Improving wasn't good enough for Pasco sack machine

DADE CITY -- Kirk Moats had seven sacks as a junior, good enough for fourth in the county. And as he set goals for his senior year at Pasco, he could have aimed to improve or perhaps reach double digits.

Instead, Moats set his sights on the county record of 19 set last year by Wesley Chapel's Jason Boyd. After five games, Moats is well on his way with 13 1/2, including 5 1/2 in last week's rout of Gulf.

"As the game's actually going on, I don't really notice how many sacks he has," Pirates defensive coordinator Will Dettor said Thursday. "It's as we go back and watch it on film, you stop and say, "Wow. That was Kirk, again.' It's impressive, definitely, but he works hard in practice and earns every bit he gets. He's been preparing himself to put up stats like that since January."

Moats, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound defensive end, is the Pirates' second-leading tackler and has at least one sack in all but one game, a rain-shortened victory over Mitchell. He said the key to his success has been his quickness. Dettor said he's trimmed his 40-yard time to 4.6 seconds.

"You can get off the line before the bigger linemen can move, and then you can swim around them," Moats said. "Speed's the big issue, so the bigger they are, the better."

The sack is an individual stat, one that has him among the state's best, but Moats said every time he reaches the quarterback, it's a testament to his teammates.

"Just having a strong defense allows me to play freely," said Moats, who has 29 tackles and 23 assists. "If I make errors, I know they're right there. I can take a little more risk."

Dettor said Moats is one of his most technically sound players who got that way through a commitment to hard work on the practice field.

"The speed is definitely an asset for him, but he plays with perfect technique," Dettor said.

Moats needs six sacks in five games to break Boyd's record. Of the Pirates' remaining opponents, few pass often, so he'll have to work harder to bring down quarterbacks. Winning is his first priority, but he does catch up with his coaches each week to see where he stands.

"He checks in to see how he's doing against the rest of the state," Dettor said. "I wouldn't say he's obsessed about stats, but he has fun with it, and I know he'd like to get the county record. I think it certainly motivates him."

Tonight's game against South Sumter puts Moats in a strange position. He transferred to the Bushnell school last year and spent two weeks with the team at spring practice. He asked to come allowed back to the Pirates before the season and proved he was worth the second chance.

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