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Pasco Football Previews: Week 10

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 2, 2007

HUDSON (6-2, 3-1) AT ZEPHYRHILLS (5-3, 3-1)
WHEN/WHERE: 7:30/Bulldog Stadium, 6335 12th St., Zephyrhills
DISTRICT: 3A-8
COACHES: Mark Nash (Hudson), Tom Fisher (Zephyrhills)
LAST MEETING: Zephyrhills 48, Hudson 14 (2006)
LAST WEEK: Hudson 73, Sunlake 0; Gulf 35, Zephyrhills 13
NEED TO KNOW: The winner is guaranteed a playoff spot. If Zephyrhills wins, and Pasco beats Gulf, the Bulldogs will have back-to-back district titles for the first time in school history. If Hudson wins, and Gulf beats Pasco, the Cobras will have their second district title in three years. … Fisher was frustrated by the Bulldogs' lack of focus against Gulf, and believes improving that will help curb his squad's fumbling problems, especially on snaps, where it seems most prevalent. The Bulldogs want to control the tempo and the clock, and keep Hudson's offense off the field. RB Chris Henry is 45 rushing yards shy of 1,000. … The Cobras are well aware of the danger DE Alex Sampson presents to QB Zack Wynn, and are hoping their array of quarterback option plays slow his pass rush off the edge. Hudson's balanced attack has frustrated defenses to the tune of 55.8 points a game during its five-game win streak. … The Cobras are averaging 41 points a game in their last four meetings with Zephyrhills. The Bulldogs have given up a total of 41 points in their last four home games.

RIVER RIDGE (1-7, 0-4) AT CENTRAL (4-4, 1-3)
WHEN/WHERE: 7:30/Bears' Den, 14075 Ken Austin Parkway, Brooksville
DISTRICT: 4A-8
COACHES: Tim Stevens (River Ridge), Cliff Lohrey (Central)
LAST MEETING: Central 25, River Ridge 14 (2006)
LAST WEEK: Land O' Lakes 31, River Ridge 0; Tarpon Springs 27, Central 10
NEED TO KNOW: The Royal Knights are trying to avoid their third consecutive winless season in district play. Their last district win was against Ridgewood in 2004. ... Despite their struggles in recent years, the Knights matched up relatively well with the Bears, averaging 16 points a game in the last five meetings and allowing 24 a game. … The difference in River Ridge's losses has been the lack of a consistent running game, with only two rushing touchdowns since beating Sunlake in Week 1. The Knights have thrown for 14 touchdowns. … Central's four victories have come against teams with a combined 10-22 record, a disappointment for a squad that expected to contend for consecutive district titles.

BISHOP MCLAUGHLIN (1-7, 0-4) at KESWICK CHRISTIAN (8-0, 4-0)
WHEN/WHERE: 7:30/10101 54th Ave. N., St. Petersburg
DISTRICT: 1B-6
COACHES: Marty Williams (Bishop McLaughlin), Rick Sanson (Keswick)
LAST MEETING: Keswick Christian 32, Bishop McLaughlin 9 (2006)
LAST WEEK: Bradenton Prep 40, Bishop McLaughlin 3; Keswick Christian 59, Sarasota Out-of-Door 0
NEED TO KNOW: The Hurricanes conclude their season tonight against a team that is steamrolling into the playoffs, the only unbeaten team left in Class 1B, ranked No. 3 in the state. And to top it off, it's homecoming for the Crusaders. … Bishop McLaughlin's running game has struggled in its last three weeks, averaging 19.3 yards a game. … Keswick QB Jared Stacey is 109 passing yards shy of 1,000, and RB Jared Dimaggio is 71 rushing yards shy of 1,000. … The Crusaders have shut out their last two opponents, Bradenton Prep and OOD, teams that beat Bishop McLaughlin by a combined score of 88-3.

CAMBRIDGE (5-3) AT ACADEMY AT THE LAKES (1-6)
WHEN/WHERE: 7:30/Land O' Lakes Recreation Center, 3032 Collier Parkway, Land O' Lakes
COACHES: Rick Shears (Cambridge), Mark Arbet (AATL)
LAST MEETING: First meeting
LAST WEEK: Cambridge Christian 14, Calvary Christian 7; Gainesville Oak Hall 62, Academy at the Lakes 6
NEED TO KNOW: The Wildcats continue their tough season-ending schedule that last week included one of the state's top passers, and this week features one of the area's top running games. … The Lancers are led by RB Taylor Cabral (1,111 yards rushing, 14 touchdowns) for the bulk of their offense. He's not bad on defense either, with four 10-tackle games and five sacks. … AATL has scored at least one touchdown in its last three games, a testament that the inexperienced squad is improving and will have something to build on for next season. … This is the home finale for the Wildcats.

PASCO (4-4, 3-1) AT GULF (4-4, 3-1)
WHEN/WHERE: 7:30/Des Little Stadium, 5355 School Road, New Port Richey
DISTRICT: 3A-8
COACHES: Tom McHugh (Pasco), Jay Fulmer (Gulf)
LAST MEETING: Gulf 22, Pasco 0 (2006)
LAST WEEK: Pasco 33, Wiregrass Ranch 0; Gulf 35, Zephyrhills 13
NEED TO KNOW: The winner is in the playoffs and the loser is out. If Gulf wins and Zephyrhills beats Hudson, the Bucs will win their first district title in school history. If Pasco wins and Hudson beats Zephyrhills, Pasco will win its first district title since 1998. If Pasco wins, it will also be its first playoff appearance since 2004. … Gulf is looking to build off of its upset win against Zephyrhills last week. The Bucs have proven they can play well against tough opponents, giving undefeated Ridgewood one of its closest games earlier this season. RB David Williams was held to well under his average 244 yards a game last week. The Bucs defense was given a lot of gifts by the Bulldogs' offense, which had six fumbles, three lost. But the Bucs defense also did a good job of holding RB Chris Henry to less than 100 yards rushing. … Pasco's biggest offensive threat will be Josh Johnson, who can and will be used all over the field at quarterback, receiver and running back. The Pirates are always a deep threat with QB D.J. Clower's rocket arm and WR Demetrious Larry, and can score on one play. The Pirates defense has posted two straight shutouts against Wiregrass Ranch and Sunlake and will have to keep an eye on Gulf QB Madison Burr, who had his best game all year last week with two passing touchdowns and one rushing.

RIDGEWOOD (8-0, 4-0) AT LAND O'LAKES (7-1, 4-0)
WHEN/WHERE: 7:30/Gator Stadium, 20325 Gator Lane, Land O' Lakes
DISTRICT: 4A-8
COACHES: Chris Taylor (Ridgewood), John Benedetto (Land O' Lakes)
LAST MEETING: Land O' Lakes 13, Ridgewood 7 (2006)
LAST WEEK: Ridgewood 27, Springstead 13; Land O' Lakes 31, River Ridge 0
NEED TO KNOW: The magnitude of this game cannot be overstated. On the line is the 4A-8 title and homefield advantage for the first game of the playoffs. Both have already clinched playoff berths. Ridgewood has never won a district title, while Land O' Lakes won it last season when the Gators played in 5A-5. … After losing the first game of the season, Land O' Lakes has won seven straight, while the Rams have only really been in danger of losing once this season against Tarpon Springs and won that game thanks to a last-minute interception converted into a touchdown. … There's no secret to Ridgewood's success; it's due to RB Byronell Arline (1,723 yards, 30 TDs), the blockers in front of him and Ridgewood's defense that has improved from week to week. Ridgewood's linebackers - Ben Perry, Arron Jackson and Tim Rearden - have punished quarterbacks all season and that should put Land O' Lakes' passing game under pressure. If Land O' Lakes' defense contains Arline, the Rams can look to FB Barry Johnsonbaugh (297 yards rushing, 4 TDs; 219 yards receiving, 1 TD) and QB T.J. Haab (43-66, 826 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT) to pick up some of the responsibility.

MITCHELL (3-5, 0-2) AT WESLEY CHAPEL (4-4, 0-2)
WHEN/WHERE: 7:30/Wildcat Stadium, 30651 Wells Road, Wesley Chapel
DISTRICT: 5A-5
COACHES: Scott Schmitz (Mitchell), John Castelamare (Wesley Chapel)
LAST MEETING: Wesley Chapel 38, Mitchell 0 (2006)
LAST WEEK: Gaither 34, Wesley Chapel 9; Mitchell 27, Clearwater Central Catholic 0
NEED TO KNOW: Both teams are looking for their first district win of the season. They have already been eliminated from the playoffs, but this should be a duel of quarterbacks and which defense can hold up against them. Wesley Chapel QB Greg Jenkins has 707 yards and six touchdowns in seven games. Mitchell's defense will have to watch out for Jenkins on the run (319 yards, 4 TDs). … Mitchell finally had that defensive game it was looking for and scored its first shutout since its 2005 blanking of River Ridge 37-0. … The Mustangs gave up only two first downs in the second half and stopped CCC on a first-and-1 from the Marauders 49. … For once, Tate Humphrey did not lead the team in rushing; instead RB Sterling Ross gathered a team-high 119 yards.

Cristina Ledra, Eddie Daniels, Bart O' Connell

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