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The quarterback made several key plays to keep Crystal River in the game.
By CAREY FREEMAN
© St. Petersburg Times, published November 25, 2000
CRYSTAL RIVER -- How good was Crystal River quarterback Clayton Trenary's effort in Friday's 14-0 loss to Jesuit?
So good there were whispers of "transfer" from some on the Jesuit sideline. Unfortunately for the wishful, Jesuit can't accept senior transfers -- and Trenary won't be suiting up in the blue and white any time in the future.
Yet that won't stop some from thinking what might have been had the Tigers possessed the most impressive player in the Class 3A, Region 2 semifinal. Who knows? With Trenary at the helm, the Tigers might have crushed the Pirates. As it was, Trenary was almost the savior for Crystal River, keeping it in the game with play after play, first down after first down, big tackle after big tackle, clutch play after clutch play.
"We expect that (from Trenary)," Pirates coach Jere DeFoor said.
"He does that every ballgame."
And Friday was no different. Like he did in last year's first-round win over Daytona Beach Seabreeze, Trenary made plays any way he could.
His 38 yards rushing were second among Pirates to teammate Ryan McNally, and his 116 yards passing were his highest of the season.
However, for all of the effort, Trenary was not perfect. Two interceptions in particular proved crucial, especially his first one, which came after Crystal River recovered a fumble at the Jesuit 36-yard line with 8:16 to play.
Trailing by a touchdown, Trenary attempted to thread a pass between two defenders but could not beat free safety Eric Conway, who snared the pass at the Jesuit 30-yard line.
However, even that negative could not overcome the positives. Harassed by the Tigers' defensive front on nearly every pass, Trenary managed to complete several crucial passes and scramble for first downs on two occasions.
"It was a big game," Trenary said. "I don't have much to say. We could have done better, but they are a tough team. They don't play both ways like us. And it seems like that's what hurts us most in the playoffs. All of us play both ways."
On defense, Trenary was just as key, supporting the linebackers with tough, physical play from his safety position. Yet he was not the only one making contributions for the Pirates, who had to create offense after leading rusher Nate Madison quit the team three weeks ago.
Early on, it was Michael Jones who made the biggest impact, catching the Tigers napping on runs of 12, 7 and 6 yards on reverses. Overall, Crystal River managed 139 rushing yards on 35 attempts, most of it spread evenly between McNally, Trenary, Jones (24 yards) and John Wang (21 yards).