Place an Ad Calendars Classified Forums Sports Weather

sptimes.com Text-only News sections Arts & Entertainment AP The Wire Business Citrus County Columnists Floridian Hernando County Hillsborough Letters Movies Neighborhood Times News Update North Pinellas North of Tampa Obituaries Opinion Pasco County South Pinellas Sports State Tampa Bay TV Times World & Nation  Find your local news section Weekly sections Brandon Times City Times Homes Outdoors Perspective Personal Tech Taste Travel Weekend Xpress Special Sections Arena football Buccaneers College football Devil Rays Lightning Police reports Schools Seniority Subscriber Services Subscribe Renew Help Advertise Place an ad In print Online Market Info Join Us Internships Scholarships Times Jobs Contact us

10 Pressing Questions

Lakewood coach Brian Bruch thinks the test of a good team is how many players it has to hide. In other words, players that can be exposed and exploited by the opposition.

A cornerback that can't cover (Let's throw his way!). A running back that fumbles (Make sure you grab at the ball!). A weak-armed quarterback (Everyone up to the line of scrimmage!).

Bruch isn't sure he has any such players as he readies for the 2002 season with one of his best teams. But that doesn't mean he doesn't want to hide any of his players -- if he had his way, he'd hide them all.

Bruch never had a chance to keep his team a secret and is slightly uncomfortable with its standing as, potentially, the best in the county this season. "It's terrible," Bruch said. "I like winning football games, but I prefer if we can do it coming from the back of the pack."

That will be tough to do this season since the opposition is expected to hone in on the Spartans, a team blessed with great athletes, a good quarterback and buoyed by a senior-laden defense.

Quarterback Pat Carter laughs at the image of a worried Bruch, a coach he says likes to downplay everything. Carter sympathizes, however.

"When I talk to people, I like to downplay it when everyone is telling us how good we're going to be," he said. "One of our players was on the (school) morning news today talking about beating this team and that team, but I was just like, "The best team will win.' I don't like to put any added pressure on."

That is how it was in 1999, when Bruch had his best squad. Only then, no one knew it until it was too late.

"We were picked to finish second-to-last in the district," he said proudly.

Instead of floundering, the Spartans flourished, coming out of nowhere for an 8-2 season. For this year's squad, an 8-2 season is almost expected, considering Carter said the Spartans' 8-4 record last year was just "okay."

Okay or not, the Spartans did win the first playoff game in school history before losing in overtime to Lake Gibson. Carter officially established himself as the player to watch in 2002, completing 19 of 36 passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns.

In the second half, Carter threw for 191 yards and rallied his team from a 21-7 halftime deficit.

Performances like that have made him a hot recruit along with defensive end Julian Riley, and with a talent pool that runs deep at other key positions, the Spartans could improve on last year's strong season.

Fullback Marcus Anderson (Pinellas County's second-leading receiver last year) is back, as is offensive lineman Mike Hall, and potential stars such as Roshard Davis and Richard Coleman will fill in the middle linebacker holes left by graduation.

"They know they're pretty good," Bruch said. "I just have to make sure they don't get complacent. They have to know how precarious the perch is. I worry about the invincibility of youth."

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright