Another Caldwell fueling Crystal River's fast start

It must be in the genes.

Just one year after watching his brother, Donny, post a county-record 50 goals, Josh Caldwell has done what many thought was impossible: Begin to fill the shoes of his graduated older sibling.

Few could have expected it and even fewer would have asked the Crystal River junior for such a performance.

But Caldwell couldn't help himself. He's just that good.

"He's a different type of player than his brother," Pirates coach Bobby Verlatto said. "Donny was a forward with blazing speed. Josh is becoming a more complete player. He has the scoring ability, but he can also play defense and pass."

Though asked to play in the central midfield -- arguably the most difficult position on the field -- Caldwell leads the county in goals (six, tied with Alex Posta) and assists (five) through three games.

Caldwell's best game was a 5-0 win over Belleview in which he tallied three goals and two assists. He had two goals and three assists in an 8-2 victory over North Marion.

But his biggest effort came in the final five minutes of Friday's game against rival Citrus, when Caldwell stuck home the tying goal -- after a free kick from Kyle Griffin -- in a 1-1 draw. "He hasn't even reached his potential yet," Verlatto said. "But he's slowly becoming the player people should look for."

Having the ability to handle the multitude of challenges at center midfield is an added bonus.

"If he was at forward like his brother, we'd just send the ball in to him and let him shoot," Verlatto said. "But he plays defense and he plays offense. He's like (Carlos) Valderrama when Colombia was tough. Everything goes through him. He's the heart and soul of our team."

ROUND 1: The first round of the county's most heated rivalry was a draw.

The second round between Crystal River and Citrus is set for Dec. 7.

According to the respective coaches, it should be a dandy.

"The rematch will be an important game," Verlatto said. "It will also be a tough game."

Verlatto should know. After a goal by Posta put the Hurricanes (1-2-1) up 1-0, his Pirates (2-0-1) needed a late goal from Caldwell to sneak out of Inverness with a tie.

"It should be the biggest game of the year," Citrus coach Ian Feldt said. "It looks now like that game could decide who's seeded No. 1 at districts."

SCORING RACE: It looks like there will be a fierce race for the county scoring title between Caldwell and Posta. They're tied with six, though Posta has played one more game and an arguably tougher schedule.

"That one should come down to the wire," Verlatto said.

RETOOLING WOES: Lecanto (1-2-0) has taken some early lumps in an effort to diversify its attack, but appears to be over the hump.

"We've tried to put in a new system, and it's taken us a while to get used to it," Lecanto coach Bruce Sheffield said, referring to season-opening losses to Central and Dunnellon. "We're trying to work the ball down the field using short passes and overlapping runs. We were not as comfortable in the first two games as we were in the last."

But the Panthers found their comfort zone against Hernando on Nov. 20, blasting the Leopards 7-0 behind three goals apiece from Josh McKenna and Jeremy Cox.

"They did what they were asked to do (against Hernando), and the results were much better," Sheffield said.

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