South Sumter swamps Pirates

Two early turnovers make for a bad start and Crystal River never recovers.

By BRIAN SUMERS
Published October 8, 2005

BUSHNELL - Their body language told the story.

Tired, beaten and bruised, Crystal River players stood on their sideline, some folding their arms, others resting their hands on their hips.

The Pirates entered Friday as underdogs against South Sumter, but many players still spoke before the game of upsetting the once-beaten Raiders. That changed, however, once Crystal River fumbled on back-to-back possessions early in the second quarter, leading to two quick South Sumter touchdowns and a 28-0 deficit.

By the time it ended, the Pirates had lost 49-0. And they were hurting.

"I don't like being hit," said running Justin Rolph, who led the team with 15 carries for 64 yards. "In the first quarter, I got hit pretty hard."

While Rolph said the Pirates (1-6) took solace in holding South Sumter (6-1) to seven points after halftime, the teams played the second half with a running clock.

Still, Rolph and his teammates refused to quit, and even threatened to score a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

With the ball on the Raiders 15-yard line, the Pirates called three consecutive timeouts to try to set up a last-minute touchdown. They had advanced into South Sumter territory with a pretty 44-yard pass from Shay Newcomer to Torrion Smith.

But the drive stalled, and Crystal River returned the ball to South Sumter with seconds remaining.

"We wanted it bad," coach Craig Frederick said. "Anytime you get shutout, it hurts a little."

Frederick, too, credited his team for not quitting in the second half. But he said the Pirates might have had a chance to win if they hadn't fumbled twice in a row.

"It's not good when you turn the ball over like we did," he said. "That second quarter we gave them some easy scores. It was a letdown."

[Last modified October 8, 2005, 01:27:10]