Wesley Chapel wanted to show Pasco it could run the ball.
By GREG AUMAN
Published October 19, 2003
WESLEY CHAPEL - Anything is possible when you can run the ball. Conversely, when you can't, nothing is easy.
At the heart of Wesley Chapel's 33-14 district win over Pasco on Thursday was a steady ground attack that piled up 243 yards and four touchdowns. At the center of the Pirates' offensive troubles was the absence of any running game, with no first downs on rushing plays and a total of 9 yards on 19 carries.
"It wasn't that easy," Wesley Chapel coach John Castelamare said. "We had to pick our spots, and we called a lot of audibles along the way."
The Wildcats' running game was consistent: at least 10 carries for at least 45 yards in each quarter. And while junior Nigel Bryant was the workhorse, carrying 26 times for 106 yards and two touchdowns, the rushing attack was remarkably balanced.
Six Wildcats ran for first downs. Quarterback Anthony Rawson converted two third-and-1 plays near midfield; Bryant had four, including a 24-yard run in the fourth quarter; Marcus Stewart and B.B. Roberts had two each, including one touchdown apiece; and Derek Zabko and Travis Ugarte gained first downs on runs of 12 and 15 yards, respectively.
It's not that Pasco couldn't stop the run on any given play. Of Wesley Chapel's 53 attempts, eight went for no gain and another 10 took a loss. A veteran group of Wildcats took Thursday's game as an opportunity to lobby their case for being the county's best offensive line.
"I think (the running game) was the key factor in the game," said tackle Khalil Madani, who was motivated by a newspaper article on the Pasco offensive line in which the Pirates boasted they would "murder" the Wildcats at the line of scrimmage. "If we were going to stop them, we had to establish the run. A strong running game takes time off the clock, and had we not established the run, you're writing a different story right now."
Pasco, meanwhile, had one run (an 11-yard carry by Myron Saul on the first play of the second quarter) that gained more than 6 yards. Three sacks and a 10-yard loss on a reverse had the Pirates at minus-3 rushing yards at halftime.
Senior Donte O'Neal, who entered the game third in the county with 554 rushing yards, rushed seven times for 3 yards, never carrying the ball more than once a drive.
He caught two passes for 53 yards but couldn't come up with yards when his team needed them most.
Coach Dale Caparaso gambled with a fake punt on fourth-and-4 from his 34, with the snap going to up-back John Daniel, who handed off to O'Neal, who gained 1 yard, turning the ball over to the Wildcats.
