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© St. Petersburg Times, published October 5, 2001
Pasco County-on-Pasco County football isn't just good for the records of the local teams, but it is also proving to be quite the boon for the players' statistics.
We're not sure Wesley Chapel's Tyrone Tomlin couldn't get 200 yards rushing against a Tampa Jefferson, or Jason Boyd couldn't get six sacks in a game against Tampa Robinson, but who cares? Against competition they can at least match up with, a few players are off to big starts that rank them among the state leaders.
Tomlin, of course, is making the most impact on the state rankings. The junior fullback has 777 rushing yards, which places him 18th (state leader Ciatrick Fason of Neptune Beach Fletcher has 1,114).
Tomlin also ranks fourth in scoring with 90 points on 15 touchdowns (leader Napoleon Francis of Mayo Lafayette has 110 points), and is tied for the lead with three others with two interception returns for touchdowns.
The county even has a state leader -- Tomlin's teammate Boyd, whose 16 sacks lead Florida (and is two ahead of Taurean Charles of Miami Northwestern).
Others from Pasco in the state leaders include Wesley Chapel's Gilbert Montelongo (his 50-yard field goal against Ridgewood is the fifth-longest); Land O'Lakes Drew Weatherford (23rd with 752 yards passing) and Ridgewood's Jon Emminger (29th with 703 yards passing).
Zephyrhills quarterback James Adamo, who has 525 passing yards in four games, should join that list this week after playing Ridgewood tonight and Hudson on Monday.
1- times Hudson has beaten Land O'Lakes in 17 games since 1980.
7 -- straight wins by River Ridge over Gulf.
17 -- straight wins by River Ridge over west side schools.
14 and 0 -- River Ridge record versus west side since 1996
1 and 11 -- River Ridge record versus east side since 1996.
8 -- straight wins by Zephyrhills over Ridgewood.
5 -- consecutive years Rams have failed to score more than seven points vs. Zephyrhills.
6, 1, 6, 2 -- margin of victory/defeat respectively of Hudson's four games.
132 -- points scored against Gulf by River Ridge last two seasons.
WHERE/WHEN: Ram Booster, 7:30 p.m.
THE SKINNY: The Rams have one of the county's most talented, unsung and now healthy backfields with Brandon Presley and the just-returned Robbie Coughlan. If quarterback Jon Emminger can limit his mistakes, Ridgewood could pose a problem for Zephyrhills. The Bulldogs are coming off a tough loss to Wesley Chapel in which they were thrashed, though running back Michael Moody and quarterback James Adamo could overwhelm an overworked Ram defense. It's a meeting of the county's thinnest rosters, so injuries could play a crucial role.
WHERE/WHEN: Raider Field, 7:30 p.m.
THE SKINNY: The pressure is already on Pasco to compete within the county, so don't expect Pirates coach Ricky Thomas to risk rushing his injured starters back into this out-of-county contest. However, Pasco could not have picked a worse week to visit Bushnell. South Sumter (3-2) was down 7-0 to Haines City on Sept. 21 when the game was interrupted by lightning. This week the Florida High School Activities Association declared it an official loss -- and Haines City went on to beat Lakeland 2-0 and end the Dreadnaughts' 60-game regular season win streak. The Raiders may take their disappointment out on the Pirates tonight.
WHERE/WHEN: Mustang Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
THE SKINNY: It's scary to think about what Wildcat star Tyrone Tomlin may rush for against the Mustangs, considering Mitchell surrendered 290 yards to a River Ridge team that didn't have a 100-yard rusher entering last week. But Mitchell coach Scott Schmitz is a former John Castelamare assistant, so the Wesley Chapel coach is sure to call off the dogs somewhere around the third quarter. Boyd could put his season-sack record out of reach tonight ... oh wait, it's already out of reach.
WHERE/WHEN: Des Little Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
THE SKINNY: The Bucs played Pasco much tougher than anyone anticipated and had a chance to win the game last week before falling 14-12, so do they use that as motivation to play well again this week or was such a loss too painful to bounce back from? The Bucs need to be at their best against a River Ridge team that has feasted on them the past two seasons with 69- and 63-point outings.
WHERE/WHEN: Gator Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
THE SKINNY: Speaking of tough losses, the Cobras have suffered their fair share the last two weeks. How much do they have left? These teams haven't played since 1998, though Hudson probably didn't mind too much -- the Gators have won the last 12 meetings dating back to 1987. However, three of the last four losses have only been by a total of nine points.
This week's Top 10:
1. Tyrone Tomlin, Wesley Chapel: Forget Keyshawn, give him the damn ball.
2. Drew Weatherford, Land O'Lakes: Forget Keyshawn, give ... you know the rest.
3. Michael Moody, Zephyrhills: He's back, but now he has to start finding the end zone.
4. Tim Dare, River Ridge: Will the real Tim Dare please stand up, please stand up.
5. Robbie Coughlan, Ridgewood: 98-yard kickoff return? Welcome back.
6. Jason Krupinski, Ridgewood: 80-yard TD boosts per catch average to 48.
7. Amanda Newsome, Pasco: Girl power! Her extra-point kicks were the difference against Gulf.
8. Dale Lemons, Hudson: Yes Virginia, Hudson has speed.
9. Joey Mayo, River Ridge: Nose tackle runs ball; the William Perry of the new generation?
10. Ryan Klaskow, Hudson: We give up on Gulf's Trent Kennison; Klaskow is our new kick return hero.
Finally, the postponed Sept. 14 Hudson-Zephyrhills contest will be replayed Monday night at 7 p.m. at Bulldog Stadium. So make sure you set your fantasy football rosters accordingly.
-- Compiled by JOHN C. COTEY and JAMAL THALJI.