By Andy Warrener
The Laker/Lutz News Correspondent
The 2011 Carrollwood Day School (CDS) football team dropped a 90-point barn-burner to Class 2A-District 5 rival Admiral Farragut and felt the effects for weeks.
Those Patriots (5-1, 2-1) suffered several big injuries that led to another loss the following week to Canterbury, which made it nearly impossible to make the playoffs.
The 2012 version wasn’t interested in repeating history.
CDS fell at Admiral Farragut 36-29 Sept. 28 and lost running back Robert Davis, defensive back Nate Lewis and defensive lineman Max Barge to injuries, but the shorthanded Patriots fought to a 40-19 home win Oct. 5.
Davis, a senior, had been a big part of CDS’ offense this season, racking up 969 yards on 72 carries, 13.46 per attempt, and 12 touchdowns. The Patriots needed someone to step up.
It was Andy Embody who stole the show.
The senior gained 172 yards of total offense, 109 receiving and 63 rushing. Add three touchdowns and two interceptions while handling the punting duties, and Embody was a one-man show.
Embody recorded his first interception on the Crusaders’ (1-5, 1-4) first possession, and scored on a 40-yard pass from senior quarterback Vidal Woodruff on the ensuing drive.
Embody also ran for 34 yards on a critical third down to set up sophomore Elias Earley for a 20-yard touchdown scamper. Embody caught a screen pass on CDS’s next drive and took 20 yards for a score.
Senior tight end Dominic Sicardo added a touchdown catch. It looked like the Patriots would lead 26-7 at halftime, but Embody picked off a pass and then caught a 46-yard touchdown in less than eight seconds of play to send his team into the locker room leading 33-7.
CDS scored on a 1-yard run by junior fullback Jake McCallister after halftime to put the game away.
Max Frankel was also a force for the Patriots defense.
The sophomore defensive back had only a handful of tackles, but two were for a loss including one that knocked the Crusaders (1-5, 1-4) quarterback out of the game. He also picked off a pass in the end zone to stop a Canterbury drive in the third.
Woodruff finished 11-of-16 for more than 200 yards and three touchdowns.
Earley got the majority rushing attempts, recording 78 yards on nine carries. Embody said the backfield of Earley, McCallister and junior Hayden Peek did “pretty well under the circumstances.”
The Patriots travel to district rival Bradenton Christian Oct. 12 at 7:30 p.m.
