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Gators Rally For Big District Win

By RICK HARMON

Tribune correspondent

Published: October 11, 2008

TARPON SPRINGS - Even the best kickers have an mishit once in a while. It's what they do after the mistake that separates the great ones from the average ones.

Land O' Lakes senior kicker Alex Spock was averaging 33.5 yards per punt heading into Friday's Class 4A-District 8 showdown vs. Tarpon Springs. His first punt of the night was 32 yards. But his second went 10 yards and led to a Spongers TD that let them back into the game.

But Spock got a chance to redeem himself as his 27-yard field goal with 10:50 remaining in the game gave the Gators a 24-22 victory.

"I was looking for a chance to make up for the punt," Spock said. "I was just trying to forget about the punt as fast as I could."

The loss was the first for the Spongers this season and keeps Land O' Lakes' playoff streak alive. The Gators have appeared in the postseason the last 11 years.

It only took Tarpon Springs one play to get on the board to start the game. Ladarius Only took the first handoff of the game and ran 80 yards to put the Spongers up 7-0. Michael Hill added a 32-yard field goal to give the Spongers a 10-0 first-quarter lead.

But momentum started to change midway through the second quarter. On a third-and-1 on their own 34, the Gators fumbled and it was recovered by R.A. Seifried. Tarpon Springs drove but was stopped on fourth-and 2 at the Land O' Lakes 14.

Sophomore quarterback Stephen Weatherford engineered an 11-play, 86-yard drive that he capped with a 5-yard touchdown to cut the Spongers lead to 10-7.

The Gators took their first lead with 2:26 left in the first half when Alexander Mathis picked off a Danny Reyes pass to give Land O' Lakes the ball on the Tarpon Springs 43. Weatherford went 6-for-6 on the drive, the last one a 21-yard fade pass to Alex Robinson.

"We had a very important drive to get the score to 10-7," said Land O' Lakes coach John Benedetto. "I think that drive changed the momentum of the game. Our kids hung in there tough."

The Gators had a chance to add to the score before halftime when Jackson Cannon picked off a Reyes pass, but Land O' Lakes was called for roughing the passer and Tarpon Springs kept the ball.

Land O' Lakes added to its lead early in the third quarter when the two teams exchanged interceptions. Tarpon Springs got the ball when Seifried intercepted a Weatherford pass, giving the Spongers the ball on their own 40. But Benjamin Hedblom tipped Reyes' pass, picked the ball out of the air and ran 36 yards for a TD to give Land O' Lakes a 21-10 lead.

It looked like Tarpon Springs was going to answer that score when Miles Toli took the ensuing kickoff and raced 90 yards for an apparent TD. But an illegal blocking penalty erased the score.