Panthers savoring victory

By KEITH NIEBUHR

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 23, 2001

LECANTO -- Technically, the game meant nothing.

It was, after all, only a spring jamboree. At most schools, winning one of these things isn't earth-shattering stuff.

But at Lecanto, where the football team hasn't tasted victory since the last millennium (the Panthers' most recent win came against Springstead in November of 1999), something as seemingly insignificant as a 14-6 jamboree victory over Central is big. Huge, actually.

"The kids did an excellent job," Lecanto coach Dick Slack said of the game Friday. "They played their hearts out the other night. We were very happy to get that win. It meant something to us."

Had the Panthers' two-quarter triumph come against some cupcake, a collective "big whuup" would have been heard throughout the North Suncoast. But this win came against a Central team that beat Lecanto 46-0 last year en route to a 7-4 finish, and is expected to be tough again this fall.

After trailing 6-0 following a five-play, 70-yard Bears drive on the first series of the half, Lecanto put things together for the first time in recent memory. Quarterback Phil Reed, off-and-on last season, completed 3 of 5 passes for 51 yards. Running backs Jeff Yearwood (76 yards) and Terence Hollis (55) combined for 131 yards and one touchdown. And the defense, which wasn't all that good last year, got into the act by forcing a couple of turnovers.

Everything clicked, just months after Slack and Co. labored through a season in which everything went wrong.

"It was a tough year," Slack said of 2000. "It's definitely been a long dry spell. I don't think anything is taken for granted around here by any players or coaches.

"When we were losing (6-0), we could have said, "Here we go again' and hung our heads, but they didn't. I was proud of that, of the way they shook it off."

Last year, the result would have been different. In several early-season games, Lecanto held second-half leads but folded each time. With every crushing loss, it became more evident that the Panthers were on a collision course with a winless season. Frustration set in and by season's end, Lecanto was dressing a scant 17 players.

To say that the situation got ugly would be an understatement.

Things started to change this winter, when Slack said the team's off-season conditioning participation was better than it had been in years.

"(Against Central), we had 11 kids playing on the field instead of five or six," Slack said. "Everybody was contributing. That's a factor of our off-season program. Everybody wanted to be involved. Nobody took any plays off."

Spring practice couldn't have ended any better for the Panthers, who finally have something to show for after all of the hard work.

Only a jamboree?

Not to these guys.

"Coming off an 0-10 season, to have the kids come out and work their tails off and get themselves stronger and commit to being at practice and doing the right things was a real positive experience for us," Slack said.

"Those things really showed up Friday. It was just a half, just a practice, but it was definitely a step in the right direction. We're trying to take positive steps. We want to go a step forward and not a step backwards. I really feel like we've been able to do that this spring."

After beating Central, Slack talked to his players on the ride back to Lecanto about their dedication and effort.

He stressed to them that the only way to end the program's years of futility is to continue doing what they have done since the 2000 season ended.

"I told them, "If this feels good and you like it, this is what you have to do to get it back,' " Slack said.

Lecanto never has had a winning season and few probably expect next year's team to end this dubious streak. Then again, few thought the Panthers could beat Central, either.

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