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Back on the sideline

Eye surgery had Mitchell coach out of action for two weeks.

By STEVE LEE and BOB PUTNAM
Published May 20, 2005

TRINITY - Mitchell coach Scott Schmitz has returned to spring football practice, clearly relieved after eye surgery forced him to miss the first two weeks.

"It's been a pain, but it's good to be back," said Schmitz, who has overseen practices since returning Monday. "I love the game. I love coaching, and not to be out there was very difficult.

"But I've got a great staff. They've done a great job and the kids responded to them."

Schmitz, who had cataract surgery on his right eye, experienced blurred vision at the team's initial conditioning sessions this month. He had surgery to repair a torn retina and had to keep his head down most of the time during two weeks spent at his family's New Port Richey home.

"It was bad," Schmitz said. "I'm happy to be back. Anything's better than being in that house."

During Schmitz's absence, his son, Andy, a Mitchell assistant and the school's boys basketball coach, took over and kept his father abreast of team matters.

"I knew what was going on," Schmitz said. "I just wasn't there."

While Schmitz's vision is no longer blurred, he said it could be up to two months before his sight is "totally restored."

WINNING WAYS: Coach Mark Nash's inaugural season turned into a rare winning one for Hudson, which finished 7-3. The last time Hudson had a winning season was in 1986 at 6-4.

Prospects for a second straight winning season are bright.

"Experience-wise, we're head and shoulders above where we were last year," Nash said.

Hudson lost six players to graduation, including fullback Nate Toole, an All-Sunshine Athletic Conference and Times All-Pasco County first-teamer who rushed for 1,025 yards and scored 18 touchdowns in leading the Cobras to a 7-3 record.

This year's roster lists 23 seniors, most of whom are returning starters or saw extensive playing time last season.

Among that group is quarterback Kyle Hatcher, a third-year starter who will steer both offenses in Tuesday's annual Red-Gold scrimmage.

"(Hatcher) looks good," Nash said. "He looks like he did at the end of last year. He's throwing the ball real well."

Tailback Vince Ferlita is back, Ryan Attaway steps in for Toole and the offensive and defensive lines are virtually intact.

Heading into last season, Nash knew he would have a more experienced team for the upcoming year. He and the Hudson coaches will get two looks at the players in action next week. Monday's practice will feature the first-team offense in action. Tuesday's scrimmage begins at 7p.m.

"Monday is going to be for the coaches," Nash said. "Tuesday, we're just going to let the kids have fun."

BIG TIME D: At a recent practice, Pasco quarterback Tony Smith called signals, looking across the line of scrimmage at a defense crowding the neutral zone.

Two previous attempts to run against this pad of walls failed. Smith then rolled out for a pass and was swallowed by the rush before he could plant his feet.

While the Pirates offense is still learning the nuances of the spread-option attack, its defense is ahead of the game after spending last season adjusting to a 5-3 alignment.

Pasco switched from a 4-4 alignment after giving up a combined 82 points in losses to Mitchell and Hudson and yielded an average of more than 200 rushing yards the first two weeks. The scheme helped stop the opponents' running game by putting at least eight defenders in the "box," an imaginary rectangle around the line of scrimmage.

It also was a big reason the Pirates had a remarkable turnaround, winning their final seven games to qualify for the playoffs as a district runnerup.

Now, the same players who took lumps learning a new system on the fly have soaked up every lesson and are ready to wreak havoc this season.

"The biggest thing is we've got players coming back who've already had a year under the system," defensive coordinator Mike Penix said.

Pasco experienced some growing pains last season with just one returning linebacker ( Mike Onyskin) and one returning defensive back ( Kyle Hobbs). Hobbs is gone, along with lineman Jerry Carter and linebacker Harold Pryor. But the Pirates return plenty, including lineman Tieran Burns, linebackers Onyskin and Jesse Cowart and defensive backs Smith, John Daniel and Darrell Davis.

"We've got some pieces in place to do some things," Penix said.

MR. ENDURANCE: Evan Mills had the high score in Wesley Chapel's twice annual test of strength and speed last week.

The wingback/linebacker had a combined 158 points in eight events ranging from sprints and agility tests to half-mile runs and bench and leg presses.

Running back/defensive back Mario Melvin had the second-best score at 147, followed by lineman Craig Johnson at 146.

"It was a strong showing," Wildcats coach John Castelamare said. "I was glad to see a lineman up there in the point total. That's something we don't see too often."

[Last modified May 20, 2005, 01:06:18]