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Hurricane covers lots of groundBy KEITH NIEBUHR © St. Petersburg Times, published October 27, 2000 INVERNESS -- Ryan Garrett does not awe you with his size, nor with his speed. He does with his energy. "I don't like standing around not doing stuff," Garrett said. Nobody would accuse him of doing that. Garrett, a senior at Citrus who starts at offensive guard and outside linebacker and plays special teams, rarely leaves the field. His motor, it seems, never stops. "He does anything we ask him to do," Hurricanes coach Larry Bishop said. "He even works with the scout team during the week, and never complains. "He volunteers to play on the scout team and that says a lot about his character and work ethic," Bishop said. "He always wants to do what he can do to make the team better." The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Garrett, a three-year starter, has been a valuable asset at each of his positions. On offense, Bishop said, Garrett is Citrus' most consistent blocker. On defense, he is a steady playmaker. "He's not a big kid, but he's a typical Citrus kid," Bishop said. "He has a lot of heart and gives you 100 percent. He's been a total team player. On offense and defense he has really stood out for us. "He's a consistent player. Sometimes he gets overlooked, but he just always does his job. He doesn't make mistakes. We know we can leave him in there the whole game and he'll still make plays." As the Hurricanes' strong-side guard, Garrett is the primary pulling guard and "personal protector" of quarterback Sam McLain. "He's aggressive, knows the scheme, and you know he's going to be there and get the job done," Bishop said. As one of the Hurricanes' two outside linebackers, Garrett's objective in a 4-4 scheme is to turn everything that comes his way to the inside linebackers. Nevertheless, he is third on the team with 64 tackles -- nine of which have been made behind the line of scrimmage. In last week's 25-15 loss to Central, Garrett made 15 stops -- four for loss. "From his position, being third on the team says a lot," Bishop said. "Our outside linebackers aren't geared to get tackles. "He's field smart," the coach said. "What he lacks physically he makes up for with field sense, and he's very disciplined." Because Garrett spends so much time on the field, you wonder if he ever tires. "I do get tired, but you just work through it and don't think about it," Garrett said. "We condition a good bit so that helps out." Garrett's enthusiasm and energy are not limited to the football field. He has lettered in baseball, track and weightlifting. "I stay pretty active," Garrett said. "I love being out there. I love playing. I like a little break once in awhile, but I get bored." Ryan GarrettSCHOOL: Citrus. GRADE: Senior. POSITIONS: Offensive guard, outside linebacker, special teams. NOTABLE: Garrett, a three-year starter, is third on the team in tackles with 64. He has nine tackles for loss. In the Hurricanes' homecoming win against Springstead, Garrett earned the Fitzpatrick Award, which goes to the squad's top defensive performer in that game.
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