Citrus attack gains ground

By KEITH NIEBUHR and CAREY FREEMAN

© St. Petersburg Times,
published August 28, 2001

Coach Larry Bishop wasn't kidding when he said Citrus would emphasize the run more in 2001.

In last week's 25-7 Classic win over Ridgewood, the Hurricanes rushed for 301 yards to key an offensive attack that racked up 16 first downs.

Junior tailback Brendan Smith led the way with 170 yards and one touchdown on 16 carries. Sophomore Chad Webb, whom Bishop said will split time with Smith, also played well.

"If the offensive line does as well as it did the other night, (Smith and Webb) should get as many carries as possible," Bishop said.

"The offensive line played really well. We were very pleased with them. They came off the ball hard and maintained their blocks."

Bishop was pleased with his quarterbacks, sophomore Casey Snyder and junior Isaiah Webb, and the secondary, which performed well after allowing an early touchdown reception.

Webb rushed for 32 yards on 7 carries and was 2 of 4 for 28 yards passing. Snyder was 0-for-2.

"We're still going to go with two quarterbacks until somebody steps up and outperforms the other," Bishop said. "Both did some things well for us."

Citrus opens the regular season Friday at home against Central, 7-4 last year.

"I was very pleased (with the Ridgewood game)," Bishop said. "We had a lot of questions that were answered that night.

"We knew the kids could do it, but a lot of them were untested. This was their first major test, and a lot of kids passed it."

PANTHER POWER: Lecanto had a 212-70 edge in total yardage and finished with 11 first downs in Friday's 21-10 victory over Hudson in half of a preseason game.

In their past four quarters -- two in the spring jamboree and two last week -- the Panthers outscored Central and Hudson by a combined 35-16.

"All the mistakes we made are things we can fix, and they were all at full speed," Lecanto coach Dick Slack said. "The effort was tremendous, and we got to look at everybody on film.

"I'm very happy with the outcome. I'm very confident that we are moving ahead. And, we didn't get anybody injured. When you have depth problems, that's very important."

BIG CROWD: The biggest surprise wasn't that Lecanto won, but that Panthers fans filled their half of the stands to see a game that didn't count in the record book.

"It was really nice to have that support," Slack said. "That's what we were hoping for. As long as we can get that kind of support from the student body and from the community, it helps a lot. The kids know they're behind them."

Lecanto's next home game is Sept. 28 against Crystal River. The Panthers open the regular season this week at Tavares, then play at Central, Citrus and Springstead in succession.

WELCOME BACK: After playing for Lecanto as a sophomore, wide receiver/defensive back Mike Perrino decided not to play in 2000.

He's back this season, and his return to the team was memorable.

Perrino recovered a first-quarter fumble against Hudson and capped an exciting half with an 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

"He decided he wanted to play his senior year so he came back," Slack said. "He's doing a good job, and he's getting back into the groove. He should do nothing but improve with more repetitions."

INCONSISTENT DEFENSE: Though it had its moments (end Will Bleakley had three sacks), Crystal River's defense struggled at times in Friday's 19-16 loss to St. Petersburg Northeast.

The pass defense surrendered two touchdowns in the closing minutes of the first half and the winning touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Northeast quarterback Josh Harris completed 8 of 18 attempts for 207 yards. His 18-yard pass to Martin Teal on fourth-and-12 with 4:53 to play all but sealed the victory for the Vikings.

Crystal River's offense wasn't much better. The Pirates managed 123 total yards -- 56 on their opening drive -- compared to the 273 for Northeast. Crystal River fumbled five times, losing three.

SCOUTING REPORT: Citing poor profit margins as his main reason for not having a preseason classic, South Sumter coach Inman Sherman and no less than 12 of his players and assistants put their off time to good use by scouting the Crystal River-Northeast game.

Sherman's players, dressed in their home uniforms, sat behind the Northeast sideline and cheered for the Vikings. Crystal River, which defeated the Raiders in 1999 and 2000, opens the regular season at South Sumter on Friday.

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