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Looking Back: September

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By CRISTINA LEDRA, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 28, 2007

Following a car accident in the spring, Zephyrhills lineman Quentin Amos wasn't sure if he'd have use of his arm the way he previously did.

He had lost control of his truck, flipped it and hit a tree. Doctors told him that if his arm had broken they would have had to amputate it.

"I was just being careless," he told the Tribune in September. "That's what happens when you disobey your parents. I'm reminded of that every day."

Not even five months after the accident, Amos started at left guard for the Bulldogs in their opening game in Week 2 of the season against Mitchell.

Amos spent two months in the hospital and came out to Zephyrhills' spring scrimmage with a cast on his arm, though he wasn't ready to be back on the field.

He received clearance to play from his doctors a couple weeks into training camp.

"At that point, it was still in the healing process," Amos said. "Basically, everything was taken out of the forearm - the muscle, everything. At first, I was pretty skeptical about hitting somebody with it."

But he wasn't ready to jump back into his football role. He had to work on his conditioning in addition to getting back into his rhythm.

In Zephyrhills' kickoff classic he blocked with his one good arm and eventually worked up to extending his arms.

And as unlikely as it may have seemed just a few months earlier when he was in a hospital bed, Amos went on to have a normal season.

No Fluke
The respect for Zephyrhills volleyball hit a new peak in the month of September.

For those who thought Zephyrhills' 15-4 start and 22-7 finish in 2006 was a fluke, the Bulldogs proved otherwise with a 6-0 start this season. During the undefeated portion of play, Zephyrhills knocked off county power Hudson and a tough Nature Coast squad as well.

"I think it will give us the respect that we deserve," sophomore setter Lindsay Arnold said.

After losing its seventh match, the Bulldogs rattled off another five victories. Eventually, Zephyrhills finished as Class 4A-District 8 runner-up, advancing to the playoffs for the first time since 1999.

Jaw-Dropping Victory

Once a game ends, most coaches readily admit a certain situation may have unnerved them during a game.

In 31 seasons, Land O' Lakes coach John Benedetto has seen it all, which likely explained his composure during a come-from-behind victory against Zephyrhills with a freshman quarterback guiding his offense.

Down 9-7 with 43 seconds left, freshman quarterback Stephen Weatherford converted a fourth-and-15 on an acrobatic catch by receiver Nick Castellano and then hit Alex Robinson on a 35-yard score with four seconds left in the game for a 14-9 win.

"Well, you know, to be honest with you, I was kind of relaxed, I really was," Benedetto said. "I was more concerned with us taking the lead with 4.5 seconds left and hoping that we weren't going to kick the ball to Zephyrhills running back Chris Henry, and we did."

Added Castellano: "Normally you would be nervous with a freshman quarterback, but B.B. Stephen stepped up huge and he's a Weatherford, so we knew he'd get it done."

Sweet Taste Of Victory

The Sunlake boys and girls swim teams made Sept. 26 their day. While at the Land O' Lakes Recreation Center, both squads earned the first victories for each program. The girls gathered a 56-31 victory against Wesley Chapel, while the boys escaped with a 45-44 victory against the Wildcats.

The meet was the first time the Seahawks boys competed with a full roster.

"What's been hurting us a lot this year is not filling other events plus not having diving because we're not getting those points," boys coach Daniel Merced said. "A lot times we're not on an even keel, but this time it was and it was a home meet so that made it even better."

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