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JAMAL THALJIThe two have different strengths: Kyle Hobbs brings speed and Tony Smith has a strong arm.
Pasco's Kyle Hobbs is a 5-foot-9, 175-pound senior who brings a backup's experience and athletic, option-style skills to the quarterback position.
He is the front-runner to start at quarterback for the Pirates.
Tony Smith, the 5-10, 175-pound sophomore, is a gifted athlete who brings a strong arm and limitless potential to the position.
He is also the front-runner for starting quarterback.
Confused? Then don't show up at Raider Field for tonight's preseason Kickoff Classic at 7 against South Sumter. The sight of two quarterbacks under center for Pasco might be too much to handle.
That's right. The Pirates will platoon quarterbacks.
They could take turns under center. They could play different series. And they could both line up in the same backfield.
"We're getting imaginative with the toys that we have," coach Dale Caparaso said.
That's because those toys have been so much fun in fall training camp. Hobbs gives Caparaso something he didn't have last year, a skilled, speedy threat at QB to run the option. But Smith is so talented, Caparaso doesn't know if he can wait a year to put him under center.
"Tony runs the option very well, but not as good as Kyle," Caparaso said. "Kyle throws the ball well, but not as good as Tony. There's not much of a dropoff from either."
And both can run the ball, so one could conceivably play running back and take the handoff from the other.
But will the experiment work?
"That's going to be decided in the preseason," Caparaso said.
There's a lot to be decided tonight, and quarterback is the position on which most coaches will be keeping a close eye.
HUDSON: Junior Kyle Hatcher is one of the few returning starting QBs in the county. He'll take the first snaps in first-year coach Mark Nash's new multiple offense. But while the coach is pleased with Hatcher's maturation and athletic ability, he's concerned about an injury to his quarterback's left, nonthrowing hand.
Hatcher lost the tips of two fingers on that hand in a lawn mower accident weeks ago. The cuts just missed the bones, but the nerve endings were exposed and Hatcher has had to have his fingers bandaged in practice. Hatcher has played through the pain and learned to take the center snap with a metal splint on his injured hand.
"He's handling it well," Nash said. "He was only out of practice for the first two days after it happened. We held him out for the last few days and he'll get limited action (tonight.)
"We expect him back full time for the first game of the season. I'm hoping that he'll be able to just go with his finger taped up and not have the big metal thing on it because that's got to be uncomfortable.
"But regardless he can still execute the offense and it doesn't affect his throwing ability."
MITCHELL: Coach Scott Schmitz said returning starter Chris Watts has successfully retained his job. Junior Alex Wilson will back up the senior, who got the message this offseason and responded to the challenge of retaking his job.
"Chris has rededicated himself to football," Schmitz said. "Chris was our starting QB last year and kind of lost focus there for a while. It's really to his credit that he's regained his focus ever since spring football.
"He knew he was No. 2, but worked like he was No. 1 and has been that way ever since."
ZEPHYRHILLS: One of the last quarterback jobs open in the county is at Zephyrhills. The training camp battle started with five, but is down to senior Joseph Burgess, junior Joshua Mast and sophomore Sederrik Cunningham.
"They've had their ups and downs," coach Tom Fisher said. "We're not sure exactly who we're going to rotate but they'll get some equal playing time."
Burgess is the front-runner, but Mast's size and arm have kept him in the mix. Cunningham is the quarterback of the future and is slated to play receiver this season but could still figure in the team's quarterback plans.