HUDSON - First-year Hudson coach Mark Nash got a glimpse of his revamped offense in Friday's condensed Kickoff Classic.
For the most part, he liked what he saw.
Citrus won the varsity version 7-6 in an abbreviated contest that lasted nearly three quarters and followed a quarter of junior varsity play. The last 20 seconds were cancelled due to lightning.
"I was happy all the way around," Nash said. "The defense played tough and the offense moved the ball."
In the first test for Hudson's multiple formation offense, a switch from that school's traditional Wing-T attack, the Cobras had mixed results with 158 yards in the air, but minus-1 on the ground.
Hudson's best drive came on its first possession of the second half. Quarterback Kyle Hatcher capped an 8-play, 86-yard drive by rolling out and finding Royce Simonds in the right corner of the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown.
Matt Edelman's extra-point attempt could have tied the game but his kick sailed wide-left and Citrus maintained its slim lead.
Hatcher, who passed for a game-high 128 yards, connected with Nate Toole twice for 46 yards in that series.
Citrus scored on its first possession when quarterback Walter Howard squirted under the pile for a 1-yard touchdown. Brian Tobin's kick held up for the decisive point.
R.J. Cobb's 72-yard jaunt off an inside pitch from Howard highlighted that 6-play, 80-yard drive.
First-year Citrus coach Rik Haines felt his team, which amassed 214 yards of offense, could have performed better.
"We didn't do a very good job of blocking," Haines said. "I think we're still learning."
TEMPLE HTS. 24, HERNANDO CHR. 14: Hernando Christian made a respectable showing in its football debut, and without one nagging play it might even have been victorious.
Host Temple Heights won the preseason game, scoring all three of its touchdowns on end-arounds to the left.
"My defensive end kept getting sucked to the inside," Lions coach Steve Johnson said. "Finally I got smart and replaced my one kid with the linebacker who was reading it."
After making that adjustment, HCA made a game showing in the second half. Stephen Johnson scored on a quarterback sneak and Corey Drummond plowed up the middle for a touchdown run, after which Johnson resourcefully scored a 2-point conversion after scooping up a poor snap.
"The kids sucked it up, they did a pretty good job," Steve Johnson said. "There was a lot of stuff you could tell from lack of experience, but I'm proud of the kids."
The Lions had chances in the fourth to get closer but dropped two passes in the end zone and fumbled at the 1-yard line, leading to a Temple Heights touchback.
Times staff writer John Schwarb contributed to this report.
