Sidelines

© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 30, 2001

QUOTABLE

"(Lecanto) pushed it down our throats on their first drive. I was getting a little worried."

-- Crystal River fullback Ryan McNally, who went 55 yards for a touchdown on Crystal River's first offensive play.

GAME BALLS

WILL BLEAKLEY, CRYSTAL RIVER: The senior caught two passes for 47 yards and kicked eight extra points. Bleakley also made several key blocks.

RYAN McNALLY, CRYSTAL RIVER: The junior fullback added to his county rushing lead (759 yards, 11 touchdowns) with a 16-attempt, 217-yard, three-touchdown performance against Lecanto.

JARVIS PATTERSON, LECANTO: The junior running back lost one fumble, but otherwise was solid. He finished with 63 yards on 10 carries. His biggest play, a 20-yard carry in the first quarter, came on third and 13 from the Lecanto 28.

CLAYTON TRENARY, CRYSTAL RIVER: The senior quarterback/safety was an efficient 5-of-8 passing for 85 yards and one touchdown (19 yards to Michael Jones). He also intercepted a pass late in the first half.

ISAIAH WEBB, CITRUS: The junior, lining up primarily at running back for the second consecutive week, rushed for 161 yards and three touchdowns on 33 carries against Deltona. Webb, who rushed for 110 yards the previous week against Wildwood, scored on runs of 5, 1 and 1 yards.

THE CRYSTAL RIVER OFFENSIVE LINE: The unit created huge holes against Lecanto. The Pirates averaged 9.7 yards per carry.

BACK IN THE SADDLE

After being held to a season-low 157 rushing yards in a victory against Dixie County last week, Crystal River was back to its old form against Lecanto. The Pirates rushed for a season-high 367 yards and seven touchdowns.

THE OTHER GUY

While his rushing total wasn't nearly as high as McNally's, halfback Chianta Smith did make the most of his nine attempts and did so when it counted most -- in the red zone. The junior had 54 yards, including touchdown runs of 4, 5 and 11 yards.

KEY BLOCK

McNally's 55-yard scoring jaunt on Crystal River's first play might have been the crucial play in the Pirates' victory against Lecanto. But easily missed was a key block by Will Bleakley that turned what likely would have been a 20-yard gain into a touchdown.

JUST AN OBSERVATION

1. One wonders when, if ever, Lecanto will end its losing skid against Crystal River. This season appeared to be the best shot for the Panthers, who haven't beaten the Pirates since 1987 and have lost 14 consecutive games in the series. Lecanto has 11 seniors, including six of its best players (wide receiver/defensive back Bruce Emberley, tailback/linebacker Terence Hollis, fullback Bruce Lewis, wide receiver/defensive back Mike Perrino, lineman Billy Simmons and running back/defensive back Jeff Yearwood). The upside is that leading rusher Jarvis Patterson (493 yards) and quarterback Phil Reed return in 2001, along with most of the team's interior linemen.

2. The best running game in the county belongs to Crystal River. Lecanto has an impressive group, but when it counted most, the Pirates came up bigger. Crystal River averaged 9.7 yards a carry Friday night, an impressive total against any team, let alone one that entered allowing 13.3 points per game. Crystal River's pass blocking needs work, but the Pirates can run block with the best of them. And the backs, McNally, Smith and Michael Jones, aren't too shabby either.

3. Don't write Lecanto off. The Panthers weren't the first team to be crushed by Crystal River and they won't be the last. There's no shame in losing to these guys. This week, Lecanto plays at Hernando in an important Gulf Coast Athletic Conference game. If Lecanto wins and Central beats Crystal River, the Panthers will finish no worse than in a tie for first in the conference. The Panthers also have district games remaining against Dunnellon (Oct. 12) and North Marion (Oct. 26). If Lecanto wins both of those, it likely will earn a playoff spot. This team is more than capable of finishing 6-4 or 7-3.

4. Switching Isaiah Webb to running back was a good move for Citrus. At wide receiver, the Hurricanes had limited opportunities to get Webb, perhaps the toughest player in the county to tackle, the ball. Now, he'll have a shot at 20 to 30 carries a game. Although Citrus didn't win Friday, Webb had a huge night and we look for more big numbers from him as the season progresses.

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