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CRYSTAL RIVER 64, WESTPORT 32: The Pirates rush for 478 yards and cruise.
By KRISTEN LEIGH PORTER
© St. Petersburg Times, published October 19, 2002
CRYSTAL RIVER -- The Pirates' tried and true ground game outgunned Ocala West Port's aerial assault for a 64-32 homecoming victory.
Crystal River rushed for 478 yards compared with 36 for the Wolf Pack, who had 289 passing yards.
The Pirates' only completion was a 53-yard touchdown from Chris Bunch to his brother, William, that put the Pirates ahead 43-19 after the two-point conversion.
Senior Ryan McNally had 191 yards and three touchdowns, and junior Chianta Smith had 98 yards and two touchdowns. McNally gave credit to the offensive line.
"The holes were wide open. You could ride a truck through it," he said. "John McKethan had a great block on the traps, and Richard Drawdy and everybody had a great game."
West Port's touted junior quarterback, Bobby Kissane, was 18-for-31 for 259 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.
Scott O'Steen, who sacked Kissane three times and almost had a fourth, said the Pirates (5-2) knew what they were up against. "They could have hurt us with their passing," O'Steen said. "But just working on our stunts and getting off the ball really quick and being able to provide pressure in the backfield took most of the load off our secondary.
"We were keeping the quarterback on his toes."
West Port (2-5) trailed 21-13 after Kissane's 20-yard touchdown pass but trailed 35-13 at halftime. Wolf Pack coach Alex Castaneda said his quarterback played well despite the pressure.
"We couldn't stop anything," Castaneda said. "And we just got behind. The line started blitzing us."
The Pirates have an important District 3 matchup at North Marion on Friday. But McNally said they would savor this victory. "We wanted to come out, play hard and do our best so we can remember it and tell our kids how we did in our last homecoming game," McNally said. "I think we did good."