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On the sideline

By DAWN REISS
Published September 16, 2005

DISTRICT DUELS

It's Week 4, and district games are starting. Lecanto has the lone victory in the county after last week's fourth-quarter rally against Leesburg. The Citrus-Lecanto contest likely will determine who is tops in Class 3A, District 6. Crystal River has one of its best opportunities of the season to net a win against district rival Nature Coast. Sharks quarterback Josh Ortiz is coming off an ankle injury, and star running back Rian Williams is out for the season after tearing his ACL, MCL and meniscus.

3-1: Nearly the ratio opponents have outscored Citrus County teams this season.

14 : Deficit points Lecanto rallied from last week en route to a 28-26 victory.

45: Tackles Crystal River missed last week against Central.

10: Tackles Citrus' Dane Moore has made this season.

1: Times Lecanto has beaten Leesburg.

2: Touchdowns Citrus freshman Antoin Scriven scored last week against Gulf.

10: Days Crystal River's Shay Newcomer has been starting as a varsity quarterback.

"There's no shame in losing to the teams we have. The shame in losing is if you stay down and don't fight the next week."

- Rik Haines, Citrus coach.

LECANTO (1-1) AT CITRUS (0-3)

WHEN: 7:30.

LAST YEAR: Citrus 27, Lecanto 21.

THE SKINNY: This could be the game of the season. Momentum builds success, which gives Lecanto the edge. It rallied in the fourth quarter and stopped Leesburg on the 1-yard line to win 28-26. It was the first victory over the Yellow Jackets in the Panthers' history. But Citrus has playoff experience - point Hurricanes. This should be a great game to watch. 'Canes coach Rik Haines has said since preseason that the matchup probably will decide who wins the district. Last week, Citrus showed flashes of a strong team, tying the game at 26 on a Mark Xenophon 15-yard reception from back-up Bradley Paul. Yet, Gulf cracked the offensive door and went on a scoring mission, racking up 585 yards for a 68-40 victory. Haines said quarterback Walter Howard should start after missing last week with a left shoulder bruise. The key for either team will be defensive stonewalling.

CRYSTAL RIVER (0-3) AT NATURE COAST (0-3)

WHEN: 7:30.

LAST YEAR: Did not play.

THE SKINNY: The Pirates need to stop the run and learn how to utilize short screen passes to spur a sputtering offense. Coach Craig Frederick said the team worked all week on tackling, after missing 45 last week, and being more aggressive. Crystal River is coming off a 41-6 loss to Central, and has been outscored 145-16 this season. The line has consistently struggled, allowing defenders through to sack quarterback Shay Newcomer four times last week. This is one of the Pirates' better chances to get a win this season. The Sharks struggled to put together an offensive attack, finishing with 33 yards and two first downs in last week's 19-0 loss to the Villages. Junior quarterback Josh Ortiz, who injured his ankle in the preseason and re-injured it two weeks ago, returns to face the Pirates. Last season, Ortiz caught 22 passes for 398 yards and 6 touchdowns.

[Last modified September 16, 2005, 01:35:22]