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Back It Up: Gulf Wins

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By RICK HARMON

Tribune correspondent

Published: November 27, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - If Gulf coach Jay Fulmer needed assistance getting his Buccaneers motivated for tonight's Class 3A region semifinal contest against Pasco, the rest of the Sunshine Athletic Conference coaches gave him what he needed.

On Monday, the 11 public-school football coaches got together to select the all-SAC football team. The way it works is a player is nominated and the coaches vote on that player. The same holds true for player of the year and coach of the year.

With a 10-1 record and an offense averaging 453.8 yards per game (No. 1 in the state) and averaging 39 points, one would think there would be quite a few Buccaneers on the team.

Wrong.

Adrian Golden was the only Gulf player to earn first-team honors. The junior broke the county record for rushing yards (2,460) and only needs two more touchdowns to own that county record. But the coaches didn't think that was good enough to earn Golden offensive player of the year honors.

And the defense, a unit that yielded only 216.7 yards per game in the regular season, didn't have anyone on the first team. In all, only seven Gulf players were named to the three teams selected.

Fulmer might not need this incentive. But it's not going to hurt, especially since junior quarterback Madison Burr found out Wednesday he will miss the rest of the season.

However, if you go by the votes of the other county coaches, it won't matter that Burr can't play. The junior completed 71 of 126 for 1,247 yards and only three interceptions. He also rushed for 387 yards, including 82 last week against St. Cloud, a game in which he called all of the plays for the first three quarters. But Burr wasn't good enough to earn a spot on the first, second or third team.

Fulmer has said all week the one area the Bucs need to improve on from the last Pasco game is the blocking of the offensive line. Despite opening huge holes for the best running back in the county, not one offensive lineman earned first-team honors. The unit will have something to prove tonight.

Gulf lost to the Pirates 21-20 on Nov. 7, when Fulmer decided to go for the tie after sending the offense on the field for a 2-point conversion and the win. The kick missed, and the Bucs' undefeated season ended.

If the same situation occurs, Fulmer said he's not sure what he'll do.

But he shouldn't need it - Gulf 26, Pasco 21.

Correspondent Rick Harmon can be reached at rharmon@tampatrib.com.

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