Springstead nips Hernando late

Kenny Beeker scores with 29 seconds left to lift the Eagles.

By VINCENT THOMAS
Published October 8, 2005

BROOKSVILLE - The last time Springstead won, it won just like this - by way of Kenny "Brooklyn" Beeker. This week, Beeker bulled into the endzone with 29 seconds left, breaking the Eagles' 21-21 tie with Hernando. With the 28-21 victory Springstead, for at least one week, is King of the County.

Beeker's touchdown was his first carry of the game. After the game, he was all nonchalant about it, like he knew it was coming.

First carry.

"Yep."

Touchdown?

"Yep."

Three weeks ago against South Lake, not having touched the ball the whole game, Beeker scored twice late in the fourth quarter, including the game-winning touchdown. "I was just waiting," said Beeker. "I know in the fourth quarter Coach likes to come to me."

"Yeah, it was sort of like South Lake," said Springstead coach Bill Vonada. "I knew Kenny had fresh legs. So we gave it to him. ... And Seth (Metz) is a bull up front blocking, so that really helped."

Springstead's score capped a dramatic fourth quarter.

Up 14-13, Eagles quarterback John Hogeland, who was 2-for-11 for 47 yards and two touchdowns, connected with tight end Chris Ferguson on a 30-yard touchdown pass. Ferguson caught the ball at midfield, trucked through a couple of Leopard defenders and raced to the endzone.

Hernando started its next drive on its own 30 with a little more than seven minutes left, but trailing by eight thanks to a blocked extra point on its previous score. On this crucial drive, the Leopards' oft-futile passing game clicked. Quarterback Kyle Sizemore hit running backs Fabian Jackson and Josh Adams for big gains. Then, on fourth-and-9 with less than five minutes remaining, Hernando coach Matt Smith pulled a trick play from under his Leopards cap - a reverse-pass. Sizemore handed off to Jackson, who handed off to wide receiver Brock Byrd, who then heaved a wobbly left-hand pass wide to receiver Chris Dorman for the score. Hernando still needed a two-point conversion, though. The Leopards got it when Sizemore passed to Byrd on a fade to the left corner of the end zone.

Both Hernando (2-4, 1-0) and Springstead (4-2, 1-1) have big district games coming up this week.

[Last modified October 8, 2005, 01:26:19]