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© St. Petersburg Times, published May 31, 2002
LARGO -- East Lake's offense has been lopsided for so long it's second nature to call the Eagles one-dimensional. All they do is run.
So what did the Eagles do in Thursday night's 22-6 win over host Largo? They put the ball in the air.
East Lake coach Tom Keeler opened up the offense after noticing his only offensive returning starter was quarterback Dan Gale.
Gale threw 10 times and led the Eagles on two scoring drives in the first half. J.R. Wiggins capped the first drive with a 41-yard run and Leo Deartiago ran in the two-point conversion. D.J. Brooks scored the other touchdown on a 4-yard run and Wiggins ran in the conversion.
"(Seminole coach) Sam Roper told me at halftime the skies must be parting because he'd never seen us throw the ball so much," Keeler said. "But we have Gale back and want to use him a little bit more with our passing game."
While East Lake took comfort in its returning quarterback, Largo was looking for a replacement for graduating senior Marcus Paschal. Fred Marshall directed the Packers on a 90-yard drive in the first half, scoring on a 27-yard run. He also ran in the two-point conversion.