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Gators Take Lead Into Monday

By EDDIE DANIELS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 6, 2007

LAND O' LAKES - A little Dallas Cowboys at Buffalo Bills on Monday night on ESPN? Nope. It will be Tarpon Springs at Land O' Lakes, finishing up a game suspended due to lightning.

With 2:41 left in the first half and Land O' Lakes ahead 17-0, officials cleared the stands and made players seek shelter in the locker rooms as a lightning-packed weather cell passed over the stadium.

Initially, the game was rescheduled for 10 a.m. today, but due to the Scholastic Aptitude Test being administered this morning at both schools, Land O' Lakes and Tarpon Springs officials pushed the makeup date to Monday at 7 p.m.

'We start fresh with just a couple of minutes left in the half, with a 17-0 lead,' Land O' Lakes coach John Benedetto said. 'Yes, the momentum we had is gone.'

Before play was canceled, Land O' Lakes mounted an enormous swell of momentum produced by its defense, which forced three turnovers.

The first Tarpon Springs flub came on a fumble on first-and-20 from the Spongers 38, which was recovered by Land O' Lakes linebacker Collin Robinson. The Land O' Lakes offense sputtered, giving the ball back on a punt.

On the ensuing drive, the Tarpon Springs offense got to its 44 before punting the ball back.

Land O' Lakes broke the scoreless tie with a 41-yard field goal by junior kicker Alex Spock, who had the whip of the wind and rain in his face on the kick, with 11:54 remaining in the second quarter.

The Gators defense gave its offense the ball back when Willie Fields tipped Danny Reyes' second-and-22 pass. The ball careened off Fields' hand and into the arms of Ely Payne, who returned the ball 58 yards to the Spongers 2.

On the next play, Chris Singleton blew through the Tarpon Springs defense for the score and the 10-0 Land O' Lakes lead with 9:17 left in the half.
Six plays into the ensuing Tarpon Springs drive, Land O' Lakes defensive back Jerome Harrison snagged another Reyes pass.

On second-and-10, Benn Hipps took the handoff to the left side of the offensive line, slicing through the Spongers' defense untouched for a 45-yard score, increasing the Land O' Lakes advantage, 17-0 with 6:05 remaining in the second quarter.
Tarpon Springs collapsed again on its next offensive series, giving Land O' Lakes the ball at the Spongers' 48. Six plays and several lightning bolts into the drive, officials suspend play.

'Hopefully, Monday evening, if we can keep ourselves together, we'll come out with a victory,' Benedetto said.