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Tampa Catholic's Season Ends In Surreal Fashion

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By SCOTT PURKS

Tribune correspondent

Published: December 6, 2008

TAMPA - The final 10 minutes of Tampa Catholic's season were a weird scene wrapped in a razor-wire of frustration, ending in a Class 2A state semifinal victory for Miami Gulliver Prep, 19-17.

The surreal turn of events started on Gulliver Prep's 1-yard line, fourth-and-goal for TC, which at the time led 17-13.

TC called timeout. Coach Bob Henriquez had a play in mind, but TC quarterback Christian Green told the coach to let him take it, push behind TC's much beefier offensive line, and, according to Henriquez, "Put the game away."

Henriquez went with his quarterback, who pushed, but fell six inches short.

"I still figured we were OK," Henriquez said. "They had to go 991/2 yards to win. I never imagined we couldn't stop them."

Just more than 5 minutes and 13 plays later (including three third-down conversions), Gulliver scored on a 5-yard touchdown pass.

TC took over on its 20-yard line, 4:40 left on the clock. Green ran right for a first down and winning still appeared a possibility, what with Green, who rushed 12 times for 102 yards, running almost at will.

Except Green was down, holding his right hamstring, crimped in the agony of cramps. Green was escorted to the sideline, where he stayed the rest of the game, wincing as his legs were massaged by trainers, and backup QB D.J. Williams, who wasn't warmed up, fired a couple of incompletions.

"It was the first time I cramped all night," said Green, who barely could talk in the disappointment.

"It was weird," Henriquez said.

"It was an emotional roller coaster," said Gulliver Prep coach Earl Sims, who said he was about to go crazy when his punter decided to call a fake punt on his own at Gulliver Prep's 22-yard line, then was tackled at his own 10 with those fateful 10 minutes remaining.

As for stopping TC (9-4) on the six-inch line, Sims said he told his team, "If you stop them we will win. And the reason I told them that was because I believed it, and whatever I say my team believes. So, when we stopped them I was sure we were going to win. I really was."

For much of the game it appeared TC might pull off a defeat against the Raiders, who had averaged more than 40 points and almost 400 yards a game.

Through the first half, in fact, Gulliver (12-1) managed only one first down, and except for one 44-yard TD pass had less than 40 yards.

"We were doing just about everything we wanted to do against them," Henriquez said. "We were beating them up front, which we thought we would do, and that's why we thought any time we needed a yard or two we could get it."

In fact, trailing 13-10 late in the third quarter, Henriquez went for it on fourth down at Gulliver's 1. And got it on a Daniel Sanabria dive play.

GP - Vernon 44 pass from Straus (Uribe kick)

TC - Mulkey 11 pass from Green (McLaughlin kick)

GP - Mallary 10 pass from Straus (kick blocked)

TC - Sanabria 2 run (McLaughlin kick)

GP - Vernon 5 pass from Straus (kick failed)

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