The rivalry you may have never heard of

By JOHN COTEY

© St. Petersburg Times, published September 22, 2000

NEW PORT RICHEY -- You know that Ridgewood had the 35-game losing streak. You know that Gulf hasn't made the playoffs in approximately 70 years of high school football. You know, truth be told, that both teams have been pretty bad in recent years.

But here's something you probably don't know: when these two teams get together, they play a pretty exciting game of football.

Seriously.

(The writer will now pause here to let the readers recompose themselves. Still pausing. Humming theme from Jeopardy. Ready to continue.)

In fact, I have come to the conclusion that while the Gulf-Hudson game has always been regarded as the west side's best, the Gulf-Ridgewood game has produced more close finishes and more drama, even if often overlooked.

"I think it has been overlooked, but that's because both teams have had their trouble the last few years," Gulf coach Keith Newton said. "No one wants to give up any slack to the other one when it comes to this game. It's a big game, always is. Even some of my alumni always speak to me about the Ridgewood game."

While "The Streak" is mostly responsible for the thrillers the last two seasons (14-10 and 13-7 Bucs wins), Newton expects another hotly contested matchup. Who needs "The Streak" for motivation?

Not Ridgewood.

If Wayne Parzik or any of the Rams players who had to suffer through their recent losing streak care to inflict some revenge this season, there is no better team to start with than the Bucs. Especially since Gulf was the only team that failed to hang at least a 20-point victory on the Rams during "The Streak".

No, that would have been the nice thing to do. Losing 54-0 or 45-3, that can be explained away easily -- the Bucs were a better team.

But the Bucs did not just walk over the Rams, they cut their heart out and showed it to them. They won games in overtime and on last plays and in final minutes. They won the kind of games that reduced the Rams to tears.

Consider: during The Streak, every game with the Bucs was the one the Rams pointed to as being the streak buster.

Every one.

Then the Bucs went out and heaped on consecutive losses Nos. 33, 29, 19 and 6 to the Rams' growing pile of disappointment. The combined margin of victory in those games was 28 points, with one game going to overtime and two others ending in the final minute with Ridgewood driving toward a potential winning score.

Some of the gems:

In 1999, Ridgewood was 30 yards from the end zone with 50 seconds left when Tony Goluba's fourth-down pass fell incomplete.

In 1998, the Rams fans were in a frenzy after Pat Mansfield blocked an extra point with 2:21 remaining to force overtime. But the Bucs scored in the extra period and Ridgewood threw an interception to Bubba Violante in a 13-7 heartbreaker.

In 1997, Ridgewood's Matt Lemming ran back the opening kickoff 96 yards for a score. But Gulf's Johnny Martir and David Bocchino each scored three rushing touchdowns and gained a combined 357 yards in a 43-31 win.

In 1996, Gulf led 20-0 and then had to sweat it out as Ridgewood nearly completed an improbable rally before falling 20-15. Ridgewood had the ball and the momentum after scoring touchdowns on runs of 14 and 19 yards by Robbie Melnick. But in the final six minutes, the Rams had the ball twice and could not score, throwing two interceptions.

There have been a slew of other great moments in the series, like when Wilbur Lofton resigned as Gulf coach immediately after winning 23-14 in 1995; like when the Rams let an 18-14 lead become a 23-18 loss in the final 3:12 in 1994; like when the Rams actually snapped a losing streak, albeit only three games, when they stopped Gulf twice inside the 10-yard line late in the second half and held on to win 13-7 in 1993; like when Gulf outgained Ridgewood 316-221, ran 70 offensive plays to just 26 for Ridgewood and had a 21-7 edge in first downs but still lost 41-14 in 1992; and like when the Bucs fumbled five times in the 1988 game, but Ridgewood junior Jack Nelson come up short on a 45-yard field goal with 15 seconds left to keep Gulf ahead in a 14-13 win.

Now that's a great series, which, by the way, Gulf leads 12-3 after winning the last six.

It may not be pretty at times, and little rides on the game but pride, but sometimes that's enough, especially when there's a payoff at the end.

And in this one, there almost always is.

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