LAND O'LAKES - For the second week in a row, the Gators' senior leader wasn't at his best, and his teammates still rallied Land O'Lakes to its most lopsided playoff victory ever.
Drew Weatherford has accounted for seven turnovers in two postseason wins, but the Gators are alive - the first team in county history to reach back-to-back region finals.
So if they can win without Weatherford playing his best, he can only imagine what his squad is capable of when he's actually on.
"I tell you what," Weatherford said after Friday's 29-7 victory over Ocala Forest. "If I stop overthrowing the ball, we can be real, real good. ... If I start cutting down on the turnovers, we might win a state championship."
Land O'Lakes (8-4) won its sixth game in a row despite all kinds of mistakes that could have derailed a lesser team. Weatherford fumbled on the opening drive, setting up Forest's only touchdown. Two possessions later, he found tight end Caz Piurowski on a quick slant that looked like a sure TD - until Piurowski fumbled into the end zone, which Forest recovered for a touchback.
Weatherford threw two interceptions: one deflected off a receiver's hands; the other was a deep pass with 39 seconds left in the first half. The Gators allowed a 54-yard kickoff return, which could have been a 95-yard touchdown had the Wildcats' Brandon Gadson stepped out of bounds.
The first-half miscues, which had Land O'Lakes tied at 7, were a source of encouragement in the locker room. Coaches reminded players that if they stopped beating themselves, their opponents could do little to stop them. The Gators responded with perhaps their most dominating quarter this season, scoring two touchdowns and holding Forest to negative yardage and no first downs.
"We had confidence," said Scott Mays, who ran for two touchdowns and keyed a stingy defense. "We knew we could beat this team, we knew we could win in the playoffs. Maybe we underestimated them a little. That's why we spotted them seven early and had to come back and fight the rest of the game."
Weatherford still was a force, passing for 156 yards and running for a touchdown and two-point conversion. Defensively, his biggest stop came for a 5-yard loss at the Forest 5. On the previous play, the Gators forced a fumble and recovered on the 1-yard line, setting up Weatherford's touchdown keeper.
It was a night as much for Weatherford's supporting cast, something he will need in this week's region final against a Lake Gibson team that has scored more than 50 points in each of its playoff victories. That other players are stepping up for Land O'Lakes, that the veteran leaders will be playing in their seventh postseason game since 2001, also is encouraging.
"We've been in these situations before," Weatherford said. "We know what it's like to get beat, we know what it's like to get down, we know what it's like when there's no hope.
"All these games have been lessons for us, and we've capitalized on them this season. I just can't say enough about our guys."
- Staff writer Jamal Thalji contributed to this report.
