TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Defining A Champion

ADVERTISEMENT

By EDDIE DANIELS

edaniels@tampatrib.com

Published: November 20, 2008

DADE CITY - The reward for a Sunshine Athletic Conference title and a second consecutive district championship for the Pasco Pirates was a 3-by-5 index card.

On that card, handed out by Pirates coach Tom McHugh after Pasco (9-1) defeated previously undefeated Gulf two weeks ago, was the definition of champion. It read: A warrior, a fighter; an advocate or defender, one who does battle for rights or honor.

Those words seem to fall in line with Pasco running back Jamall Haynes.

"When Jamall's standing in the backfield, that's a warrior," McHugh said. "You know when you give it to him, he doesn't lay down with it. He's going to go, and he's going to go and go and go until they blow the whistle. I think that's the most impressive thing about the kid.

"And on the wall out here, it says 'Never quit, never quit, never, ever, ever, ever quit.' I know when he's back there and he gets the ball, he's not going to quit."

The senior's never-give-up running style might not have gotten him the county's rushing record, but it did produce his first career 200-yard performance and six games of 100 or more yards, as well as 1,265 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns for the season. In 196 carries, he has fumbled just once.

In fact, that ability will be paramount in the team's Class 3A region quarterfinal game Friday night against Orlando Bishop (7-3) Moore at W.F. Edwards Stadium.

At 5-foot-8, 160 pounds, his stature is a cloak for the strength and absolute will he uses to push forward.

"Our team, we have quiet confidence," said Haynes, who is getting interest from schools like Quincy University, Georgia Southern and South Florida. "Some teams come in here loud, talking trash, so we just go out on the field quiet and ready to play. One team said I was small, but I always say, never let the size fool you. You never underestimate your opponent."

In that same vein, when McHugh talks to college coaches, their typical first question is his about Haynes' size. McHugh gives the size but also offers a list of intangibles.

"He bench presses over 300 pounds, he squats 400 pounds, he dead lifts 450 pounds and he runs a sub-4.7 40-yard dash," McHugh said. "All of that and he has moves. He'll hit you, he'll run around you and he'll shake you."

Of course, without his offensive line doing an effective job, most of what he has accomplished this season wouldn't be possible. That's something he realizes and appreciates.

"Those guys have done a good job all season," Haynes said. "We lost Mylon Brown and Jim Peterson - those two are starters - but the second-stringers stepped up, and our line has been doing an awesome job."

How is it that Haynes' performance landed the team its first-round home playoff game? Against Gulf, the tactic was to keep the county's leading rusher, Adrian Golden, off the field. To make that happen, Pasco had to eat up the clock. Haynes gained 153 yards on 29 carries. He didn't score, but 13 of his carries went for 5 yards or more and he was stopped just once for a loss - on his final carry.

"Most successful coaches will tell you, if I have to throw the ball 50 times a game, I'm not going to win. I have to run the ball to win football games," McHugh said. "In high school, you have to do that. You have to be able to control the game, and you have to be able to have that big-play capability.

"Sometimes, it's just I'm going to show you that I can run it and there's pretty much nothing you can do about it, and that's the kind of the attitude you have to take."

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT