"I can't say that. I like my wallet." - SCOTT SCHMITZ, Mitchell coach, who didn't want to incur a fine for criticizing officials after Friday's 13-6 loss at Land O'Lakes. Gators' safety Drew Weatherford intercepted the Mustangs' last pass to end the game. Another defensive back appeared to make contact with wideout Cody Early on the play, but the officials did not rule it was pass interference.
MAYBE HE'LL GET FINED
Had the scoreboard been kinder to the Pirates, it might have been more amusing.
Pasco senior Donte O'Neal did his best Warren Sapp impersonation Thursday, running through the south end zone at the end of halftime while the Wildcats did their stretching in preparation for the second half.
O'Neal wasn't penalized or anything, and Pasco came out the more intense team in the third quarter, scoring both touchdowns in a two-minute span to cut the Wildcats' lead to 17-14.
Unfortunately for the Pirates, that was the end of their scoring, and O'Neal didn't do much running through the Wildcats the rest of the night, let alone in the end zone.
PULLING OUT ALL THE STOPS
For better or worse, both coaches pulled out all the stops in River Ridge's 20-17 win over Ridgewood on Thursday night.
Rams coach Troy Cornwell turned the offensive play-calling over to assistant (and former girl's basketball coach) Gary Zimmerman.
Up 7-0 in the first quarter, his running game bashing the defense again in the second, a pass was called from quarterback Pete Bennett to tight end Dean Brooks down the middle. Brooks was wide open and headed for the end zone, but he bobbled the ball. River Ridge cornerback Sam Bell intercepted the ball at the 20, and Ridgewood wouldn't get that close again until the fourth.
After River Ridge took a 20-10 lead and took possession again, coach Mike DeGennaro's staff called for a flea-flicker in the final minutes. But Randy Grueneberg's pass was intercepted by Justin Pena.
With 1:40 left, Cornwell called a play that almost worked earlier: Bennett hitting Jon Koenigsfeld on a quick slant inside, that he turned outside and took 84 yards to the 1. Mike Galizia scored from there, but River Ridge held on to the 3-point lead by recovering the onside kick.
HERE WE COME, .500
Long-suffering rivals Gulf and Hudson have been waiting a long time for a winning season. Gulf's last came in 1993 (6-5), Hudson's in '86 (6-4).
With Gulf winning four of its first six games, the Buccaneers were the frontrunners among the two to end that dubious streak. Instead, the host Cobras toughened Gulf's chances of a winning season with Thursday's 24-7 win that dropped the Bucs to 4-3.
At 3-4, Hudson may end up with another losing record as well, but the Cobras have won two weeks in a row (including a 50-8 defeat of Lecanto) and taken six straight meetings against the Bucs.
"That's only good until next year," Hudson coach Terry Voyles said of his team's winning streak against Gulf. "That's a good football team."
BIG FOOT
Hudson's Tim Cook connected on a school-record 52-yard field goal with 5:21 left against Gulf, breaking James Daley's mark. Daley, a 2000 graduate, kicked a 43-yarder in '99.
"I didn't think he'd get it off or it would be blocked," Voyles said. "We were ahead. Why not give it a shot?"
It wasn't the only long field goal of the night: Wesley Chapel's Gabriel Montelongo hit two 46-yard field goals in the Wildcats' 33-14 win against Pasco.
GROUNDED ON A FRIDAY NIGHT
Mitchell thought it had solved its offensive problems this season. Until Friday night, that is, when Land O'Lakes stuffed that formerly productive running game. Let's not even talk about the passing attack.
The Mustangs were outgained 167-61 in the first half and had no passing yards in the first two quarters.
By game's end the team did manage 114 rushing yards, and 63 of the 82 passing yards came on Chris Watt's last three completions to set up the final field goal.
- Compiled by Greg Auman, Steve Lee and Jamal Thalji.
