Pirates lack polish, but not enthusiasm

By JAMAL THALJI

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 20, 2001

DADE CITY -- Pasco coach Ricky Thomas has stalked the sidelines with a renewed vigor this spring.

And watching his raw players drop passes, fumble the ball, miss point-after kicks and melt under the Friday afternoon sun in the White team's 26-6 intrasquad victory over the Red did nothing to change his demeanor. "We've got a long way to go, a long way to go," Thomas said after the Pirates' annual scrimmage at W.F. Edwards Stadium. "I saw a lot of bright spots, but we're a long time from being game-ready. But I assume a lot of people are like that this time of year. I saw a lot of fire, but not a lot of polish."

Indeed, enthusiasm hasn't been lacking in the Pirates' camp. But Friday's scrimmage revealed not just how far Pasco has come since back-to-back 4-6 seasons, but how far the team still has to go.

"We've got to coach them a little better," Thomas said. "We need to get them in better shape and we've got to get them fundamentally sound."

First, the good.

The defense seemed well ahead of the offense, and the linemen well ahead of the skill players, though to be fair, the starting offensive line was split between the two squads. Lineman Donnie Woods was impressive and nose guard Bruce Simon was seemingly in on every tackle. Backs Garion Pope and Devon Hicks proved to be hard hitters.

"I saw some big hits," Thomas said. "I liked the aggressiveness of getting to the ball. They really swarmed to the ball extremely well, and when they got there they did it with attitude."

Now the bad.

Turnovers plagued everyone. Returning quarterback Ben Alford threw two interceptions and was imprecise throwing the ball for the White. Wideout Marcus Allen dropped four passes and what should have been an interception. And both kickers struggled to connect on point-after attempts. In the second half, Thomas Hasley, Hicks and Alford all scored on runs for the White team, and Alford hit Pope with a 25-yard touchdown pass. The Red team struggled, whether it was backup quarterback Anton Standifer or junior varsity promotion Terry McMillan under center. But McMillian helped the Red avoid the shutout, hitting a weaving Brendan Riley with a long scoring bomb with seconds left.

White kicker Amanda Newsome also garnered some attention in her bid to become the first female varsity football player in county history. She was 2-for-4 on point-after attempts as a local TV station videotaped her debut. Red kicker Gabriel Montelongo, who is expected to start, booted his lone point-after attempt wide right.

"She had some TV cameras in her face and a lot of people in the stands here to watch her," Thomas said. "For a 15-year-old who's never been in the limelight, that's got to be kind of rough. Under the circumstances, I thought she did a good job."

Thomas was all smiles despite his team's flaws. It is, after all, only the spring. He can't wait to see the final product in the fall.

"I feel pretty good about this football team," he said. "I think we're headed in the right direction."

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