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Friday night heroes

By IZZY GOULD
Published September 10, 2006

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Tate Humphrey, Mitchell, QB: The junior was 12-for-20 for 166 yards and capped off an eight-play, 87-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run. The scoring run, his third of the night, came with 32 seconds left and gave the Mustangs a 22-18 win. Humphrey ran for 19 yards on 17 carries and was sacked five times.

TOP PERFORMERS

Brad Patton, Land O'Lakes, DB: The 6-foot, 197-pound senior grabbed three interceptions and has four in his first two games. His first set up the Gators' first touchdown.

McClain Bryant, Pasco, RB: Bryant ran over and around the Mustangs for 146 yards and a score on 14 carries. The junior broke three runs of 20 yards or more, including a 23-yarder and 44-yarder on consecutive plays. Seventy-two of his 113 first-half yards came on one drive.

Mario Melvin, Wesley Chapel, RB: Yes, the diminutive tailback had a case of fumblitis, coughing up the ball four times and losing it twice in a 21-14 overtime loss to Freedom. But Melvin also was an elusive workhorse in gaining 111 yards on 29 carries. His 5-yard catch and fumble at the 1 on the final play of the Kansas tiebreaker came after he helped force overtime with a halfback pass to quarterback Greg Jenkins that tied it at 14 late in regulation.

UNSUNG HERO: Zephyrhills linebacker Beau Barnes blocked a punt and made the recovery himself in the end zone in Friday's 35-6 win over River Ridge. The senior also had three tackles for a loss and a sack.

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT

"Maybe they should fire the defensive coordinator. I am the defensive coordinator, so maybe (athletic director) Ian Mooney should fire me."

- Mitchell coach Scott Schmitz after the Mustangs allowed 234 yards on the ground in a 22-18 win against Pasco.

FRIDAY STAT BOOK

TOP RUSHERS

1. McClain Bryant, Pas: 14 carries, 146 yards, one TD

2. Tate Humphrey, Mit: 17 carries, 19 yards, three TDs

3. Byronell Arline, Rid: 27 carries, 136 yards

4. Mario Melvin, WC: 29 carries, 111 yards, one TD

5. Cannellios Ansley, Zep: 11 carries, 69 yards

TOP PASSERS

1. Tate Humphrey, Mit: 12-20-1, 166 yards, one rushing TD

2. Sederrik Cunningham, Zep: 8-18-0, 100 yards, two TDs.

3. Joe Weatherford, LOL: 8-19-0, 90 yards

4. Greg Jenkins, WC: 8-12-0, 76 yards

5. Coleman Henegsbach, B.M.: two TDs, one interception

TOP RECEIVERS

1. Chris Henry, Zep: 3-64 (ran a 75-yard punt back for a touchdown.)

2. Will Nichols, Rid: 2-55, one TD

3. Demetrious Larry, Pas: 2-37, one TD

4. Dontarrius Thomas, LOL: 3-37

5. Mario Melvin, WC: 2-34

NOTEBOOK

HUGE MISTAKE: Pasco's loss may have come down to a penalty. With 4 minutes, 42 seconds left in the second quarter and the Pirates ahead 12-7, Justin Smothers hit Demetrious Larry for a 20-yard touchdown. A holding penalty negated the score and pushed Pasco to the 41-yard line. On the ensuing play, Mitchell defensive lineman Tony Galasso sacked Smothers, forcing a fumble, which the Mustangs recovered at the 50.

WHAT HAPPENED? Gulf coach Jay Fulmer wasn't exactly thrilled with Alton Voss and his 4-for-16, 95-yard, three-interception performance against Citrus.

"It was a subpar effort," Fulmer said. "It wasn't near his capabilities. He threw way too many off his back foot. He knows better. He knows to tuck and run up the middle. Maybe that's why we had a banner scoring game last year."

GETTING ON THE FIELD: It was odd to see Gulf defensive coordinator Brian Wright coming off the sideline and onto the field to make adjustments during the game. "I don't question him," Fulmer said. "He was a head coach in Kentucky and took a coordinator position here, so I just don't question him. I let him do his job."

MELLOW YELLOW: In its 35-6 loss to Zephyrhills, River Ridge had 34 rushing plays for just 54 rushing yards, while the Bulldogs saw more yellow flags than a flag football game. Zephyrhills was penalized 13 times for 100 yards.

KICKING GOOD: Wesley Chapel kicker/punter Jon Heiser did all he could to get his team into overtime. Following Melvin's halfback scoring pass to Greg Jenkins, Heiser got just enough on a point-after kick tipped by Freedom's Scott Peek to get the ball over the crossbar. Then, with the Wildcats pinned inside their 20 in the waning seconds, Heiser prevented a safety by chasing a bad snap that sailed over his head and punting it out of the end zone.

- Compiled by IZZY GOULD, STEVE LEE, DAWN REISS, MIKE CAMUNAS, MIKE TOMPKINS

[Last modified September 10, 2006, 06:47:08]