Preps

Tie does a number on Panthers

The tricky formula used to decide the boys district pairings came down to simple arithmetic.

By virtue of identical 9-1-2 records, it was widely thought that Citrus and Lecanto would tie for the top seed in Class 2A, District 7 based on winning percentage.

Citrus then would get the No. 1 position based on its road victories, and Lecanto would be No. 2.

But as Lecanto coach Doug Warren figured out Saturday when looking at this year's Florida High School Activities Association manual, that was an incorrect calculation.

"All of a sudden I found this paragraph that said seeding and bracketing," Warren said. "I'm like, "Uh, okay.' Then I'm like, "Wait a minute,' as I start adding it up on paper and Crystal River has better points than we do."

The line that reads that each school is seeded based on points it accumulates in the two games played against all district opponents during the season.

Three points are awarded for each victory over a district opponent, and one point is given for each tie.

Warren did the math, and his assumption was proved when the seedings were released Monday.

With Crystal River having a 10-2 record, the Pirates racked up 30 points to receive the top seed. Citrus and Lecanto each had 29 points. By tying Citrus 1-1 on Dec. 4 and Jan. 13, Warren's Panthers missed out on valuable points.

Until about two weeks ago, Lecanto led the pack with an 8-0-2 mark and was the only team without a district loss. Then the Panthers went on the road to Crystal River -- a team they had beaten 1-0 on Dec. 6 -- and lost 2-1 on a last-second goal.

But because Lecanto lost an away game and Citrus defeated Crystal River on the road, Citrus got the higher seed.

"We're better than what our record is," said Warren, whose Panthers are 13-2-2 overall. "We should have won the district. The district seed was ours to take, and we just didn't do it."

As district play begins next week, a case can be made for parity among the top three seeds.

Crystal River beat Citrus 3-1 in the second game of the season, only to fall 1-0 on Dec. 11. Lecanto defeated Crystal River 1-0 on Dec. 6, then lost Jan. 15.

None of the county squads had trouble with No. 4 Dunnellon (4-8) or fifth-seeded Hernando (3-9), who battle Monday for the right to play the No. 1 seed.

"I don't think you can look down on paper and say who would be the favorite," Warren said.

"I don't think there's anybody clear-cut among the three teams who can say they've stepped up over the season and shown their team is going to win it," he said.

Based on the seeds, No. 2 Citrus and No. 3 Lecanto should meet in Wednesday's semifinals.

On Monday, the Hurricanes play No. 7 North Marion (2-10) and the Panthers go up against Ocala West Port (3-9).

Warren said it would be nice to settle which team is better, since there are no ties once district competition starts.

"I wish we hadn't tied. That's what hurt us," Warren said.

"If we hadn't tied against Citrus, obviously one of us would have won or lost. But it seems to be better to get a loss than it does to get a tie the way we have our district set up."

The Panthers recently beat Springstead, which was a win away from the final four last season and is the top-seeded team in Class 3A, District 7.

Lecanto followed that with a home victory over Hudson, which has been state ranked, and a win at Central.

Warren is looking for players to step up, such as junior Josh McKenna, who has three goals in the past two games.

"We're playing well right now, so it's kind of like we're peaking at the right time," Warren said.

"Unfortunately, I haven't played my starting lineup for a week and a half due to injuries and sickness."

The Panthers were scheduled to play River Ridge on Thursday and have a make-up game with Springstead tonight.

Then Lecanto will be back in action Monday for its 6 p.m. meeting with West Port, instead of waiting until Wednesday's semifinal as the No. 1 seed.

"That's part of the season," Warren said. "You've got to live through it all. It doesn't make it easy."

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