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Cowboys ride special teams play to win

© St. Petersburg Times,
published October 6, 2001

TAMPA -- Gaither's special teams were extra special.

How special you ask? Try two blocked punts and a mishandled snap on another punt attempt -- all in the first half -- as the Cowboys rolled to a 42-12 victory over Sickles on Friday night at Cowboy Stadium.

Gaither (4-2) managed only seven first downs and didn't complete a pass in two attempts. But the Cowboys found other ways to bury Sickles (1-5) in a 35-point first half.

"Sometimes the breaks go for you," Gaither coach Bob Gries said. "Last week (a 49-35 loss to Hillsborough), they went against us."

In a game involving two North Tampa schools only five miles apart, Gaither used practically every method to find the end zone. Sickles punter John Wyandt failed to get three of his four first-half punts away cleanly, leading to three Cowboys touchdowns.

Jordon Hicks blocked two punts to set up a pair of scores, and Wyandt's fumble of a center snap led to another touchdown as Gaither sprinted to a 35-6 halftime lead.

"Those are our first two (blocks) of the year," Gries said. "We had one or two partials before, but those are our first ones. Thank God, because (Sickles) was a good football team. If we hadn't made those plays, we would have been in for a long, tough night."

Gaither took a 14-0 first-quarter lead as running back Craig Bullara scored on his first two carries, a 23-yarder after Hicks' first block and a 76-yarder.

Mike Thomas' 1-yard scoring run gave the Cowboys a 21-0 lead, but Sickles bounced back as Gavin Williams scored the first of his two touchdowns. However, with less than 31/2 minutes remaining to intermission, Hicks and the Cowboys put the Gryphons away for good. Hicks' second block led an an 8-yard scoring return by Justin Luper, and Troy Akins intercepted a Pat Carr pass and returned it 48 yards for another touchdown.

Gaither got its final touchdown on its opening series of the second half.

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