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Weatherford's Injury Puts Damper On Gators' District Title

Sophomore Fractures Collarbone

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Tribune correspondent

Published: November 9, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - It should have been a moment of celebration and excitement. Instead there was fear and frustration.

After defeating Ridgewood 20-16 to claim the Class 4A, District 8 title and advance to the playoffs for the 12th consecutive season, the mind of Land O' Lakes coach John Benedetto wasn't allowed to rejoice or relax.

Not when he glanced to the bench and saw his star quarterback, sophomore Stephen Weatherford, getting his swollen left shoulder wrapped after a quarterback sneak with less than two minutes to play, and receiving a less than optimistic outlook from the team trainer.

When reached Saturday by The Tampa Tribune, Benedetto said Weatherford suffered a fractured collarbone. The injury was detected following an X-ray Saturday morning.

There was no definitive proof at the time that Weatherford was seriously hurt, but the quick swelling, coupled with recent history, left Benedetto fearing the worst and making contingency plans.

"This is four years in a row we will be going into the playoffs without our best player," Benedetto said. "Joe [Weatherford] in 2005, Develin [Robinson] in 2006, and John Weatherford last year."

In the opening moments of Land O' Lakes' 2005 playoff game at Chamberlain, Weatherford's brother, Joe, fractured his left collarbone after a blindside hit on an interception. Land O' Lakes lost that opening round game. The next season, in a rematch, receiver Develin Robinson was suspended for that game after being ejected the week prior on a questionable call. The Gators lost that meeting as well. Last season, days before the regular season began, running back/linebacker John Weatherford tore the anterior cruciate ligament and partially tore the medial collateral and posterior collateral ligaments in is left knee after being tackled in practice.

"We have another sophomore quarterback, Tanner Stocker, that we have a lot of confidence in," Benedetto said. "And if we have to go with Tanner, it's not going to change anything that we do offensively because we have a lot of confidence in his ability."

Weatherford had a rushing touchdown and 65 yards passing against the Rams, but was under pressure throughout the night, sacked six times by the Ridgewood defense, 2 ½ by Ralphy Dawkins. Still, he was responsible for the Gators' two longest gains of the night, a 29-yard rush on a second-and-27, and a 36-yard pass to Will Irwin.

"He's OK," Benedetto said of Weatherford Saturday. "I don't know how he's feeling inside, but he had a smile on his face [Saturday] morning when I was talking to him."

Land O' Lakes won the game on the strength of their running game, led by a season-best 18 carries for 98 yards and a touchdown by Tyler Peak. Ben Hipps added 64 yards and a score, as the Gators ran 50 times for 198 yards on the night.

The defense, led by linebacker Alex Mathis, also made several key stops. None were more significant than four plays in which Mathis found himself right in the middle.

He made back-to-back tackles for losses on Ridgewood tailback Sterling Ross inside the Gators' 10-yard line, forcing the Rams to settle for a field goal. Then, after Ross's second touchdown made it 17-16, he blocked Josh Gray's extra point attempt to keep Land O' Lakes ahead.

On the final key play, which came after the Gators had staged a seven-minute drive leading to a field goal, Ross fumbled, and Mathis pulled a Ridgewood player away from the ball as teammate Anthony Kasperitis recovered the ball.

For a squad that nearly lost a 14-point lead, Mathis' efforts were critical in keeping the Gators' in the game mentally.

"There were tears," Mathis said of his teammates, who were getting emotional at the thought of possibly missing the playoffs if they blew the lead. "We were going easy at first and played hard at the end."

Despite the various ups and downs during and after Friday's game, Benedetto wanted his players to recognize what they accomplished.

"I'm sure our kids are very happy. We needed to win tonight in order to secure [a playoff berth], and we did that," Benedetto said. "It was not easy for us tonight."

Reporter Eddie Daniels contributed to this report. Correspondent Bart O'Connell can be reached at tampasport@gmail.com.

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