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Farragut, Shorecrest lay title hopes on line

Their approach to tonight's game is different, but both teams know what is at stake.

By LAURA LEE
© St. Petersburg Times
published October 18, 2002

ST. PETERSBURG -- The hype.

Admiral Farragut coach Mark Robertson has embraced it, telling his players this is the game of their lives.

Shorecrest coach Phil Hayford has discounted it, preaching business as usual. In a game that could determine the district championship, the Blue Jackets and Chargers will match their styles against each other in tonight's Class A, District 8 showdown at Farragut.

"Whoever wins this game will be in the driver's seat," Robertson said.

This isn't the way the Blue Jackets thought it would go down. Fullback Gates Garcia had it plotted out. Week 9: Keswick Christian and Admiral Farragut would be tied at 3-0 in the district, playing for the championship.

But the unexpected happened.

"I guess you can call it an upset," Garcia said of Shorecrest's 29-14 victory over Keswick on Oct.4. Now with a victory tonight, the Chargers practically could claim the title outright.

If the Blue Jackets win, they still would have to beat Keswick to ensure the championship. It would be a first for Farragut. Shorecrest last won a district title in 1998.

At 5-1 (1-0 in A-8), the Blue Jackets have won by an average of almost 35 points.

Although Farragut has won the teams' past two meetings, that history means little to the Chargers. Despite two losses, Shorecrest (4-2, 2-0 in A-8) has been handling teams its own size, losing only to Fort Myers Evangelical (receiving votes in the Class A poll) and 2A Crescent City.

The Chargers will be short-handed for the rest of the season, losing senior starting quarterback Matt Lettelleir to a broken leg sustained during the first quarter of last week's victory over Freedom. Junior backup Ryan Iacovacci made a good start as the replacement with 111 yards and three touchdowns on five carries. The Blue Jackets are pumped. With school closed Monday, Robertson held a voluntary film session, and almost the entire team came.

"They were just jacked up and ready to play," Robertson said.

The Chargers seemingly are calm.

"I'm not going into this game with any more emotion than any other game," senior running back Chris Rucker said.

But he did not say his team doesn't know what's on the line.

"It's one of those unstated things," he said.

Despite all this game is worth, Hayford said he isn't coming to any conclusions based on it. The season doesn't end tonight.

"There are still a lot of possibilities running out there," he said.

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