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Some teams seek revenge in Week One

By JOHN COTEY

© St. Petersburg Times, published September 1, 2000

Sometimes, as a coach, you want your team to forget a game and move on. And sometimes you don't.

While Gulf coach Keith Newton doesn't want his players consumed with last year's season-opening loss to Hudson, he seems pleased that they at least remember.

"This game means a lot to our kids," said Newton. "One, it's a conference game and two, we thought we'd won that game and didn't."

Chances are the battle cry will hardly be "let's win one for the conference lead." But on his second point, Newton is right on.

With the score tied at 17 and 2:44 left, Hudson's Brad Felten ripped off a 54-yard touchdown for the winning margin in the 24-17 victory. Despite holding Felten down for three quarters, the Bucs were unable to prevent the graduated Cobra from gaining 101 yards on just six carries in the final quarter.

"That definitely left a bitter taste in our mouth," Newton said. "The kids haven't forgotten. They feel like we owe Hudson a little reminder."

GENERATION GAP: Two of the current Cobras have brothers who played on the last winning team at Hudson.

Quarterback Robbie Mahler's brother, Rick, was a starting running back for the 1986 team that went 6-4, and fullback Steve Gordon's brother, Scott Ballentine, was a wide receiver before grades forced him off the team.

OUCH: Gulf will be without two starters tonight: Guard and linebacker Butch Fain is out with a torn rotator cuff and is expected to miss the rest of the season, and running back and defensive back Xaiver Luciano does not have the grades.

"They both would have been a lot of help to us," Newton said.

Mike Townsend, a starter at Ridgewood last year, will fill in for Fain at guard.

Hudson will be without starting linebacker Kenny Eva, who is out with a strained knee, and defensive tackle Steve Hutton, who missed two practices this week with bruised ribs. Hutton will not start but could play.

TUFF SKED: If the Royal Knights can get through their first six games at .500, they look to have another chance at a 7-3 mark. But that will be no easy task.

River Ridge opens the year with two teams that were 10-0 in the regular season -- Land O'Lakes, who it plays tonight, and Hillsborough, which is ranked No. 8 in the state in Class 5A.

The first six for River Ridge also include games against 6-4 teams in East Lake and Chamberlain.

Once past that brutal stretch, the sailing becomes smoother: River Ridge's last four opponents were a combined 10-30 in 1999.

BAD SKEDS: No one on the west side plays a schedule in which the combined records of its opponents was .500 last season. River Ridge is tops at .460, followed by Hudson at .430, Gulf at .420 and Ridgewood at .410.

The toughest schedule in the county belongs to Zephyrhills at .550 (Pasco is the only other team over .500 at .510); the worst is Land O'Lakes at .280.

POWER RANKINGS: Here's the Pasco Times preseason power rankings:

1. Land O'Lakes: Until they get beat, they stay on top.

2. River Ridge: Win tonight puts them at No. 1, with a bullet.

3. Pasco: Suspect passing game will decide Pirates' fate.

4. Zephyrhills: Looked good in preseason win.

5. Wesley Chapel: Tyrone Tomlin returns; so does Matt Harden.

6. Ridgewood: Only county team guaranteed not to lose this week.

7. Gulf: Bucs have numbers ... do they have talent to match?

8. Hudson: Last in poll could be short-lived with win over Bucs.

COTEY'S PICKS: Gulf shuts down run, Cobras passing attack a little rusty, Bucs win 14-13; In Land O'Lakes' only tough game of the season, Gators sneak past River Ridge 21-17; Robinson runs all over Pasco, Ricky Thomas mulls retirement in 35-7 loss; John Briscoe bandwagon now accepting seat deposits after Bulldogs whip Wesley Chapel 28-10; Ridgewood and Open play to scoreless tie in scrimmage.

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