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Bucs battle bugs, bruises

By STEVE LEE
Published August 25, 2005

NEW PORT RICHEY - His best player is being tested for mononucleosis, a half-dozen starters are banged up and half the team is sick with the flu.

Oh, and thanks to the approaching storm, Gulf hosts three-time district champion Wesley Chapel a day early.

Welcome to Gulf coach Jay Fulmer's nightmare.

"In the shape we're in, I don't think one day is going to make a difference," Fulmer said of tonight's 7:30 game. "It would take a miracle, I would say, for us to win. I'm hoping we can get it together, but we have hardly anybody on this team that's healthy. We've got a nice football team, we're just beat to pieces. We're going to have to make some lineup changes and adjustments. It's a nightmare."

With quarterback Alton Voss being tested for mono, Fulmer took a look at three potential replacements at Wednesday's practice. Cody Clem, Shawn Williamson and Eric Greenleaf took snaps in the Bucs' power-I formation.

If Voss cannot play, Fulmer said his team's offense would be pretty much vanilla. "We'll probably lose three-fourths of our offense if Alton can't play," he said.

Making matters worse, two-way starters Robbie Robinson, Julian Ford and Bryan Baron are sidelined with injuries. And as many as 20 players are battling the flu.

"Things couldn't be any worse," Fulmer said. "Our whole team is eaten up with the fly. I'm not talking about five or six kids."

Fulmer plans to call up as many as six freshmen for tonight's game.

[Last modified August 25, 2005, 01:23:19]