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Golden, Gulf Are Playoff-Bound

By BART O'CONNELL

Tribune correspondent

Published: November 1, 2008

ZEPHYRHILLS - Tampa Bay's leading rusher, Adrian - Golden, knew he was in for his toughest test of the season Friday against the quick, hard-hitting Zephyrhills defense.

But it still wasn't nearly enough to stop him or the rest of the Bucs from clinching their second playoff appearance in three years.

Gulf (8-0, 4-0 Class 3A-District 8) ran for 353 yards, including 202 and three scores from Golden and 111 from Will Burbridge, to beat Zephyrhills 30-14 at Bulldog Stadium. The victory sets up a showdown with Pasco for the district title next week.

"I was ready," Golden said of facing the Bulldogs' defense, which he added was the best he has seen so far. "I don't think nobody can shut me down. That's how you've got to go into the game - confident. If you don't, you play bad."

From the outset, Golden showed the quick burst that has led him to rush for 1,806 yards and 26 touchdowns this season. The junior had 103 yards, two touchdowns and a 2-point conversion in the first quarter, converting multiple third-and-long situations on draw plays to sustain drives, leading to a 16-0 Gulf lead.

In the second quarter, Zephyrhills (3-5, 2-2) responded with a 7-yard pass by quarterback Tyler Guy to receiver Alex Sampson in the front right corner of the end zone, making it 16-7 after the extra point. Sampson finished with eight catches for 123 yards.

But for the majority of the game, Guy was under pressure, sacked six times by the Bucs' defense, two by Daryl Cooper for minus-58 yards. The result was 39 net rushing yards for the Bulldogs.

Guy's counterpart, Madison Burr, struggled to pass but was an effective runner and he got one of the sacks on Guy. Burr scored on a 2-yard run before halftime and, along with Burbridge, picked up several key first downs in the second half.

Zephyrhills pulled within 8 on a 10-yard run by Michael Peterman in the second half. On the ensuing kickoff, Golden suffered a stinger to his left elbow and was writhing in pain on the field for more than a minute. He missed just one play and finished the game, carrying 11 more times after the hit.

Gulf got another scare when Golden muffed a punt deep in Bucs territory, but Burbridge fell on the ball to retain possession. From there, Gulf clinched the victory on a 15-play, 78-yard drive that ate up most of the clock. The Bucs ran the ball on every play of the drive, capped by a 3-yard Golden run.

"It's a good feeling. The kids have worked real hard," Gulf coach Jay Fulmer said of the playoff berth. "We thought going into the season that we'd have a chance to get in, but I never thought we'd be 8-0 at this point."