seconds left in the game. He did it in front of nearly 5,000 at Virgil Ramage Stadium.

The final: Lake Gibson 15, Kathleen 13. The win pushed the Braves to 9-0 overall and 4-0 in the district. So why wasn't Gant smiling?

"It shouldn't have to come down to clutch situations," he said. "We can't keep doing this in big time games."

Gant was referring to mistakes because Lake Gibson made plenty of those, especially in the first half. The Braves' first two drives ended in interceptions, and their touchdown in the second quarter looked like it was tipped by Kathleen's Kevin Wilson.

By then, the game should have been 9-6 Lake Gibson but the Braves had a touchdown by Tyler Brown called back two series earlier because of an illegal procedure penalty and, to top it off, missed a 31-yard field goal attempt.

"We shot ourselves in the foot all night long," Lake Gibson coach Keith DeMyer said. "It's frustrating because we move the ball at will from 20 to 20 then get into the red zone and can’t finish. Down the road that's not going to cut it."

Kathleen also couldn't capitalize on some big opportunities, especially late. The Red Devils missed two field goals down the stretch, one early in the third quarter and the one blocked at the end, and quarterback A'Treyu Farrior threw an interception at the start of the fourth on second and seven while Kathleen was on Lake Gibson's 33-yard line.

Kathleen still had the lead at that point, though, behind two big plays from receiver Ja'Von Harrison, who finished with four catches and 101 yards. He caught a 16-yarder in the end zone in the first quarter and then took a short pass from Farrior and hauled it 79 yards, from the right side of the field to the left, for the score.

After the pick by Farrior, Lake Gibson marched 95 yards in 6:55, mostly on the backs of quarterback Trey Congdon and Brown. The Braves made the series count when Congdon scored on a 1-yard run up the middle.

Congdon finished 15-for-24 with 237 yards passing and Brown ended up with 120 yards on 22 carries.

The key was to stop Kathleen on the next drive, though, and Lake Gibson did a good job of that until Farrior found a wide open Marquis Zinnermon down the left side for a 32-yard gain. Two plays later came the field goal attempt and the block.

Kathleen could still have a chance to get into the playoffs, but will need to beat Sebring next week and will need for Bartow to beat Winter Haven.

"I won't take nothing away from them, they're a good football team," Kathleen coach Irving Strickland said. "But we let them off the hook. We didn't take care of business when we needed to and you can't do that against a good football team. They'll make you pay and they did."

- THE LEDGER

BECKLY IS BACK

LG RALLIES TO OVERCOME BARTOW 33-29

BARTOW | Lake Gibson running back Tyler Brown rushed for 123 yards and three touchdowns in a 33-29 comeback victory against Class 6A, District 10 opponent Bartow on Friday night.

The Braves (8-0, 3-0) overcame a 13-0 second-quarter deficit. They forced two crucial Yellow Jackets fumbles to pull out their third district victory of the season.

"We always struggle when we come here," Lake Gibson head coach Keith DeMyer said. "Bartow has some great athletes and they always force us to work hard. We just made the right plays at the right time."

Bartow (3-4, 0-2) led for the majority of the game but relinquished it after a crucial fumble with five minutes left in the fourth quarter. After gaining possession, the Braves drove 37 yards and Brown scored on a 5-yard run with 3:53 left

It was this third consecutive touchdown that rallied the Braves from a 29-14 deficit.

"Tyler's one of those players that can make a huge play from just a bit of space," DeMyer said. "He and (quarterback) Trey (Congdon) struggled early but both came through when we needed them.

Lake Gibson defensive back Kendall Gant preserved the victory when he deflected the final pass attempt by Bartow quarterback Dimitri Leverette.

Fullback Kennard Swanson had two rushing touchdowns for Lake Gibson. The Braves host Kathleen (5-2, 1-1) in their final district game next Friday.

- THE LEDGER

BRAVES DEFENSE DOMINANT IN 26-0 VICTORY

LAKELAND | After an emotional victory a week ago, the Lake Gibson Braves dominated on both sides of the ball to turn back the challenge of Ridge Community 26-0 Friday night in front of an estimated 2,000 homecoming fans at Virgil Ramage Stadium.

The Braves (7-0), who are ranked No. 7 in Class 6A , used a Jordan Ensslin punt to the 1-yard line to set up their first score. Bolts running back E'Shawn Davis was tackled by Kennard Swanson and a host of Brave defenders in the end zone for a safety two minutes into the game.

On the next series, Lake Gibson junior quarterback Trey Congdon found wide receiver Eric Carter for a 5-yard scoring pass to put the Braves up 9-0.

"We started the game out well tonight," Lake Gibson coach Keith DeMyer said. "We have put both phases of the game together before, but this one was good because we did it against a quality opponent."

Defensively, the Braves' defense forced five turnovers, three sacks and held the opponents on downs twice.

"We set a goal for the defense to get three turnovers in every game," Braves defensive coordinator Shannon Arnett said. "If you take away those turnovers, it turns out to be a very good game.

Polk County leading rusher Tyler Brown rushed for 144 yards on 15 carries and now has 829 yards with three games left in the season.

"Everything starts with the running back," DeMyer said. "A win is a win, so we will take it anyway we can get it."

On defense, safety Kendall Gant recovered a fumble and intercepted two passes.

The Braves travel to Bartow next week for a district tilt with the Yellow Jackets (3-3).

- THE LEDGER

ONE OF TYLER BROWN'S THREE TOUCHDOWNSBRAVES FINISH STRONG TO UPEND DEVILS

LAKELAND | The Lake Gibson Braves came back from two scores down in the fourth quarter to beat Class 6A No. 4-ranked Winter Haven 28-24 in a soggy district grudge match in a Class 6A, District 10 matchup on Friday night at The Reservation.

The Braves were down 24-13 with 5:23 left, the victims of a 50-yard field goal, Trey Congdon interception and Winter Haven rushing touchdown — all in four plays.

But Congdon, Lake Gibson's quarterback, came out slinging.

He hit for gains of 12, 15, 24 and finally an 10-yard touchdown toss to Eric Carter; topping it off with a short pass to Kennard Swanson for the two-point conversion to bring the Braves (6-0, 2-0) within a score.

Winter Haven (4-1, 1-1) took over its 37-yard line with a little more than 2 minutes to kill, but on a night where Blue Devils star running back Adam Lane was held to fewer than 100 yards and carried the ball 7 times for a loss, they handed possession back to the Braves with 2:05 left. Lake Gibson used timeouts following first and second down runs before Kendall Gant batted down a pass on third down.

The Braves quickly moved 67 yards down the field in five plays, ending the scoring when running back Tyler Brown pounded 15-yards for the game-winner. He finished with 135 yards on 20 carries and three rushing touchdowns.

The win is a tomahawk strike in the 6A-10 district, putting the Braves in the proverbial driver's seat towards a playoff berth. But Lake Gibson coach Keith DeMyer isn't ready to celebrate.

"We've got Bartow left, we've got Kathleen left … and if we slip up anywhere it could end up being a tie with any of us," DeMyer said.

"Any given team can take this district … just because we won this one doesn't mean it's the championship."

Congdon was 17 of 28 for 196 yards and a touchdown.

In the final minutes of the game, Congdon hit on 8 of 12 for 107 yards and a touchdown.

"I kept preaching to them, ‘Have heart and keep your heads up,''' Brown said. "I told them to keep going until time is up and we came through."

"We knew what we could do and what we were capable of and we showed it today."

Lane ended the game with 24 carries for 72 yards in a game where Winter Haven quarterback Luke Borders did a majority of the heavy lifting on offense.

"Their defense (kept Lane from big gains)," Winter Haven coach Charlie Tate said. "If they weren't out there he would have had big gains."

Tate said Winter Haven is still in control of its future.

"We still control who we are," Tate said. "We win we go to the playoffs. If we don't win we won't be."

Lake Gibson plays host to Ridge Community (5-1) next week.

- THE LEDGER

LG TOO MUCH FOR TENOROC

LAKELAND | It was a homecoming night to forget for Tenoroc on Friday night as the Titans were shutout by Lake Gibson 47-0.

"I thought our kids played hard. We were just overmatched tonight," Tenoroc head coach Dave Robson said.

The Braves dominated the game from start to finish scoring on their first five possessions. While the Lake Gibson offense tallied 436 yards of offense on the night, the defense was just as impressive.

Lake Gibson held Tenoroc to minus-9 yards of offense and just two first downs while sacking Titans quarterback Vic Smith seven times.

Demetrius Brown was the star of the night for the Braves' defense as the sophomore finished with 2.5 sacks.

"They've done that all year," Lake Gibson coach Keith DeMyer said. "They've gotten our offense out of a lot of holes and I hope that they can continue to play that way all year."

While Brown was wrecking havoc on the defensive side of the ball, Tyler Brown was a load for Lake Gibson on offense.

Tyler Brown finished with 121 yards rushing on 19 carries which included a 40-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter. Lake Gibson finished the night with 245 yards on the ground and did so while averaging nearly eight yards-per-carry. Thomas Boles provided the big plays for the Braves' rushing attack, gaining 91 yards and scoring twice on just three carries.

Lake Gibson quarterback Trey Congdon was effective in the passing game for the Braves.

Congdon finished the night 10-for-12 for 181 yards and two touchdowns while adding another score on the ground.

"We were just hoping to come in and play all of our kids and put some points on the board," DeMyer said. "I like how our kids played to their level tonight and not just the competition's level".

Lake Gibson (5-0) will look to improve to 2-0 in district play next Friday in a battle of undefeated teams as the Braves host Winter Haven.

With the loss, Tenoroc falls to 1-4 and will begin district play next Friday night as they travel to Auburndale.

- THE LEDGER

JORDAN SMITH CATCHES HIS FIRST OF TWO TOUCHDOWNS

BRAVES HAMMER SEBRING 41-20 IN DISTRICT GAME

SEBRING - Junior quarterback Trey Congdon threw three touchdowns and Thomas Boles had a pair of long touchdown runs as Lake Gibson topped Sebring 41-20 in the Class 6A District 10 opener for both teams.

The Braves (4-0) defense was stout again, allowing only 13 points before pulling their starters late in the fourth quarter. Defensive tackle Anthony Green recorded a pair of sacks and his teammates prevented Sebring from finding a rhythm offensively.

Jordan Smith and Chris Clarke each caught touchdown passes from Congdon in the first quarter. Smith was the recipient of another score in the third quarter. Boles led the ground game for Lake Gibson with scoring runs of 35 and 45 yards in the second half.

The Braves travel to Tenoroc for a non-district tilt next Friday.

- lakegibsonfootball.com

BRAVES STAY PERFECT WITH 19-10 VICTORY

LAKELAND | Lake Gibson beat Auburndale 19-10 Friday night at Lake Gibson's Virgil Ramage Stadium, in a game that left Auburndale coach Ken Grantham excited about his team and Lake Gibson's Keith DeMyer concerned about his.

"This is the first time in my four years (as Auburndale's head coach) that we've played Bloodhound football — hard-nosed and physical — for four quarters," said Grantham, who played at Auburndale.

"We didn't fall apart, we didn't let the wheels fall off when we got down. I believe we turned a corner tonight."

Lake Gibson (3-0) led 16-10 at the half but added just three more points, on Beckly Njoh's second 40-yard field goal of the night, in the second half.

"They were ready, and we weren't," DeMyer said. "Auburndale took it to us. Our offense never got any rhythm going.”

Auburndale (0-3) managed to take a 10-7 lead in the second quarter on a 51-yard touchdown pass from Brett Taylor to Quintavis Styles and a 40-yard field by Burris Warner.

Njoh tied it with his first 40-yarder and Braves quarterback Trey Congdon, who scored earlier on a 1-yard run, threw a 7-yard pass to Anthony Green, a defensive tackle who occasionally lines up on offense near the end zone.

Congdon passed for 171 passing yards and Tyler Brown had 81 yards rushing for the Braves.

Lake Gibson plays at Sebring next week.

- THE LEDGER

BROWN, BRAVES RUN OVER WALES TO MOVE TO 2-0

LAKE WALES - On a gloomy Friday night before a packed house at Legions Field, the Lake Gibson Braves ran away with a 21-10 victory over the Lake Wales Highlanders. Tyler Brown rushed for 175 yards on 26 carries and a touchdown.

Quarterback Trey Congdon found senior wide receiver Eric Carter on a 32-yard touchdown strike in the first quarter and the Braves carried a 6-3 lead into halftime. The contest started off sloppy for both teams with turnovers, penalties and missed opportunities.

“We don’t know for sure how that front line is going to hold up, so coming in here we were real unsure about our chances running the football,” said head coach Keith DeMyer. “As we progressed through the first half going into the second half we felt like we could really go back to doing what Lake Gibson does well - Run the football.”

Due to a great week of film, Carter and company saw opportunities in the pass game as well.

“During film all week we saw that they were real aggressive on the corners and knew that double moves would be open,” Carter said.

DeMyer continues to be impressed with the defense after only giving up 10 points.

“They did a great job, we are pretty talented over there,” DeMyer said.

Two forced turnovers by the defense led to 10 points for the Braves.

Lake Wales was unable to get anything going offensively. Turnovers and missed opportunities would haunt the Highlanders throughout the night.

“Offensively, I don’t know what the problem is,” said head coach Rod Shafer. “I don’t know if we just have a lot of young kids or what?”

The Highlanders are looking forward to a week off to get healthy.

“We have a bunch of kids hurt right now, it’s a good time to take a week off,” Shafer said. “They beat us tonight, no excuses, it’s our fault… we’ll get it done.”

Lake Gibson will host Auburndale next Friday.

- BHSN

OFFENSE, DEFENSE TOP GEORGE JENKINS

LAKELAND | Tyler Brown ran for 100 yards and scored the game winning touchdown with 8:50 remaining in the game to lead Lake Gibson over George Jenkins 21-14, before 3,000 fans on a muggy night at Veterans Stadium.

Trey Congdon passed for 152 yards and threw two touchdowns to Eric Carter for the Braves (1-0). Congdon also ran 30 yards and was picked off once by Eagles (0-1) defensive back Lavante Byers on a pass deflected at the line of scrimmage.

“We made plays when we had to and our kids made big steps forward tonight,” Lake Gibson coach Keith DeMeyer said. “Our defense also did a great job keeping us in the game.

The Eagles had a lot of chances to win the game if not for the penalties (20 for 167 yards) and two turnovers. George Jenkins running back Trent Rains ran for 66 yards and did his best to get the Eagles the victory, but it wasn’t enough.

Carter finished the game with 100 receiving yards on 8 receptions for Lake Gibson.

The Braves will travel to Lake Wales to play the Highlanders next Friday night.

-THE LEDGER

SWANSON LOOKS TO IMPACT BOTH SIDES OF BALL

LAKELAND | Kennard Swanson isn't a man of many words. But he doesn't have to be on the football field. All he has to do there is mow people down to try to get to the quarterback.

"I don't like to talk too much," said Swanson, a defensive tackle at Lake Gibson who has great explosiveness and speed off the ball.

"I just like to play football."

He does it well. Swanson, an LSU commit, is ranked 118th in Florida by Rivals, a recruiting website owned by Yahoo!Sports.

He's also a PolkPreps.com Super 16 selection, a list of the top 16 seniors in Polk County. To opposing coaches, Swanson, a rising senior, is a headache to plan for.

Last year, he finished with 46 tackles and 11 sacks, even after missing three games because of an injury.

"He's got a pretty good nose for the football," Braves coach Keith DeMyer said. "He may be a little too aggressive at times, but that's a good thing. He could be more vocal and I want him to be more of a leader but he feels most comfortable lining up and going."

He's just as bruising on the offensive side of the ball as the team's fullback, the position LSU recruited him to play.

And he's quick and moves well along the line of scrimmage despite his size. Swanson is 6 feet and weighs 245 pounds. He can run the 40-yard dash in the low 4.7 range.

He started playing fullback as a junior because Lake Gibson needed a short-yardage man.

"I didn't expect him to really do much except be a downhill guy, but he started to move really well," DeMyer said. "That's what really got him noticed by the recruiters, was the way he could run the football."

Swanson's assessment of how he's pretty good in that spot is simple: "I just used what I learn on the d line and use it at the fullback position, use my same explosiveness, my take off off the ball and run over people."

- THE LEDGER

TYLER BROWN READY TO RUN

LAKELAND | When Tyler Brown transferred to Lake Gibson from Bedford, Texas, last season, Braves head coach Keith DeMyer was not sure what his role would be in the offense — besides being another running back in the rotation.

"Tyler got here right before the season started, and we had Anthony Grant returning from the previous season," DeMyer said. "Grant had a good spring, but suffered a high ankle sprain that he just couldn't shake, and it limited what he could do for us."

Grant's injury gave way for more repetitions for Brown, and he made the most of his opportunity to carry the load. The result was a 1,101-yard, 10-touchdown season that landed him on the All-County second team.

Brown is one of this year's PolkPreps.com Super 16 selections, a list of the top 16 rising seniors in Polk County.

"I expect him to be better than he was last year," DeMyer said, "just by being a leader and understanding our offense a little bit more than he did last year."

Brown received offers from Iowa State, Utah State and Western Kentucky. In June, he committed to Iowa State.

"I'm 100 percent committed to them," Brown said. "I like the program, their academics, and what they can do for me in the future at the next level."

With a college decision firmly in place, Brown now wants to focus his attention on the upcoming season.

"I just want to do my part has a leader and help set the pace for everyone to follow," Brown said. "I think as a team we have what it takes to go far this season. With the right goals, right mind-set and all of us working to achieve it, then this is the year for us."

-THE LEDGER

ERIC CARTER WORKING TO LEAVE MARK

LAKELAND | Eric Carter will run from spiders because he's scared of them. That's not the case with linebackers and defensive backs because the Lake Gibson wide receiver said he enjoys the contact. He runs from them because he's good at getting away and putting the Braves in a good position on offense.

Last year, Carter caught 49 passes for 865 yards, averaging 17.7 yards per catch. He also scored six touchdowns as a junior. That performance earned him a spot on this year's Polkpreps.com's Super 16 selections, a list of the top 16 rising seniors in Polk County.

He's hoping to eclipse the 1,000 yard mark this season and help Lake Gibson make a deep playoff run, goals he thinks are attainable because he's worked hard during the offseason to ensure another successful year.

"This summer and spring I have been training tons, running miles, sprints, techniques, working on everything to get my speed up," Carter said.

"I'm a hard worker, a great route runner and I have great hands and I just want to use my skills to help my team win."

Carter has always done the little things to try to get an edge his coach Keith DeMyer said. During the spring of his freshman year, after he transferred into Lake Gibson from Kathleen, Carter was always spending extra time on the field working out. DeMyer couldn't coach him because football practices hadn't officially started, but he saw Carter practicing numerous times and was impressed with his work ethic.

"You could see him doing all the little things to get better," said DeMyer, who also listed Carter's ability to hold onto the football and go up for big passes as another big asset. "He has such great hands, the best pair of hands that I've ever seen in my 14 years coaching," he said.

All those things have gotten Carter noticed.

He's got offers to play football at the collegiate level from Minnesota, Massachusetts, Purdue, Missouri and Florida International University.

To get better, DeMyer said Carter has to work on being more physical. It's likely he'll work on that, too, because he wants to.”

- THE LEDGER

2012 SPRING GAME

BRAVES POWER PAST OSCEOLA IN 37-20 TRIUMPH

LAKELAND | The Lake Gibson Braves have always been known for their running threat. When that doesn't work, the Braves now won't hesitate to put the ball into the hands of rising junior Trey Congdon.

Congdon completed 17 of 26 passes for 261 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Braves to a 37-20 victory over Kissimmee Osceola at Virgil Ramage Stadium.

He threw touchdown passes of 10, 40, 8 and 74 yards on Thursday, hooking up with Jordan Smith for the first two scores and Eric Carter for the latter.

Lake Gibson churned out 391 yards of total offense against Osceola.

Tyler Brown led Lake Gibson's running attack with 75 yards on six carrieswith one score in the first quarter before an ankle injury ended his night.

Lake Gibson got on the board first with a 20-yard field goal by Logan Johnson.

Following a fumble caused by defensive tackle Kennard Swanson, the Braves offense capitalized with a 6-yard touchdown run by Brown to take a 10-0 lead.

Osceola answered with a 13-yard touchdown pass from DaeQuan Harrison to Davantae Small, then took the lead on a 50-yard punt return by Dwight Fagan.

But the Braves responded with a 10-play, 66-yard drive, ending on a 10-yard touchdown reception by Smith in the back of the end zone on fourth down.

On the Braves' next possession, Congdon hit Smith in stride on third down for a 40-yard touchdown to make it 23-14 at the half.

The Braves scored again on their initial possession of the second half when Carter made a spectacular one-handed catch in the back of the endzone. The next time Lake Gibson touched the ball, Congdon found Carter deep down the sideline and he outran the Kowboys secondary for a 74-yard score.

Following the game, Carter received scholarship offers from Minnesota, Iowa State and Marshall.

-THE LEDGER

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"ONCE A BRAVE, ALWAYS A BRAVE"

2012 CLASS 6A DISTRICT 10 CHAMPIONS 2010 & 2009CLASS 4A DISTRICT 8 CHAMPIONS

TRADITION

Located in one of the most fertile recruiting grounds in all of college football, Lake Gibson High School in Lakeland, Florida boasts a powerful tradition that includes eight regional finals appearances, two trips to the state championship game and back-to-back district titles in 2009 and 2010.

STATE FINALIST: