Young blames himself for football loss to Edison
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In its biggest game of the season -- where a victory meant a berth in the state playoffs for the first time in five years -- the Key West High School football team fell on its face. And a player who was kicked off the team three days earlier said it was his fault.
The Conchs committed four turnovers and were riddled by Jackson's passing attack in a 35-0 defeat Friday night in Miami. Jackson clinched second place in District 16-3A behind Booker T. Washington and will go to the state tournament.
"A mismatch," said Key West coach Jerry Hughes. "We can't play teams with a whole lot of speed. We gave up 21 points right from the start."
Key West (5-3 overall) played without swift senior defensive back/receiver Phillip Young, who was dismissed from the team last week for skipping class. Young had already been suspended twice this season for disciplinary reasons.
"If Phillip had been there, it would have been different," said senior running back Michel Sohi on Saturday. "He just let us down."
"I did," Young said Sunday at the city pool, where he is a lifeguard. "I've been trying to tell everyone I'm sorry. When I heard the score, I felt real bad because I feel it was my fault."
For Hughes, who said he wasn't sure if the Conchs could have beaten Jackson even with Young, the change in the player's attitude this season has been his biggest surprise.
"He's been different since he became a state [hurdles] champion [last spring]," Hughes said. "He couldn't handle success."
Young disagreed, but said, "I've just been screwing up. I guess I wasn't caring enough about football. Me and coach Hughes have been knocking heads all season."
He said personal issues have affected his behavior, but didn't elaborate. Bradley Geide, a senior lineman, said, "He got into the wrong crowd in the Florida Keys."
Young's actions likely will cost him a football scholarship to Central Michigan University, Hughes said, adding that he won't be able to talk favorably about him to football recruiters other than to say he has a lot of talent.
"I'm not going to put my integrity on the line," Hughes said. "I haven't in 40 years."
Young hopes to get a track scholarship from Florida International University, but Hughes said it probably would be a partial one.
Young wasn't the only teammate Sohi and Geide were upset with on Saturday.
"After we got down [Friday night], once it got to a certain point, a lot of people started giving up," Sohi said, adding that some players talked about not practicing this week for the season-ending homecoming game against Ferguson at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
"That's the Key West mentality," Hughes said Monday morning. But in the afternoon, everyone showed up.
