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Largo Sends East Lake Packing

Largo 19, East Lake 7

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By Eric Horchy | The Suncoast News

Published: November 16, 2007

LARGO - LARGO - East Lake High's season ended Friday night much like it began - with a loss to Largo.

Behind quarterback Leonard Johnson's 223 combined yards and two touchdowns, the undefeated Packers (11-0) dispatched of East Lake once again, 19-7.

The Eagles proved they were a much better team entering the playoffs compared to when they were shutout 20-0, but the Largo trio of Johnson, tailback Brynn Harvey and wideout Reginald McCray were not to be denied.

Coming in as an underdog, East Lake battled the entire game and made Largo earn their ticket to the second round.

The stingy East Lake defense held Harvey - a 2,000-plus yard back who rolled up the Eagles in Week One - to only 94 yards on 15 carries. The majority of that yardage came on one late-game 44-yard run. It was his lone carry in double figures.

Largo's three offensive weapons combined were just a little too much to handle, though.

"We go to Johnson," Largo Head Coach Rich Rodriguez said of the game plan when teams are containing Harvey. "He (Johnson) is such a special player, just like Harvey and all of them. Harvey may get all the carries and all the press, but Johnson, he was the man tonight."

The Eagles scored the game's first points in the opening quarter when fullback Erin Murray plunged into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown run. The score capped a five play, 80-yard drive shortly after East Lake quarterback Blake Robles found receiver Nick Franz down the right sideline for 60-yard completion.

Hit hard after he threw while rolling to his right, Robles left the game briefly but regained his composure and returned on the next drive. He finished the night 10-of-16 passing for 171 yards after completing his first six passes.

Clinging to the 7-0 lead and hoping to hit the locker room ahead, the Packer offense - shutdown for the first 16 minutes of play - finally broke through the East Lake coverage with only 0:28 left in the half. Johnson led a methodical eleven-play drive that spanned 77 yards, ending in a touchdown reception to wide-open Shane Hood for the tie.

The second half saw Largo determined to ride the momentum gained from Hood's late second quarter score.

Watching the Packers find the end zone on their first two possessions of the half - both via Johnson-to-McCray hookups - victory slowly slipped away from East Lake.

Helped by a third down, 15-yard personal foul penalty against the Eagles on the half's opening drive, Johnson floated a fade route to McCray on the following play after the infraction.

The tall, big play receiver fought off an East Lake cornerback in the end zone, tipped the ball up, dove and finally snagged the ball before it could touch the ground for the game's most electric play of the night.

Largo failed to execute the extra point opportunities after both McCray scores, leaving the game at 19-7 in the third quarter. He finished with his two touchdowns on three catches for 70 yards.

The Eagles mounted comeback efforts with both their offense and defense, but could never quite get that final push for a score.

After failing to produce a big play during a 14-snap drive that ended in a loss-on-downs, Eagle cornerback Richie Bailey picked off a Johnson pass three yards behind the goal line. Rather than taking a knee, Bailey scampered down the right sideline for a 56-yard return to the Largo 47 with three minutes left on the clock.

It was the second interception of the night for Johnson. The first came during the prior possession when Nick Flowers stepped in front of a hanging pass to McCray.

With good field position after Bailey's pick-and-run, East Lake came ever so close to narrowing the margin and regaining hope.

On the drive's sixth play, Robles hit a sliding Jacob Rachel in the left side of the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown. To the Eagles dismay, a little yellow flag resting at the 27-yard line said no. A holding call near the line of scrimmage negated the six points with 2:12 remaining, and East Lake could not repeat the effort.

The Largo defensive front played a big role in holding the Eagles to a combined 185 yards of offense, sacking Robles eight times for a total of minus-57 yards.

Offensively, Largo was able to assemble a workman-like 317 yards - not overly flashy, but very effective - to send their North Pinellas foes packing.

"The kids played their butts off tonight," a dejected Bob Hudson, the East Lake head coach, said afterwards. "I'm so proud of them, that's all I can really say."

Largo's next challenge will be from yet another North County opponent after Dunedin's 31-17 victory over Gibbs. Largo will be at home again to host the Class 5A, District 9 champs.

It will be another rematch game for Largo next week. They defeated the Falcons 37-31 in Week Five.

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