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Foes have no secrets
By KRISTEN LEIGH PORTER LECANTO -- No introductions are necessary for the teams taking the field at 7:30 tonight at Cobra Stadium. Unlike many teams seeing their playoff opposition for the first time, Lecanto (15-4-3) and host Hudson (19-6-1) have split games this season. Panthers junior Josh McKenna had no trouble remembering the Cobras. "The first time we played them was our first game back after Christmas break -- by far our worst game of the season -- and we lost 2-1," McKenna said. "The second time we won 1-0 and it was an evenly matched game." So Lecanto's players and staff will not face an unknown commodity. "They were pretty good up top and their midfield is pretty strong," McKenna said. "They have one really quick forward and a few other quick players, but we'll be right there. We need to work the ball outside and take shots on goal." Hudson won the District 8 title under coach Ron Ladimir, as the top-seeded Cobras beat Gulf 2-0 in the semifinals and outlasted Wesley Chapel 2-1 in the final. "We know pretty much how they (Panthers) play and they know how we play." Ladimir said. "I'd rather have that than be surprised." Ladimir said losing the second game to Lecanto helps his team more than it hurts. "It lets the kids know that hey, if they don't come out ready to play that they can lose," he said. The Cobras' top player is leading scorer Jeremy Enix, who scored both goals in the final and has 17 for the season. David Connors has 15 goals and 11 assists. Hudson's first-year goalie, Travis Miller, missed most of the year with a broken clavicle, but has a 1.14 goals-against average. He shut out Gulf, the highest-scoring team in Pasco County. But Lecanto coach Doug Warren is not worried about what the Cobras bring to the table. "We don't prepare for teams based on what they have, we just play what we have," Warren said. "That's our philosophy for the entire year, not worry about what the other team's doing. Our game plan is the same every game." The Panthers have never won more than one game in the playoffs, as far as Warren knows, and have not made it this far since 1997. "What I told the kids is that our job as coaches is pretty much done," Warren said. "We can make changes during the games but it's all up to kids now." Lecanto gets its scoring from a variety of sources. McKenna is the team leader with 14 goals, and teammates Richard Good (10 goals, 8 assists), Jeremy Cox (7 goals, 9 assists) and Adam Yule (5 goals, 5 assists) are among the threats. The defense is led by Sean O'Hare, while junior keeper Chris Thomashunis has allowed 14 goals. Tonight's winner will face either Orlando Bishop Moore or Jacksonville Bartram Trail in Tuesday's region semifinals. Although McKenna and the Panthers were disappointed in losing 2-1 to Crystal River in the District 7 final, that result and the previous games against Hudson do not matter now. "You've got to start over from scratch and make the best of this opportunity," McKenna said. Staff writer Jamal Thalji contributed to this report.
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