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Pasco Football Season Ends As Lessons Continue

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By EDDIE DANIELS

edaniels@tampatrib.com

Published: December 13, 2008

DADE CITY - As the final second melted from the W.F. Edwards Stadium game clock Friday night, a dream of a season came to a forceful conclusion.

Tallahassee Godby's 28-14 victory in the Class 3A state semifinal football game ended the Pasco High season one game shy of the Class 3A state final. In doing so, the Cougars served as a conduit to life's lessons.

"Sports are about life, you don't always win everything," Pasco coach Tom McHugh said following the game as players and family members milled around the football field. "You have to take the good with the bad. They were a good team and we knew they were a good team coming in and when you get this far you've got to understand, everybody's a good team."

Even the ones that lose.

Friday night was the first time the Pirates (12-2) defense surrendered more than 20 points to an opponent this season. In six of their 14 games, opponents were held to seven points or less – three of which were shutouts.

Against Godby (12-2), the Pasco defense forced the Cougars to turn away from the typical pass-first orientation of their offense and use the running attack as its primary weapon. With a typical defensive formation of six defensive backs to thwart the run, Godby did just that. Run – and run well.

Running back Lavorie Johnson ate up 146 yards and a rushing score on 24 carries.

"We were our own worst enemy most of the night," Godby coach Shelton Crews said. "We've seen a little bit of what they were doing earlier in the year and we were just trying to take what they gave us and we ran the ball more tonight. We usually throw it. …That's what you've got to do to win."

Pasco had a 7-0 advantage for the entire first quarter, stopping the Cougars on their first three drives with a fumble recovery, forcing a punt and a turnover on downs. But the visitors tied the game at the 5:48 mark of the second quarter on an 8-yard Johnson run. They took the lead at the end of the half with a Willie Downs touchdown run.

At one point, Pasco fell behind 28-7, but continued to fight through the odds. After tightening the contest, 28-14 on a Hakeeme Ishmar TD grab, the Pirates recovered a fumble and went on a 13-play drive, reaching the Godby 4-yard line. That possession ended with an unsuccessful fourth down conversion attempt.

"I'm proud [of my team] because Coach McHugh turned this whole program around," said back Josh Johnson, Pasco's receiver/defensive who verbally committed to play at Purdue. "At first it was just, 'We do what I want.' We come to practice when we get there. But he gave us a lot of discipline and we played as a team. All the teachers and everyone in the school saw we were a team and it wasn't one player here or one player there. Everyone came together as a group. We just fought hard."
That same willingness to fight to the final moments of the game is something McHugh wants to see converted into everyday life by his players.

"We did stuff that we didn't think we could do," McHugh said "Sometimes in life you've got to do things you don't think you can do and hopefully they carry this with them. I don't want them to dwell on this. You lose a football game, but you have to remember what you did to get there and how you got to that game and how hard you worked and how it paid off for you.

"I don't want them quitting in life, in jobs and family and things like that. I think the first step there was tonight or the last two years for these young men. I think they've learned that."

In the two seasons prior to McHugh coming to Pasco, the program suffered through a 2-8 2005 and 3-7 2006 campaign. After stewing in McHugh's insistence upon self-discipline, integrity and a higher level of work, Pasco went 6-5 last season and 12-2 this year. Both seasons were district championship efforts.

Friday night's state semifinal appearance was the first time the Pirates have reached that stage in a season since the 1992 state champion team.

"I think it's a building block. It's a pathway for the younger guys," McHugh said. "They know how to win now. They know how to lose with integrity and they know how to win without quitting and they know how to lose without quitting. It's just a great thing for the younger guys to learn how to do and they had the opportunity to be here."

Reporter Eddie Daniels can be reached at (813) 948-4214.

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