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Lecanto's Nichols happy to be back in game

By DAWN REISS
Published September 30, 2005

LECANTO - Mychal Nichols took a long look at Lecanto's team and realized he was missing out.

Football was his first sport, something he played as a 6-year-old through his freshman year until Nichols decided to concentrate on basketball.

Nichols' father, Chris, the Lecanto boys basketball coach, tried to convince the senior otherwise.

"You only get one time in your life to play as a kid," Chris Nichols said. "You play on teams later, but it's not like when you were in high school. I didn't want him to be 25 or 30 years old and say, "I should have played high school football."'

It's something Chris Nichols knows all too well. He stopped playing prep football after his freshman season at Gulf to concentrate on basketball. Similar to Lecanto, a new football coach came in during his senior year and asked Nichols to play. He didn't. It's a decision he regrets.

After watching Bob LeCours coach for a season, Mychal Nichols changed his mind and asked if he could play.

"I know it has to come from within," LeCours said. "I don't beg players to come out for the team."

But he saw potential and listed his expectations. After a few days of practice last spring, he suggested Nichols compete at quarterback. It was a position the Panthers desperately needed to fill. Lecanto graduated starter C.J. Osburn, had Kyle Ellis and Dustin Young to fill fullback with star Richard Chaney and formidable back-up Jon Aponte at halfback and Garrett Frieberg at wingback.

The last time Nichols played, he was a freshman running back/linebacker on the junior varsity squad. He never had played that position.

"I saw him on the basketball court and the way he carried himself in the hallway," said LeCours, a second-year coach. "I knew he'd be a great leader if he could learn the system."

Dropped elbows, poor fakes and many sacks molded the path. Months in the weight room and drills changed some of that. Nichols eventually beat out Dan Eberhart for the starting slot, using poise in the pocket and presence in the huddle to command respect from this teammates.

"He's done a lot," Chaney said. "He's a positive attitude and is a senior leader who has stepped up. Any time you add another offensive threat, it helps."

Nichols knows his job isn't to rack up yards but to get the ball to those who surround him. "It's all about getting Richard the ball, then Dustin (Young) and Garrett (Frieberg)," Nichols said. "I'm the fourth option."

Nichols' passing (18 of 34, 52.9 percent, for 226 yards and 2 touchdowns) has helped relieve the constant pressure on Chaney by spreading out the field. The offensive line has given Nichols extra insurance to make decisions and improve Lecanto's passing rate (30) from last year. It's given the Panthers extra yardage in both wins, which were by five points or less.

Nichols only wishes he would have made the decision to play sooner.

"I finally realized I would regret it," he said. "In football, there aren't any second chances - every second, every minute counts. You do the best you can every chance you get."

--Dawn Reiss can be reached at 352 860-7303 or dreiss@sptimes.com

[Last modified September 30, 2005, 01:35:17]