Final Panthers Intrasquad Scrimmage Excites Fans

By  //  November 4, 2012

Team Florida Tech Downs Team Panthers 34-12

 VIDEO ABOVE: FloridaTechSports.com recently caught up with Collin O’Neal in the new Varsity Training Center on the Florida Tech campus. He talked about the start of Florida Tech Football, practice, the changing of his position and the upcoming inaugural 2013 season.

Plenty of Highlights As Players Bid For Starting Jobs In Final Scrimmage of the Year

BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – Playing on campus for the first time before the largest crowd yet to see a college football intrasquad scrimmage in Melbourne, Team Florida Tech knocked off Team Panthers 34-12 Saturday at Panthers Field.

Freshman running back Gary Holmes of West Palm Beach’s Seminole Ridge High School ran for 143 yards on 22 carries, including a 63-yard breakway TD in the second quarter. Holmes also caught two passes, taking one 50 yards for another touchdown. (Image by Amanda Stratford)

The final scrimmage of the year was part of the school’s annual homecoming festivities and allowed fans to gauge how much progress the squad has made since its first official practice in August.

There were plenty of highlights to go around and a number of players solidified starting jobs going into spring drills before the Panthers start play official games in earnest next fall.

For Team Florida Tech, freshman receiver Dalin Modician from Apalachicola caught six passes for 102 yards and sophomore Collin O’Neal of Auburndale had eight catches and scored two touchdowns.

On the ground and through the air, Team Florida Tech also sparkled.

Freshman running back Gary Holmes of West Palm Beach’s Seminole Ridge High School ran for 143 yards on 22 carries, including a 63-yard breakway TD in the second quarter. Holmes also caught two passes, taking one 50 yards for another touchdown.

Junior quarterback Daniel Owen, a transfer from Los Angeles Valley College, was 17 of 23 passing for 234 yards and three touchdowns.

Steve Englehart is the head football coach for Florida Tech. (Image courtesy Florida Tech)

“It was fun,” Florida Tech head football coach Steve Englehart said. “This field has taken on such a transformation since the very first day we started practicing on Aug. 12. We’ve come a long way in a short period of time. It’s exciting to see, and I know we can get better.”

Team Panthers jumped out to a 2-0 lead early on a safety, but didn’t score again until sophomore kicker Justin Ramsaran of Palm Bay booted a 34-yard field goal less than five minutes into the third quarter. Team Florida Tech led 14-2 after one quarter and 24-2 at halftime.

Freshman quarterback Sean Ashley of Dallas, Ga. led the Team Panthers attack connecting on eight of 15 passes for 114 yards and a touchdown to freshman receiver Daniel Fernandez, who played prep football at Steinbrenner High School in Lutz.

Time of possession told the tale of the game for both squads. Team Florida Tech controlled for a total 32 minutes and 48 seconds to Team Panthers 27 minutes and 12 seconds.

“I was great having a crowd here on-campus,” Englehart said. “It felt like a real college football game with the tailgate party. I think everyone had a lot of fun.”

Workouts resume next spring to prepare for the Panthers first official game against Stetson at Palm Bay High School on Sept 7 in Florida Tech’s inaugural season.

1 Comment

  1. What a time ME AND MY FAMILY HAD Saturday !!! I’ll be a season ticket holder and I’ll make 2 away games next year Ave Marie in South Florida being 1 of them . This will be cool being a fan from the start and if we can be as loyal as Gator fans ‘sell out our home games’BE LOUD kids will want to come want to be a part of this . Let’s Go PANTHERS !!!!!

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