Sports

Balance of power

Newer programs flourish, older ones retain strength or seem poised for resurgence.

By DAVE MURPHY and KELLIE DIXON
Published August 31, 2007

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On a warm November night last fall, as scores of high schools around the state began their collective march toward Miami, something special happened in Hernando County. Two teams, both with Brooksville mailing addresses, both with big-play running backs, both with relatively new coaches, competed.

Nature Coast, the third-year program that had won five games combined in 2004 and 2005, hosted Williston in the first round of the Class 3A playoffs, taking an early 7-0 lead before losing 26-13.

A few miles down State Road 50, fluorescent lights illuminated the dark sky over Central High, where the Bears hosted Daytona Beach Seabreeze in a Class 4A playoff game, taking a lead with 55 seconds left before losing 21-20 on a last-second touchdown.

At home that night were traditional county powers Springstead and Hernando, no doubt taking note at how dramatically the local landscape had changed.

"Since I've been here, I think the county is as strong as it's ever been," Nature Coast coach Jamie Joyner said. "We're (the county) improving. I think we're on the rise."

The problems with building a public school football program in Hernando County have been well-documented. When Central was built in 1989, it began drawing from the rich talent pool that had made Hernando High consistently competitive. Four years ago, the school district added Nature Coast to the mix, further diluting the talent.

In a county ranked near the bottom of the state in teacher salaries, attracting and retaining quality coaches has provided further problems.

And its location outside some of the state's traditional football hot beds - Miami, Lakeland, the Panhandle - means non-local exposure is virtually nil.

But heading into the 2007 season, there seems to be a palpable sense of optimism among players and coaches in the county.

Last year marked the first time in recorded FHSAA history two local teams hosted a playoff game on the same night. And considering the facts Nature Coast had never appeared in a playoff game and Central had been outscored 207-29 in its five previous postseasons, that both held their own bears testament to the improvement of the quality of football in the county as a whole.

None of the coaches interviewed for this story could say definitively the talent level is better. But several said players are more evenly distributed than in years past.

"It's more spread out," said Eric Riggins, a former Hernando star who returned to his alma mater this offseason as an offensive coordinator after spending last season as an assistant coach at Nature Coast.

Bill Vonada, entering his ninth full season as coach at Springstead, said the county's 4-0 performance in spring games was a positive sign.

Nature Coast beat St. Petersburg 21-7. Hernando beat Umatilla 29-14. Central beat Ocala West Port 20-13. Springstead beat Osceola 34-6.

"I don't think you can make a statement until you see more results on the field and during the season, but I would think the spring was a good indication," Vonada said. "I would think the spring is a sign of possibility. You're talking about how many Hernando County schools and beating schools from Marion County, etc. They play some pretty good football in those places."

For years, one of the chief bones of contention on the part of local football coaches has been the lack of a true "feeder system" from the middle school level to the high school level. While that remains a problem, Hernando coach Rodney Byrd has made the development of a talent pipeline one of his top priorities. He hired Riggins and former Pasco star Mike Penix to join his coaching staff, and he has a close relationship with Parrott Middle School coach and former Hernando star Dwayne Mobley.

"I think we've got a lot more talent at Hernando that a lot of people don't know about," Mobley said, "because they haven't been doing what they should be doing."

Last year, Tevin Drake, who played for Mobley at Parrott, enrolled at Nature Coast and established himself as one of the top players in the county. This year, another highly touted middle-schooler, Alvin Delaine, enrolled at Hernando.

Both players are potential stars.

"We've always had a lot of talent," Mobley said. "The talent has been spread out."

Now, on the eve of the start of another football season, the local scene looks like this:

Nature Coast, an up-and-coming program that looks like it may have arrived, loaded with talent and experience, is fresh off its first playoff berth.

Central, defending district champion, producer of the county's two latest Division I athletes, possesses a strong nucleus of seniors that has played together since seventh grade.

Springstead, top to bottom the county's top program, hasn't had a losing season since 2002.

And Hernando, which hasn't had a winning season since 2002, suddenly has reason for optimism.

Only time will tell whether Hernando County is truly in the middle of a football renaissance. But for the first time in several years, the makings appear to be there.

David Murphy can be reached at dmurphy@sptimes.com or (352) 848-1407. Kellie Dixon can be reached at (352) 848-1430.

 

[Last modified August 29, 2007, 13:21:08]

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