Short-handed Pirates shut out Ridgewood

By STEVE LEE
Published September 2, 2005

NEW PORT RICHEY - Pasco easily overcame the loss of four suspended players with a dominant win Thursday.

The Pirates (1-1) evened their record by defeating host Ridgewood 37-0 in a game that could have been more lopsided if not for 135 penalty yards.

Backup quarterback Matt Jackson, subbing for suspended starter Tony Smith, passed for 143 yards and a touchdown as Pasco racked up 330 yards on offense. The defense contributed with four turnovers (two fumble recoveries and two interceptions) and limited the Rams to 75 offensive yards.

"We talked all week long about our kids coming to play," Pasco coach Dale Caparaso said. "When we had (four) suspensions like we did it's nice to know your backup quarterback can come out and do the job."

After a scoreless first quarter, Pasco capitalized on three turnovers to score 18 unanswered in the second quarter.

Darrell Davis scored on a 44-yard pass from Jackson and, after Jackson gained 3 yards before fumbling at the goal line, Davis smothered the ball in the end zone.

Between those scores, John Daniel recovered a punt blocked by Mike Onyskin in the end zone.

Daniel, an inside linebacker, led the Pirates' defensive charge by recovering another fumble and adding an interception.

Ridgewood's backup quarterbacks - an ankle injury sidelined starter Charlie Minichino - did not fare as well as Jackson. Randy Thoma did not complete a pass and was intercepted by Daniel and Onyskin. T.J. Haab had one completion for a 6-yard loss to Bryonell Arline. And Thoma and Haab combined for minus-18 yards on sacks and rushing attempts.

Ridgewood (0-2) had a lone bright spot as Arline, a sophomore tailback, gained 96 yards on 20 carries.

On the heels of a tumultuous week filled with team turmoil, Gulf rebounded from last week's shutout loss to Wesley Chapel with a groundbreaking performance against River Ridge. Led by quarterback Alton Voss, tailback Anthony Jackson, and fullback Mario Collins, who combined for 406 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, the Buccaneers ran around, over, and through the Royal Knights, 39-14. River Ridge scored their two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, when the score was already 32-0. Gulf amassed 541 yards of total offense, 456 of which were via the run.

It was the first victory at Gulf for first-year coach Jay Fulmer.

"I'm just so excited for the kids," said Fulmer, whose team got shutout last Friday, then lost three players due to suspension and dismissals during the week. "To put (39) points on the board, and to play the kind of defense we played. I'm just really proud of the way they responded to this past week." Gulf's first score came just over the halfway mark of the first quarter, when Voss, out of the shotgun, faked a sprint draw to Jackson. The junior ran up the middle, appeared to be stopped, then spun loose and raced down the sideline 29 yards to finish off a seven-play, 65-yard drive.

On River Ridge's ensuing possession, Jackson picked off quarterback Phil Perini at the Gulf 20, returning it to the 35. Four plays later, facing a 2nd and 19 on the Royal Knight 44, Voss found Jackson wide open down the left sideline for the score. Voss finished 5-for-7 through the air for 85 yards and a score, which complimented his touchdown and 119 yards on the ground.

Jackson, who would add two second half touchdown runs, finished with 173 yards on 17 carries. He also caught two passes for 50 yards. Collins carried the ball 11 times, nine of which came in the second half, for 114 yards and a touchdown.

"They just took it to us," said River Ridge coach Mike Degenarro. "They weren't doing anything we hadn't seen before or anything tricky. They just ran right at us, and we couldn't stop it."

- MIKE TOMPKINS, Times correspondent

[Last modified September 2, 2005, 02:15:35]